i have been searching for further news of jestina mukoko, but have not found anything via google that is more recent than when first i posted. thus i found myself at the home page of her zimbabwe peace project, where i was able to read this harrowing story:
"Rachel wept as they buried her 6 year old daughter. Who would have known that going to school would mean death for her bright eyed child? Who knew that she would come home barely able to walk, continuous diarrhoea a deadly torrent down her legs. They buried her frail body wrapped in a plastic bag thrust into a cheap coffin, purchased by the dozen by the do-gooder aid agencies. That day they buried 30 men and women. Was it supposed to be consolation that 600 women, men and children had also lost their lives to this plague? Rachel only knew that her child, flesh of her flesh, blood of her blood was gone."
on the first page they cite these words from osip mandelstam:
"You took away all the oceans and all the room.
You gave me my shoe-size in earth with bars around it.
Where did it get you? Nowhere.
You left me my lips, and they shape words, even in silence."
let us hope this remains a tribute, rather than becoming an epitaph.
update 20th december: still no news that i can find about her fate. from 14th dec, cna - the catholic news agency - has an article here recording a response by cardinal maradiaga, president of caritas internationalis calling for her release
No comments:
Post a Comment