The Robert Mugabe Moment

This is a challenging and yet interesting Blog post for me because It’s about a President that many love to hate. Growing up in Zimbabwe, his pictures were all hung in our School Hall, the Headmasters office and the reception area. That was the time I was in Primary School and High School (some of the best years of my life). He was and still is the President of Zimbabwe, Cde Robert Gabriel Mugabe.

I never imagined I would Blog about this man. I seldom talk about politics on my Blog and there are personal reasons for that but today I was inspired to pen it down. President Mugabe has trended on Social Media before and over the years. He truly has come to be known as one of Africa’s most powerful Presidents and stubborn if not selfish as many still do not understand why he refuses to step down as the President. He has been the Zimbabwean President for 35 years. Over the years past few years I am sure to age President Mugabe has been ill and many a times he has had to seek international Medical treatment. I personally think he is still not well enough to run the AU.

Anyway this week the President was trending for the wrong reasons. The newly elected Chairman of the African Union fell just a few steps from the stage he was on after his address in Harare. Naturally Press powerhouses and political Bloggers would publish this, however it was the jokes of his fall that I found disturbing. In the beginning I thought the pictures were silly and distasteful the more they started appearing on my time line the more I said to myself what is the big noise all about?

When you are the throne of grace who are you? Has power or money and the privileges it comes with defined you as a person? When you are not at the top of your game who are you? We nothing lasts forever and at any moment in time tables always turn. So if you had a Red Carpet hick up moment would people empathize or laugh at you and make a spectacle of it? Would there be anyone by your side to run , help you dust yourself and help you get up?

President Mugabe has men at the click of a finger when he needs them, you and I don’t. Can you safely say if tables turn and you find yourself on the floor there will be someone to help you up?

Help can come from known and unknown sources. Is there something we do or don’t do that truly influences how people treat us when we are on our knees? I think there is. There were mixed feelings over the jokes this past week on Social Media and in the Press. The President’s experience made think and re-look at that wheel we call life. Though for him it was just an unfortunate fall, to me it symbolizes that anything in life can happen, at anytime. How do you treat those around you? When you on your knees will people laugh or empathize and come and help?