Stir The Pot :Paidamoyo Muzulu THE year 2011 redefined the African Arab world. The world witnessed what generally became known as the Arab Spring. The revolutionary demonstrations were in the main led by tech-savvy youths on their smartphones and Twitter. The winds tore and uprooted dictators in Tunisia, Algeria and Egypt. In Egypt, the biggest Arab/Muslim country in that region that is supported by the United States, the demonstrations were massive. They were a wave after wave, hundreds of thousands packing the Tahrir Square each evening demanding that military dictator Hosni Mubarak step down. It took nearly a month for Mubarak to step down. The dictators’ disgraceful toppling had many intrigues. The military took over temporarily and organised elections that were won by the Muslim Brotherhood. Egyptians celebrated the end of an era, but only briefly. The Muslim Brotherhood that was instrumental in the demonstrations had a brief stay at the top. Soon, it was accused of terrorism and the government was removed in a coup by Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, an army general. The Brotherhood tried to push back, but the United States had made a decision to back the military again for its own strategic reasons. Egypt was back to square one on democracy — the military was back on the perch. Enter Zimbabwe July 2020, the opposition and civil society started a “revolution” online with the hashtag #July31 and #ZimbabweLivesMatter. The day came and passed, but there were no thousands in the streets. Yes, the military had clamped down on protests — sealed suburbs and the CBD — but the fact still remains the online campaign and offline activities were as different as day and night. President Emmerson Mnangagwa, in an unprecedented media address just before a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, proved why the military was crawling all over the place. He hinted at dark forces fomenting chaos in the country. Mnangagwa said: “The reforms, opening up, liberalisation and modernisation we began shall continue with accelerated pace. Those who promote hate and disharmony will never win. The bad apples that have attempted to divide our people and weaken our systems will be flushed out. Good shall triumph over evil.” Let us for a moment revisit the successful “revolutions” — #ArabSpring, #OccupyMovement and #BlackLivesMatter. These were successful to a great extent because they were groups that were organic, structured and had grassroots mobilisers. They exist all the time, they explain their issues, they teach people and they stay in the communities. When an issue arises, they simply activate their cells or structures. They are more than hashtags. They use online tools to amplify their activities. The medium is neither the message nor the movement structures. The online activities complement what they are doing offline. This is a lesson that Zimbabwean movements have to learn unless they are seeking collective catharsis through demonstrations. It takes us to the new fad — #ZimbabweLivesMatter. The hashtag has received celebrity endorsements across the globe