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3 - Emergency Politics

Cholera as a National Disaster

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 January 2020

Simukai Chigudu
Affiliation:
University of Oxford
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Summary

This chapter explores the manifold ways in which the cholera epidemic became a terrain of polarised political struggles at national and international levels in the areas of humanitarianism, security and governance. This polarisation reached extreme levels. On one hand, the main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), along with prominent outside observers – including the International Crisis Group and a high-level panel convened by Physicians for Human Rights – described cholera as the result of ‘the systematic violation of a wide range of human rights’ and evidence of a ‘failing’ state under the stewardship of the ruling party, ZANU(PF). By contrast, elements of the Zimbabwean government decried the outbreak as racist ‘biological warfare’ from the West intended to bring about regime change. Through the allocation of culpability for the cholera outbreak, I argue that a more fundamental political debate about power and legitimacy to govern was taking place as evidenced by international accusations of ‘state failure’ vis-à-vis nationalist claims to ‘state sovereignty’. Furthermore, I argue that this polarisation was deleterious in the extreme because it delayed the humanitarian relief effort, promoted non-engagement between the Zimbabwean and Western governments, and narrowed down the avenues for third-party diplomatic mediation.

Type
Chapter
Information
The Political Life of an Epidemic
Cholera, Crisis and Citizenship in Zimbabwe
, pp. 93 - 122
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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  • Emergency Politics
  • Simukai Chigudu, University of Oxford
  • Book: The Political Life of an Epidemic
  • Online publication: 10 January 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108773928.005
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  • Emergency Politics
  • Simukai Chigudu, University of Oxford
  • Book: The Political Life of an Epidemic
  • Online publication: 10 January 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108773928.005
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Emergency Politics
  • Simukai Chigudu, University of Oxford
  • Book: The Political Life of an Epidemic
  • Online publication: 10 January 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108773928.005
Available formats
×