The United States Embassy in Harare has commissioned a
documentary promoting the narrative of wanton abductions and human rights
abuses in the country, The Herald has learnt.
Impeccable sources told The Herald that production of the
documentary coincided with the upsurge in fake abductions reported in recent
months.
The embassy has since engaged a number of individuals to
work on the project which will feature pseudo commentators in the form of
opposition politicians and anti-Government civic society organisations.
A meeting to plan for the project took place last Thursday
at the US Embassy. According to sources, the last meeting resolved to hold
another meeting today in which comedienne Samantha Kureva, popularly known as
Gonyeti, will attend to narrate her “ordeal” during her alleged abduction.
Attempts to contact the comedienne were fruitless as she
was not picking up calls last night.
Among those who attended were a representative of the
embassy using the name Ellis, Robson Chere (Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of
Zimbabwe), Jean Bertrand Mhandu (Student Christian Movement) and Archibald
Elias Madiba (Zimbabwe National Students Union).
Others included one Charity (Students Network), Nyatsanza
(Media Centre), and Melody, a third year student of Bachelor General in Arts
Theatre at the University of Zimbabwe.
The MDC Youth Assembly and Zimbabwe Congress of Trade
Unions (ZCTU) were invited, but did not attend.
“The US embassy invited civil society organisations to send
representatives to provide information which would feed into a documentary they
intend to compile on victims of alleged human rights abuses by the Government,”
said the sources.
Before the meeting tackled the agenda, Ellis told the
participants that Washington was worried over Zimbabweans’ lack of impatience
in confronting Government head-on “considering the hardships they are facing”.
“In response, the civic society groups attacked Government
for allegedly banning the right to demonstrate, citing the recent MDC
demonstrations that were proscribed by the police,’’ the sources said.
Ellis is said to have expressed disquiet over the failure
by local academics to participate in demonstrations.
According to sources, he claimed the US was worried that
there had been no meaningful demonstrations to talk about in tertiary
institutions, led by students.
“In the meeting, Ellis called on the delegates to agree on
a standard framework for the type of content he was seeking to put in the
documentary,” sources told The Herald. “Ellis also informed the meeting that he
was going to send such additional information via e-mail and invited the civic
organisations to send their proposals for the documentary.
“Ellis asked the CSOs to submit budget proposals for
transport, food and other logistical support necessary for the project, giving
an example that if ARTUZ intends to interview victims of Government abuse in
Gutu they should submit applications to that effect.
“In the same meeting, ARTUZ was given the task to spearhead
the project.” Herald
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