If you were having coffee with me, I would welcome you to my socially distanced corner of globe in a world that seems to be on the precipice of a Covid third wave and there’s been chatter of a third lockdown loading….
I have been into town only once in the past week and outside of the usual transport problems, it was relatively uneventful, since I didn’t get arrested like the last time… Read my last article Coffee With Bad Cops Good Cop incase you missed it… Does this mean I have criminal record now? Should I get a tattoo or something?
If you were having coffee with me, I would tell you that I like to believe I am a law abiding patriot, imagining that my heart beats in rhythm to National Anthem and my blood is red, yellow, green, black, just like the waving flag….
But sometimes its hard to feel charitable, like when you are strolling down the crowded streets of Harare CBD watching people trying to eke out a living, vendors, selling their wares on the street pavements and the ensuing chaos that happens as they pack up and run away from the police lest they have their wares confiscated and they arrested for “obstruction” i.e obstructing movement of traffic, that’s the fine they pay at the Police Station… and back to work they go, dodging the police…
Amidst it all you are trying to walk calmly past the police and hope they wont think you are guilty of anything and checking your mask every second because you don’t want to be arrested again and next time if I get arrested I am definitely soliciting for a bribe, see what the system grooms me into.
If you were having coffee with me I would tell you that on March 2nd Parliament debated on the Patriotic Bill which once approved will be passed into law., you can read through the minutes from the Hansard by Parliament of Zimbabwe. Ostensibly this Patriotic Bill is to counter the harmful and negative communications that attack the country’s image.
NOW THEREFORE, call upon this august House to enact a law that:
a) recognises and celebrates efforts made by Zimbabwean citizens at home and abroad to promote the country’s positive image and brand; and
b) prohibits any Zimbabwean citizen from wilfully communicating messages intended to harm the image and reputation of the country on international platforms or engaging with foreign countries with the intention of communicating messages intended to harm the country’s positive image, and or to undermine its integrity and reputation.
This has been likened to The Logan Act and The Patriot Act of America which serve in: Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism. I would have to find out from those resident in America how those have been working out. While some say only criminals and malcontents need be afraid of the Patriotic Bill, its not hard to see how it can be interpreted and used as a tool to silence freedom of speech and a campaign is on going to #StopThePatrioticBill
If you were having coffee with me I would tell you that ahead of its 2021 General Elections in August Zambian Parliament is also set to pass Cyber Security and Cyber Crimes Bill which again sounds a lot like it will end up shrinking liberties of freedom in online spaces.
Its like our government are in the same WhatsApp group which ought to have a MasterClass on How To Win Elections and Die in Power…. Speaking of dying in power, the president of Tanzania recently succumbed to a heart condition (though unverified sources say that it was complications due to COVID) Its crazy how after all the president did or didn’t do the world is stuck on Tanzania’s COVID stance, after declaring the country COVID free and refusing to participate in vaccination programmes.
On a positive note Tanzania makes history by having its first female president after the Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan was sworn in as president on Friday.
If you were having coffee with me I would ask you if you think Madam Vice President Kamala Harris was eyeing President Joe Biden stumble on the stairs of the Airforce like….. soon…..?
So schools are set to resume tomorrow and its going to be another interesting week, university fees went up by 250% and civil servants pay didn’t go up by as much a margin, a strike might be looming, at least it will give some of us a break from watching Peppa Pig….
Its hard to breathe if you wear a flag as a face mask. Whats been going on in your neck of the woods?
~B
Becoming The Muse 
Interesting. We have more in common (as countries) than you would think. Our University fees also went up like crazy and wage freezes on public servants and fire fighters (big deal in Australia) and nurses (ironic during a pandemic).
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The world is a crazy place
thank you for visiting
~B
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Interesting political stuff. I get really frustrated with politics as it seems it all sucks everywhere. I do believe we will probably have our first woman president when our current VP ends up taking over… Hopefully this doesn’t happen, but I just have a feeling…. I’m sorry y’all are facing another shutdown. We are doing pretty good here with tons of vaccinations and so lockdowns have been eased. Stay safe out there! 🤩 ~D
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One says they don’t want to do politics but it still hits the fan and ends up everywhere 🤣🤣🤣
Maybe they just spoke of an impeding lockdown to get people to get vaccinated since the vaccine drive hasn’t quite been taken up… 🤔 wouldn’t be surprised if they started saying you need to show your vaccine card to travel into the city centre 🤐 …oops might give them ideas
Thanks for visiting and have an awesome week
~B
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outbreak of Covid at the job, I’ve been feeling off as of late, but I also got my first jab of the vaccine. Kinda hoping that the jab is helping ward off a potential infection…Sigh…It nearly feels but doesn’t completely feel as shitty as March-April of 2020 felt. Keep thinking of my mortality…On a rollercoaster brother…
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Oooh you finally got the jab.., side effects?
Yeah this panoramic has a habit of making us consider our mortality and purpose, and how life just goes on…..
Stay safe
~B
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possible side effects, but now further complications someone I was close contact with at my job tested positive…So I have to get tested again today. 😕
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… what was the verdict… I was actually wondering if some tests would actually give a post test after one had gotten vaccinated, well dependng on the type of test as well hmmm.
stay safe
~B
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Just got the results this morning, I happily tested negative
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Great news!!!
~B
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Hahaha let me first laugh at the flag as your mask
I love the patriotism that unfortunately I believe I highly lack as of now.
Am tuned in more to magufuli praises than in my own country because of course if we dared to compare it would be a laugh.
Here masks are only remembered when entering important places let’s say the bank otherwise people have long given up on them realised this when I found myself wearing a mask alone in a place with many people.
It’s always great hearing from you👌👌👌
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flag as a mask… I do not recommend hahahahahaha the fabric is not meant to be worn I think next time might get a flag printed on the face mask hmmmm or my blog logo
Well if police did not arrest people for not wearing a mask I doubt people would wear them
Thanks for visiting Connie
~B
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In Uganda, people are not arrested for not wearing a mask. Personally, I can’t do a cloth mask, I suffocate.
Disposable masks are it for me…
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Haha wait till you have to buy a disposable mask every day and decide to just get a washable one instead
~B
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I actually buy a box of 50pcs. This is part of my budget. It takes me for close to 2months.
The idea of washing ain’t my plate of food..
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Sorry but I think patriotism is now illegal in the US for my side of our dual legal system. Kind of embarrassing but there it is. . .
I’m going to pass on the chance to say something I’ll quickly regret.
Stay safe.
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What is patriotism even… I think its a word thats used and abused by politicians and their hordes of followers to justify things, prejudices and discriminations…
anyway we move on
Hope you have great week and dont get bitten by lizards!!!
~B
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Patriotism is only when you say pamberi navo. They talk of the imagine of the country when they themselves are the ones “hurting” the imagine. They gave police, soldiers and the intelligence an increment of 151% and the rest of the civil servants are offered 75% 🤷 and went on to approve tertiary fees by more than 200%. Where is the logic really? What are they so afraid of to go to such an extent of wanting to enact such an absurd, naive law.
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The games we play…. sometimes in trying manage a situation they create a breeding ground for exactly that which they should really be afraid of…. a person with nothing to lose
~B
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We’re officialy in lockdown again on my side of the woods– happened just this week. Covid cases spiking up, police killing activists and red tagging their lawyers as terrorists too. Funny how my country’s government is really scared of its people. Ha ha. All pretty much the same as yours. Education system still sucks, incompetency is overwhelming. Hahaha 😩😩 thanks for sharing, B!
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its weird how things are so similar, governemnts seem to have a paranoia that one day people might just realise how little power they actually have and thats how a revolution begins hmmmm so I guess they have to use fear to rule
its a few more sleeps to the weekend woohoo
thanks for visiting
~B
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That mug — I love it
Will be back to drink coffee in it.. hey uncle B!
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Its a great mug
thanks for visiting
Cheers
~B
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Lol I was literally thinking of mentioning the Cyber security bill in Zambia when I read it in your post. It turns out the bill passed on Tuesday and is now law. A lot of us missed that.
These people will do anything to limit our freedoms.
About the tattoo, how else will we know that you were arrested? 😂
Failing to breathe with the flag as a mask? Highly symbolic 😂 sometimes what is meant to protect you is what will kill you.
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I think I wrote that article on the day before the Zambian parliament passed the bill… and you are right it was a very quiet affair people wont notice until the arrests start popping up
failing to breath with a flag as mask is highly symbolic ^_^ subtext in plan sight if you will
~B
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Always interesting to get a glimpse of what’s happening in Zim that is not from News24.
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hahahah view from the street
~B
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It’s funny..odd..not ha ha..I liked Kamala Harris as a Presidential Candidate but felt she would be too left for the undecided middle of America. And so I went with Elizabeth Warren but the American middle does not like smart women and she did not do well on Super Tuesday and dropped out. I worked for and voted for Biden yet I look at him and think, “I’m may have my President Harris after all.”
I’d tell you what I think of our ‘Patriot Act’ but I wouldn’t want you to get in trouble with anyone watching you.
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ha ha!
What a crazy world we live in indeed…
And I appreciate the concern as I sometimes even wonder what those who are watching think about my thoughts in a world where its dangerous to voice your opinions especially if they are different….. instead of agreeing to disagree you may found yourself in jail or worse never be found again….
Thank you for visiting and have an awesome week
~B
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