Our last few days in Harare were by far the most exciting and the most memorable. We finally got to visit the University of Zimbabwe and meet the people that we had been communicating with by email for over a year!

The day before the book donation ceremony, Haley, Elana and I (Nadia) went to visit the University of Zimbabwe to tour the campus and sort out the logistics for the ceremony. We met with Norman Nhede, the Faculty Administrator, Mr. Sibanda, the law librarian and Daniel Chohombori, the director of international relations. We received a very warm welcome and everyone at the university was extremely hospitable (offering us tea/coffee with biscuits!).

The display of books

They showed us the room where the donation ceremony would take place and also asked us if we would be able to prepare a short speech to give at the ceremony. After the meeting, Haley and I had a slight freak out over having to write something overnight and present it in front of students, professors and professionals in Harare. No pressure or anything…

The day of the book donation ceremony was so exciting! We brought the three big bins full of books, the laptop and the printer to the university and set up a small display in the room where the donation ceremony was going to take place. The ceremony itself went really well. Haley and I gave a speech (to a full house!) explaining the project and our views and experiences in Zimbabwe; basically saying how awesome our experience in Harare had been.

The ceremony had two parts: our book donation, and a presentation of the 2^nd place award for an international Moot Court competition to the Moot Court team at the law faculty. So there were lots of students in the crowd that we got to meet and talk with after the ceremony. Meeting with students was definitely one of the highlights of the trip. They were so friendly, easy to talk to and they offered to give us a tour of the school, from the students’ perspective. We visited classrooms filled with students cramming for exams, the student council’s office and the room where they practice for their Moot Court competitions.

the book donation ceremony at the University of Zimbabwe

We discussed everything from weather to politics. It was such a great feeling to connect with students from an entirely different part of the world and realize that we aren’t actually that different.

The following day we were leaving Harare for our long trip (almost 32 hours!) back to Montreal. We had plenty of time to reminisce about all the amazing experiences of the past two weeks and start thinking about plans for the future. It was such a privilege to get to meet all those wonderful people and we hope to continue to collaborate with them in any way we can.
Till next time!

Nadia and Haley

               The day before the book donation ceremony, Haley, Elana and I (Nadia) went to visit the University of Zimbabwe to tour the campus and sort out the logistics for the ceremony. We met with Norman Nhede, the Faculty Administrator, Mr. Sibanda, the law librarian and Daniel Chohombori, the director of international relations. We received a very warm welcome and everyone at the university was extremely hospitable (offering us tea/coffee with biscuits!). They showed us the room where the donation ceremony would take place and also asked us if we would be able to prepare a short speech to give at the ceremony. After the meeting, Haley and I had a slight freak out over having to write something overnight and present it in front of students, professors and professionals in Harare. No pressure or anything... 

               The day of the book donation ceremony was so exciting! We brought the three big bins full of books, the laptop and the printer to the university and set up a small display in the room where the donation ceremony was going to take place. The ceremony itself went really well. Haley and I gave a speech (to a full house!) explaining the project and our views and experiences in Zimbabwe; basically saying how awesome our experience in Harare had been. 

               The ceremony had two parts:  our book donation, and a presentation of the 2nd place award for an international Moot Court competition to the Moot Court team at the law faculty. So there were lots of students in the crowd that we got to meet and talk with after the ceremony. Meeting with students was definitely one of the highlights of the trip. They were so friendly, easy to talk to and they offered to give us a tour of the school, from the students’ perspective. We visited classrooms filled with students cramming for exams, the student council’s office and the room where they practice for their Moot Court competitions. We discussed everything from weather to politics. It was such a great feeling to connect with students from an entirely different part of the world and realize that we aren’t actually that different.  

               The following day we were leaving Harare for our long trip (almost 32 hours!) back to Montreal. We had plenty of time to reminisce about all the amazing experiences of the past two weeks and start thinking about plans for the future. It was such a privilege to get to meet all those wonderful people and we hope to continue to collaborate with them in any way we can.  

Our trip to Zimbabwe didn’t quite start off on the right foot. On our way to Harare, Haley and I, in our exhausted state, thought we heard the engines of the plane turning off while the plane was in mid-air and so we had a slight panic attack. This, of course, was just over-exaggeration on our part, and we landed safely in the city, and our group was welcomed by thunderstorms and lightning.

Our introduction to Harare traffic was dramatic, to say the least. Because of the thunderstorm, the traffic lights at one four way stop were off, and cars from all directions were trying to cross at the same time.  No four-way stop rule here! But we learned that Zimbabweans’ creativity and ability to deal with any though situation should never be underestimated! Despite the chaos, people found a way to make it through, and we finally got to our destination.

Harare is such a beautiful city, although it’s very crowded. There are lots of green spaces around and our hotel is right beside the botanical gardens.  The artistic culture of the city is also very evident; there are posters up for theatre in the park, and the national art museum is around the corner. However, walking through the city, the military presence is very obvious. The people here, though, are amazingly friendly and warm and have a great sense of humor! As we walk through the streets, people say, “Hi! How are you?” Although this may have something to do with the fact that we aren’t very  inconspicuous!

This morning the whole group went to talk to Koliwe Nyoni-Majama and Nhanhala Ngwenya of the Media Institute of Southern Africa – Zimbabwe.  After a presentation on the different programs the institute undertakes, and the particular challenges that they face in Zimbabwe (access to information and censorship laws), we spoke about the possibility of developing a project framework for collaboration between the institute and schools of journalism in Canada.

Next on our agenda:  meeting with Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, with Kuda from the Research Advocacy Unit and the book and laptop donation at the University of Zimbabwe.

Peace out!

Nadia and Haley

Nadia and Haley outside the University of Pretoria

At the end of November, Haley and I (Nadia) are accompanying members of the Rights and Democracy team on a mission to South Africa and Zimbabwe. Over the past year, we have been accumulating and buying text books on human rights and international law to donate to the University of Zimbabwe. This purpose of this trip is to deliver these books, as well as a laptop, to the university and work on how to expand this project.

After 24 hours of traveling, we  finally arrived in Pretoria, South Africa to start out on this awesome experience! Our first day in Pretoria was our one day of recuperation and so we went on a safari in Pilanesburg, about two hours outside of the city.  We got to see lions, elephants, hippos, rhinos, zebras, giraffes, and many other animals!  The biggest scare was a large beetle that decided to fly into our jeep and chill there for a good part of the ride.

As we walked around town, the legacy of apartheid was still very obvious; on our drive to Pilanesburg, we passed many destitute looking townships. There was also an overwhelming amount of white people at the hotel and eating in the fancy restaurants, while the servers were mostly black. In the magazines and on the billboards whites were also overrepresented, and black models and families only apparent on adds that dealt with more negative topics, like debt or STIs.

On Monday, we had to get to work! It was a day full of interesting meetings and insightful people. We met with Professor Michelo Hansungule of the Centre for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria, and we later had lunch with a master’s student in Political Theory from that university.  We had a great time comparing Québecois and South African politics and policy and learning about the future of the political situation in Zimbabwe.

At Kream restaurant with special guests Gabriel Shumba and Eddie Matsangaise of the Zimbabwe Exiles Forum.

After lunch, we went shopping for a laptop to donate to the University of Zimbabwe along with the three boxes of books. We found a mall that had an electronics store in it, but in that store there were only two laptops for sale; one at R8,000 and the other at R18,000. After freaking out for a few minutes, we asked a friendly security guard if there was any other place in the mall where we could find laptops.  He gave us directions to this store called “Game”, which was basically a Zellers, South African style! Inside, to our great relief, was a selection of reasonably priced laptops.  And, in a stroke of additional luck, we were given a free printer!!

That evening, we went to an incredible restaurant called Kream with special guests Gabriel Shumba and Eddie Matsangaise of the Zimbabwe Exiles Forum, and Geoff White, political Councellor at the High Commission of Canada in Pretoria.  We had a fascinating conversation with Eddie over dinner about the Marange diamond fields and Zimbabwean politics.

Next up:  Harare!

Peace out!

Haley and Nadia

On November 7, 2010, elections are to take place in Burma, but their legitimacy is already being called into question.  According to reports from Human Rights Watch, human rights violations have gotten increasingly worse as the election date approaches.”These elections are about elite military transformation, not democratic transition, and offer little change to Burma’s deplorable human rights situation.”–The deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

For More information on the elections go to: http://www.hrw.org/en/node/94009?tr=y&auid=7312574

This semester the McGill Delegation has been focused on bringing attention to the political, civil and human rights violations that have been occurring in Burma. On the 25th of November, we will be launching a campaign called Panties for Peace, which hopes to raise awareness about gender violence in Burma.

For more information on the Panties for Peace campaign visit: pantiesforpeace.ca

Invitation to the March 19th Panel Discussion on Human Rights in Zimbabwe

You are invited to a panel discussion on human rights in Zimbabwe on Friday, March 19^th, 2010. The event will be held from 11:30-1:30 at the Moot Court in McGill’s Faculty of Law (Chancellor Day Hall, 3644 Peel Street).

Panelists will represent a wide variety of perspectives.

-          Zuwa Matado, Zimbabwean Law Student

-          Dr. John Galaty, professor of Anthropology, McGill University

-          Dr. Frédéric Mégret, specialist in International Human Rights Law, McGill University

-          Karim Laz (Africa Regional Officer, The International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development)

Following the discussion, a light luncheon will be served in the atrium. We hope to see you there!

The following links provide interesting information and analysis about the situation in Zimbabwe.

For a Testimony by Donald Steinberg on the role of the international community in promoting democratic governance and economic recovery in Zimbabwe, please visit the following website: http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=6505

For a Human Rights Watch assessment of Zimbabwe’s power-sharing government’s delivery of human rights improvements, please visit the following website: http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/zimbabwe0809web.pdf

EU extends Zimbabwe sanctions for another year: http://www.mg.co.za/article/2010-02-16-eu-extends-zimbabwe-sanctions-for-another-year

Zimbabwe ‘failing to stop rights abuses’: http://www.mg.co.za/article/2010-02-10-zimbabwe-failing-to-stop-rights-abuses

MDC wants fresh elections for Zimbabwe: http://www.mg.co.za/article/2010-02-09-mdc-wants-fresh-election-for-zimbabwe

Private schools sprout in Zim as public system struggles: http://www.mg.co.za/article/2010-02-07-private-schools-sprout-in-zim-as-public-system-struggles

EU gives Zim $13-million for smallholder farmers: http://www.mg.co.za/article/2010-02-11-eu-gives-zim-13million-for-smallholder-farmers

Hunger threatens Zimbabwe: http://www.mg.co.za/article/2010-02-01-hunger-threatens-zimbabwe

HRW: EU must maintain sanctions on Mugabe: http://www.mg.co.za/article/2010-01-29-hrw-eu-must-maintain-sanctions-on-mugabe

Zanu-PF: No concessions until sanctions lifted: http://www.mg.co.za/article/2010-01-28-zanupf-no-concessions-until-sanctions-lifted

Zim limps down road to reform: http://www.mg.co.za/article/2010-01-11-zim-limps-down-road-to-reform

SA sees slow progress in Zimbabwe talks: http://www.mg.co.za/article/2010-01-05-sa-sees-slow-progress-in-zimbabwe-talks 

Zim rivals announce breakthrough: http://www.mg.co.za/article/2009-12-22-zim-rivals-announce-breakthrough

La délégation de McGill organise un évènement régional intitulé « Celebrating Innovations in Human Rights», en collaboration avec les autres délégations à Montréal. L’évènement se tiendra le vendredi 19 mars, 2010, de 11h30 à 13h00.

Pour contribuer à l’organisation de l’évènement, ou pour y assister, veuillez communiquer avec nous à l’adresse suivante: mcgillrdnetwork@gmail.com

On Friday, March 19^th, 2010, from 11:30 a.m. -1:00 p.m.,  the McGill network will host the Rights and Democracy Network Eastern Regional Event, in collaboration with the other delegations in Montreal. The event will be dedicated to « Celebrating Innovations in Human Rights ».

During the event, McGill’s delegation hopes to engage a panel of speakers to discuss the human rights situation in Zimbabwe and initiatives that have been undertaken to address human rights violations. We will also be showcasing our Books Without Borders project.

For more information about the event or on how to get involved, please contact the delegation at: mcgillrdnetwork@gmail.com

See online : Solidarity Peace Trust

• Fundraising event for law students in Zimbabwe Poster (PDF – 613 kb)