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Campaign: “What would you like a free Zimbabwe to look like?”

Description of Campaign: The outcome of the recent presidential election has still not been announced and while President Robert Mugabe is campaigning in expectation of a run-off election, opposition candidate Morgan Tsvangirai is asking for international assistance in pressuring Mugabe to step down (source: AP). In this time of political uncertainty, civil society community site Kubatana.net is running a e-mail and SMS campaign to engage ordinary Zimbabweans in their country’s political future.

Digital Activism Tools: e-mail, blog, FrontlineSMS, mobile phones

How These Tools Are Being Used: Kubatana sent out a text message to their mobile contact list:

Kubatana! No senate results as at 5.20 pm. What changes do YOU want in a free Zim? Lets inspire each other. Want to know what others say? SMS us your email addr

They then collected responses via e-mail and FrontlineSMS, a text-messaging hub for grassroots NGOs. The collected responses which were then distributed via an electronic newsletter and on the Kubatana Community Blog. After the election, Kubatana hopes to produce a booklet with a page on some of these ideas and some editorial commentary on the campaign, as well as a cartoon or even a set of postcards carrying the most “unique, original and practical ideas”.

examples of the campaign’s SMS responses after the jump…

• We should never again leave power in the hands of one man.
• I desire everything to be in order - no corruption
• Fill up shops with goods. We don’t want black markets. Open up closed industries.
• We want the new govt to free the airwaves.
• First essential is freedom of expression and assembly so we can tell government what the people want and don’t want.
• Transparency, health and education delivery, a new constitution, non-partisan police and army, accountable leadership and good economy
• We need fuel to be available in service stations, to access forex in the banks, free primary education, affordable health delivery system and cheap food for all
• Mainly I am concerned with return of the environment of happiness we used to have
• New Zimbabwe - new constitution by the people for the people.
• Racial integration - equal opportunities 4 blacks and whites etc eg cricket team, sustainable labour laws, respect 4 property rights, free market, free media, just want more!
• Truth and reconciliation commission. . . Clean the mess and corruption in councils and parastatals and c.i.o. . .
• We want a new constitution for the people by the people
• We need proper education for our children. Also to have money not bearer cheques with these shit useless billions. We want to use coins and proper notes.
• No political beatings, many newspapers, tv stations, cheap goods, electricity, clean water, hospitals and jobs

read more messages here…

Source: “Kubatana Reaches Out with FrontlineSMS in Zimbabwe” on “Build it Kenny, and they will come…”