Fast for Zimbabwe

I have chosen to undertake a weekly fast in acknowledgment and peaceful protest of the conditions in Zimbabwe that are denying people access to food and water. The fast was initiated by hundreds of activists in South Africa, with one Kumi Naidoo performing a 21 day fast, and Desmond Tutu now joining him by fasting one day a week.

I first heard about the fast through Avaaz, but didn't choose to join until I received an email from a friend saying that she and some friends had chosen to fast one day a week in support of the campaign. So I went back online to learn more about the situation in Zimbabwe and the fasting campaign. I was moved by images of starving children, brutalized men, empty grocery-store shelves, and long lines of people desperately trying to buy food. And while I wondered whether a global fast would do anything to help these people, I realized that I had no other ideas for how to help them, and adding my voice to a growing cry for action by those with the ability to directly impact the situation might be the most powerful thing I can do for them right now. So, rather than continue to try to rationally debate whether or not to join the fast, I followed my heart and signed up to the one day solidarity fast with Avaaz and an ongoing one day per week fast with the "Save Zimbabwe Now" hunger strike campaign. I then sent an email out to my friends and family to let them know about my decision and invite them to learn more about what is happening in Zimbabwe.

It didn't take long before the questions started coming in - why are you doing this? What do you hope to accomplish? After some more thought and some reading on the internet, I put together these reasons (well, I can only temper my rationality for so long):

1. Personal Growth - improve my empathy for those in Zimbabwe and other parts of the world who go without food not by choice, but because they have no choice, and simultaneously increase my appreciation for the abundance in my own life;
2. Awareness Raising - I will remain on top of the situation in Zimbabwe to inform how long I will continue my fast, and I will have many opportunities to discuss Zimbabwe as fasting is an obvious conversation starter;
3. Solidarity - adding my voice to those calling for action by African leaders may have a practical impact as one more name is added to the list of those who care about and are watching what happens in Zimbabwe. I also believe in adding strength to existing movements for the sake of encouraging hope and inspiration. Finally, there is a spiritual aspect of choosing not to eat as an act of solidarity with those who can not, which I will not try to understand or explain further right now.
   

Fasting has been used to spur political change in many situations, as I learned from this website. The book on my shelf about Gandhi's life looks particularly appetizing today as I contemplate my fast and the power behind it.

Today is the first fast day, the day of the "Solidarity Fast for Zimbabwe" as supported by Avaaz, and my first day experiencing a fast. It is a sunrise to sunset fast, and I am continuing to drink water throughout the day. I woke before sunrise to have a banana and small bowl of cereal and will eat again this evening after sunset. The shorter days here in the Netherlands will make the fast easier for me today; if it continues through the summer at least I will be well practiced when those long days come.