paul2001sw-1
Robert Mugabe is a man who has been in power for far too long; who has murdered his opponents and ruined the economy of his country. When under international pressure, he agreed to writing a new constitution, it was easy to imagine things would not end well, or with honesty from the President. This film tells the story of what happens. The first thing one notices is just how slick our politics really is, for better or for worse, than that which exists in Zimbabwe's pseudo-democracy. Mugabe's ZANU-PF party really do send thugs to meetings to parrot the party line and intimidate their opponents; opposition leader Douglas Mwonzora seems like an earnest, naive professor; ZANU-PF negotiator Paul Mangwana clearly admits that the game is all about seeming to be nice. There's little subtlety here: the bland evasive nothingness of western politicians is in some sense less democratic than what we get from this set of characters out of central casting. But soon the story becomes more interesting. Ultimately, Mangwana actually decides to genuinely try to forge something new; and is left steering a difficult line between the conservatives in his own party and the demands of the opposition. The emergence of this man as sympathetic gives 'Mugabe and the Democrats' a real story and drive, even if, as of now, Mugabe still holds power. One fears it will only ever be taken from his cold, dead hands.
