Psalm 46

An appropriate one for Zimbabwe at the moment, I think.

God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.

God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.

Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Come and see the works of the LORD,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.

He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear,
he burns the shields with fire.

"Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."

The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Far, a long long way to run

Back to more pleasant things. You may have noticed the word-count-ometer has dropped again ... this is because I got rid of a chapter that wasn't really working. And then carried on writing. Which somehow brought me back to 120,000 words, much in the way that tea a drink with jam and bread brings us back to doe (doh!).

Today was freezing cold and rainy, and I had a hangover. I sat in the cafe eating french fries and drinking coffee and writing while the wind whipped the trees up into a frenzy outside. These last chapters are harder and more laborious than I imagined, and I need to give them the time and energy they deserve. And I need to not begrudge them that. So, on we trudge! Things are going well, they're just going more slowly than I would like.

Cry the beloved country ...

This is the amount of Zimbabwe dollars this boy needs to buy a banana (photo from Sokwanele - Zvakwana).

This image of a man who was tied to a barn door and set alight by Mugabe's thugs was also taken by Sokwanele - Zvakwana ('Enough is Enough' in English). Go to Sokwanele's photostream and look at the photos of torture victims there - the result of Mugabe's reprisal attacks under the codename Operation Mavhoterapapi ('Where you put your "X"'). They're not pleasant to see, but the world needs to see them. Too much violence has been allowed to slip under the radar, and brave people like this need to be recognised for bringing it to the attention of the world.

“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.” - Desmond Tutu

"We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” - Elie Wiesel