Techno-politics of Violence in Zimbabwe and South Africa                                                                                                                                                                 

by Dr Tinashe Mawere, Centre for Sexualities, AIDS and Gender, UP

The 2000s have witnessed the emergence of an intense political language that ‘acts out’ the extent of a ‘politics of violence’ in the Zimbabwean political space. A similar trend also characterizes the South African context with songs such as ‘Umshini Wami.’ Such language has included a political aesthetic or what I call ‘techno-politics’, that seek to ‘mechinize’ political action. Such language of techno-politics has been expressed in speeches of high ranking officials as well, as in popular expressions such as songs and jokes. The paper examines the issue of violence and masculinity through a discursive analysis of these technologies of violence employed in particular contexts. The paper contributes to diverse ways of reading and understanding violence.