On Monday President Barack Obama with wife Michelle Obama will present the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award to Magodonga Mahlangu. Mahlanghu represents her organization Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA). The award was created by the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial to honour individuals around the world who show courage and have made a significant contribution to human rights in their country. Many of the WOZA group members have been arrested and beaten by government law enforcement controlled by Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe and First Lady Grace Mugabe.
Diplomatic pressure is rising for Robert Mugabe to make efforts towards real change in Zimbabwe as economic and political problems continue to fester and propaganda efforts by the white minority previously in power have taken root. Countries including the west have imposed sanctions and cut off trade and food supplies to Zimbabwe as an organized effort is being made to force the strong man out. Robert Mugabe has called these unilateral sanctions illegal as 4 million of his citizens go hungry. Many of the sanctions were imposed after the Mugabe land transfer process in 2000 that saw many white farmers kicked off their land, the issue is complicated because much of the land the farmers were in possession of was obtained for little or no money at all during the apartheid like government that was previously called Rhodesia. Mugabe has referred to this as "equality and justice" for Zimbabwe. Robert Mugabe still has strong ties with China and is one of the main reasons he is still in power.
The question remains can Mugabe learn enough new tricks to turn back the tide of opposition that want to see the him shaked and baked, we'll see.
Last years recipient was Aminatou Haidar of Western Sahara. The winners receive a finacial award(30k) as well as assistants with their human rights projects.
"I feel both great excitement for the recognition of my work with WOZA and sadness because although my work has gained recognition internationally, in my own country I have been labeled an enemy of the state," said Mahlangu in reaction to the award.
Winners are selected by an independent panel of human rights experts. The 2009 panel included McDougall; Makau Mutua, Dean of University at Buffalo Law School; Sushma Raman, President of Southern California Grantmakers; and Dr. William F. Schultz, Senior Fellow at Center for American Progress.
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