Now if only the England team were as brave as this!

Keep well

Steve Hayes
  WWW: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/7734/steve.htm
  E-mail: hayesstw{at}yahoo.com 


http://www-rsa.cricket.org/link_to_database/ARCHIVE/CRICKET_NEWS/2003/FEB/136840
_WC2003_10FEB2003.html

Issued 9.30 a.m. 10 February 2003, at the start of Zimbabwe's opening
World Cup match against Namibia.

It is a great honour for us to take the field today to play for
Zimbabwe in the World Cup. We feel privileged and proud to have been
able to represent our country. We are however deeply distressed about
what is taking place in Zimbabwe in the midst of the World Cup and do
not feel that we can take the field without indicating our feelings in
a dignified manner and in keeping with the spirit of cricket.

We cannot in good conscience take to the field and ignore the fact
that millions of our compatriots are starving, unemployed and
oppressed. We are aware that hundreds of thousands of Zimbabweans may
even die in the coming months through a combination of starvation,
poverty and Aids. We are aware that many people have been unjustly
imprisoned and tortured simply for expressing their opinions about
what is happening in the country. We have heard a torrent of racist
hate speech directed at minority groups. We are aware that thousands
of Zimbabweans are routinely denied their right to freedom of
expression. We are aware that people have been murdered, raped, beaten
and had their homes destroyed because of their beliefs and that many
of those responsible have not been prosecuted. We are also aware that
many patriotic Zimbabweans oppose us even playing in the Wc because of
what is happening.

It is impossible to ignore what is happening in Zimbabwe. Although we
are just professional cricketers, we do have a conscience and
feelings. We believe that if we remain silent that will be taken as a
sign that either we do not care or we condone what is happening in
Zimbabwe. We believe that it is important to stand up for what is
right.

We have struggled to think of an action that would be appropriate and
that would not demean the game we love so much. We have decided that
we should act alone without other members of the team being involved
because our decision is deeply personal and we did not want to use our
senior status to unfairly influence more junior members of the squad.
We would like to stress that we greatly respect the ICC and are
grateful for all the hard work it has done in bringing the World Cup
to Zimbabwe.

In all the circumstances we have decided that we will each wear a
black armband for the duration of the World Cup. In doing so we are
mourning the death of democracy in our beloved Zimbabwe. In doing so
we are making a silent plea to those responsible to stop the abuse of
human rights in Zimbabwe. In doing so we pray that our small action
may help to restore sanity and dignity to our Nation.

Andrew Flower u Henry Olonga

- 2003 Andrew Flower and Henry Olonga


 

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