27th January 2007


Only a few of us for the beginning of the Vigil on the day the UN has
designated as "Holocaust Memorial Day" marking the date on which the
Auschwitz concentration camp was liberated by the Soviets in 1945. Mugabe is
not, as far as we know, putting people in gas ovens but what is happening in
Zimbabwe is a holocaust nevertheless. Common reckoning is that the death
toll is worse than in Darfur, Iraq or Afqhanistan. Zanu-PF's Didymus Mutasa
made it known some 3 or 4 years ago that they wanted a population of about 6
million "of our people". They have been busy every since.

We were interested to have a thorough-going revolutionary with us and were
energised by his arguments. We had to explain to him that we are in England
and our weapons are tea and buns. (But once they are stale they become
stones.)

With so many supporters away at a MDC meeting in Wolverhampton, it was
brilliant to have the Zimbabwean singer Viomak all the way from Leeds to
help us start up the Vigil. We played tracks from her new CD "Happy 83rd
Birthday Mr Mugabe (bones of a 30 year old)". She is working on a
sensational coup to launch the CD and the Vigil Diary is following it
closely..a "News of the World" scoop.

We were pleased to have a Chinese UN official who had just been to Zimbabwe
talk to us. He said they are doing everything in their power to ensure that
emergency humanitarian aid is not being abused.

We handed out our "Make Mugabe History - Free Zimbabwe" postcards to our
supporters to write their own messages to Robert Mugabe for his birthday
(yet another one!) next month. Most messages said something like "time to
go". Here are two messages: "Nobody wants anything to do with you any more.
Do the right thing and go and herd goats and cattle. You are a disgrace to
the human race. Zimbabwe is not your family business" and "May God really
bless the last days of your life for judgment awaits you in hell".

Vigil supporters were very pleased to hear from Jeff whom we've been
worrying about for some time. It turns out he has been in jail for problems
with his papers but is due to be released in the coming week. We are
completely befuddled why Jeff should be blocking jail spaces for busy UK
criminals.

It's great that ACTSA (Action for Southern Africa, successor to the
Anti-Apartheid Movement) is becoming so active on behalf of Zimbabwe. We
were pleased to help them distribute their flyer "The Last King of Scotland:
a modern day problem" in which they compare the brutal repression of
Zimbabwe to the tyranny of Idi Amin in Uganda. They are asking people to
flood cinema goers with this flyer to help raise awareness of the genocide
in Zimbabwe. Check weblink:
http://www.actsa.org/Pages/Page.php?pID=1024&title=PostColonialismZimbabwe
for ACTSA's Zimbabwe campaigns.

Good news from a long-term supporter, Ancilla. Her baby boy Prosper was
born on Thursday. When Ancilla first came to the Vigil she was going
through a very difficult time and it is wonderful to see where she has
reached now. Her child comes as a great joy.

For this week's Vigil pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zimbabwevigil/

FOR THE RECORD: 36 signed the register.