The trial of Tsitsi Dangarembga continues. A court in Zimbabwe unexpectedly refused to exonerate the award-winning author and filmmaker.
Tsitsi Dangarembga came to the trial in Zimbabwe's capital Harare
Tsitsi Dangarembga, who received the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade in 2021, has been accused of publicly inciting violence, breaching the peace and bigotry in her African homeland. The trial is now scheduled to continue on August 10 with the hearing of defense witnesses. “That's how you live in Zimbabwe,” said 63-year-old Dangarembga – not surprised, but disappointed, as reported by Cornelia Zetzsche, the Writers-in-Prison representative of the German PEN Center. In an earlier interview with Deutsche Welle, the author had expressed confidence that the court would drop the allegations.
< p>Observed the proceedings in Zimbabwe: the Writers-in-Prison officer and Vice-President of the German PEN, Cornelia Zetzsche
Tsitsi Dangarembga took part in anti-government protests in July 2020 and was briefly arrested. She has to justify herself before an anti-corruption court in the capital, Harare, which reports directly to President Emmerson Mnangagwa. Until the very end, it was unclear whether the author would appear at the trial. She had missed an earlier court date due to illness.
German PEN Center observes on site
With Cornelia Zetzsche the German PEN Center has sent its Vice President to monitor the process in the South African country. “A black, sunny day in Harare. Again no acquittal,” said Zetzsche. “This is a grueling trial with forged evidence and false testimony.” /54436112_401.jpg” />
Took to the streets for reforms: the author Tsitsi Dangarembga
After the fall of longtime President Mugabe and the seizure of power by his former companion and deputy Emmerson Mnangagwa in 2017, the country in southern Africa is still in a deep crisis, from which the population is suffering extremely.
< p>Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International denounce human rights abuses in Zimbabwe. In her films and books, Tsitsi Dangarembga addresses social taboos such as AIDS and violence against women. Her three novels trace the path of the young Tambudzai, who is confronted with a system in which racism, corruption, misogyny and poverty continue to dominate people's everyday lives.
Thorn in the side of those in power
That alone is a thorn in the side of the ruling ZANU-PF (Zimbabwe African National Union/Patriotic Front). Before the 2023 elections, the situation for members of the opposition and activists like Dangarembga will come to a head. “The rule of law and freedom of expression have no forum in Zimbabwe,” says Cornelia Zetzsche.
Winner of the German Book Trade's Peace Prize : Tsitsi Dangarembga
The case against Tsitsi Dangarembga attracted a great deal of international attention, as the author, shortly before her temporary arrest in 2020, was shortlisted for the booker with her novel “A mournable body”. Prize, the most important British literary prize. In 2021 she was awarded the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade.
The current trial is about exactly the issues that the author, who is married to a German, has been campaigning for in books and films for decades: discrimination, human rights , persecution and corruption. The process has dragged on for many months; Dangarembga has appeared in court 28 times. If convicted, the author faces several years in prison.