Lady Macbeth

In his political and religious satire, “The People’s Court”, Mutabaruka makes an interesting argument about how the world has agreed to demonise women as the reason of everything bad beginning from creation.
Ecclesiastic tales are replete of women who have, in their pursuit of greatness, caused the downfall of mankind. In The Bible, Eve is blamed for leading Adam to the sacrilegious act of eating the “forbidden fruit” while Samson— the strongest man to have walked the Earth—has his downfall pinned on Delilah, the woman who “betrayed” him to the philistines. Mutabaruka refuses to sail by the common tide and argues that it is not the power of these women rather the stupidity of the men that led to their downfall.
William Shakespeare’s play, “ Macbeth” is, perhaps, the most contemporary piece that brings us to the debate of whether it is the power of a woman that brings the downfall of Macbeth—the central character—or his folly.
Late last year, the then Zimbabwe’s president, Robert Mugabe, was a god who took Zimbabwe as a personal estate. Everyone thought that Mugabe will lord over Zimbabwe until the last trumpet. Nobody ever thought that Mugabe would one day be made to disgracefully leave power three decades later.
Mugabe, despite all his weaknesses, will remain a luminary to some Zimbabweans while others will regard him as the legendary villain who held a nation captive because of his dictatorial tendencies.
After years dotted by acts of valour that included being a guerrilla fighter, Mugabe likely thought his exit would one with pomp and funfair. He even argued that he would remain in his seat until the day he would breath his last. But, such a strong man had his path to oblivion cleared by an unlikely person: a young lady who can even qualify for a daughter.
Mugabe’s downward spiral started the day he was tethered to the ambitions of his young and power-hungry wife, Grace Mugabe, alias Gucci Grace, because of her love for a fancy and lavish life. Grace Mugabe, had a taste of the comfort of presidency and power and, by that, she never wanted to let it go that is why she started maneuvering her way to the presidency and, in the process, started eliminating all imaginary and real competitors.
Today, Robert Mugabe— a man hitherto known for his nerve— has found his place in history as a modern day Samson or Adam whose downfall is on the account of the power of a woman.
The reason I have rehashed these pieces of history is that I have a gut feeling that the First Lady, Gertrude Mutharika, is becoming too obsessed with power, titles and trophies.
The First Lady was in the news some months ago when she was awarded some doctorate and, as if that was not enough, lately the First Lady was awarded an honorary professorship by some university whose name is not worth remembering.
Madamme Mutharika seems to be drunk by a strange love for honours more than the title of First Lady. The First Lady title is already a nation’s conferment of an honorific whose qualification is being someone’s spouse. But I think it has become too poisonous such that some people start believing they are cut for leadership.
Just some days ago, the overexcited musician, Allan Ngumuya, who happens to be a Member of Parliament decided to name the Chimwankhunda-Zion Road after the First Lady. Clearly, Ngumuya is playing so hard to gain favours that he is one boy who appreciates the good deeds of the first lady.
I know naming roads or whatever honours one receives have no importance to the development of this nation but what I find out of order is for people to use bedroom associations instead of wit to elevate themselves.
Gertrude Mutharika has always appeared to be a nice lady but it appears power has gotten over her and the fact that she is accepting dubious titles and some questionable honours such as undeserved recognitions it only shows that the more things change the more they remain the same.
The recent display of a curious love for fake titles and plastic honours by First Lady Gertrude Mutharika is nothing but signs of the making of a modern day Lady Macbeth.