A court in Zimbabwe found multi-award-winning author Tsitsi Dangarembga guilty on September 29. She was sentenced to six months probation, suspended for five years. She also has to pay a fine of 70,000 Zimbabwean dollars (around CHF 200).
Dangarembga has received many international awards, such as the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade last year. However, in her home country, in Zimbabwe, she was put on trial for months. The reason was to take part in a demonstration critical of the government.
Dangarembga’s publisher in Berlin, Annette Michael, classifies the verdict.
SRF: What does the sentence mean for Tsitsi Dangarembga? 200 francs sounds harmless.
Annette Michael: To be honest, that was also my first reaction. But if you look closely at the verdict, it means that she is not allowed to express herself politically for five years. So she’s basically being silenced for five years. If she speaks out anyway, she faces imprisonment.
Have you been in contact with her since the guilty verdict?
I am in contact with your husband Olaf Koschke, who sent us a statement from Tsitsi Dangarembga and Julie Barnes, who was also accused. In it they write about the verdict that in Zimbabwe there is a constitutionally guaranteed freedom of opinion, but no freedom of expression.
And that they will continue to stand up peacefully for freedom, justice and a life of dignity. This suggests that they are unwilling to be silenced.
Does that mean Dangarembga accepts that she will go to prison?
She definitely does. I am assuming that she will appeal and try to take action against the verdict. In a country like Zimbabwe, of course, you don’t know how it will turn out and whether you have a chance.
But it seems Dangarembga and Barnes are combative and not ready to give up now.
Dangarembga is married to a German with whom you are in contact. Why didn’t she decide to go into exile in Germany?
She always says she is a better person in Zimbabwe. She feels that she must do something to improve conditions there. And she is not willing to be pushed abroad.
I think you have to see the verdict in the same way: as a result, it is an attempt to force out of the country an unwelcome political voice that advocates reforms and improvements in Zimbabwe.
Could it also be that Tsitsi Dangarembga will no longer express himself in the future?
no I assume she won’t give up. She could have found an easier way a long time ago. But it doesn’t – and it won’t do it in the future either.