The launch of my political career

Sometime ago I seriously considered the idea of becoming a politician, yes Real politics. I even sat down and drafted a manifesto. I was telling Dee Dee the other day that when I look at my “Draft manifesto” today it sound more like a proposal for a Non Governmental Organization than a manifesto for a political party. This political career was in my own perfect world, when I stepped back into reality, there were two very important questions I could not answer

1)      How does a 24 year old lady launch a political career in Zimbabwe. Age and Gender were not working to my advantage. How would I get myself noticed and listened to in Zimbabwe without doing something extreme? Or was that the only way around it- Doing something EXTREME???

The other option was joining student politics. But that was totally out of the question. I wasn’t inspired by their approach. They behaved like we were in a civil war. We were in a war I agree but it definitely was not the Chimurenga and so there was no need to behave like it was. Toy Toying in berets and expressing my opinion in words that may or may not exist, in a disorderly manner was not my style, “we the crème de la crème of the Nation will atamborate on the matter…” or  marching to “Hunger Square” singing war songs and demanding that the Vice Chancellor come down and face the masses. No thank you. A polite letter requesting a meeting with the man would have worked just fine.

I doubt she had to toy toy

2)      Which political party would I have aligned myself to? None of the existing ones seemed to have a vision consistent with mine.

So this was the plan I would use to circumvent my unanswered questions. I would form my own party-: head hunt individuals in different industries in various spheres of influence. I would hand pick people who I knew would fit into my plan. I would of course be known as the founder and probably make myself the General Secretary (only until I am old and wise enough to become the President).

Anyway, it has been a year since this plan was thought up and no meetings have been set up, no invitation letters have been sent out…no party members recruited.

Maybe it was all one big dream…

Maybe forgoing dreams is one of the downfalls of being permanently employed…

 Maybe I should find a sponsor, quit my job and work on my party full time…

 Maybe I should stop reading these Obama books…

I wonder what she was doing at age 24? i should find out

What brought this up? You ask. It was a conversation with “The Mr” after my post on Society and the working woman. I saved the conversation because I thought it was rather amusing

Mr: I saw your post

Me: what is your opinion?

Mr: interesting but in 1 or 2 lines there were traces of radical feminism, kikiki. Tell me if you had to sacrifice one for the other family or career, which would it be?

Me: what would have happened for me to make such a sacrifice? When you say family do you mean being a house wife?

Mr: I mean time and attention

Had to think really carefully, didnt want to scare him away…didn’t want to lie either

Below is my perfect response

Me: I don’t know, maybe the way I feel will change when I am married and have children. At this moment in my life I have no idea what emotions a wife or mother feels or how priorities change when you become one or both. I know that I will love my husband and my children but I also know that I will continue to love me.

Hadn’t seen that one coming had he

Mr: well said, you should consider a career change, move to politics you would conclude with people giving you an applause every time.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

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