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Between Them Girls

He is a mother after all.

Dear Auxillia Mnangagwa, thank you for coming to our cold country, looking around and accurately identifying Lukashenka: “He is a mother.” I'm sure you had something to talk about with him. And it helped us a lot too. Because here, in Belarus, we are already confused in definitions: either a dictator, or a consultant to Gorbachev, or a reviewer of Yavlinsky, or a connoisseur of Vasil Bykov's poetry. But in fact, everything is very simple - he is a mother.

Auxillia Mnangagwa knows what she's talking about. She's the same herself. Not just a mother, but “amai” — this is how the mother of the nation is called in Zimbabwe. So they called first Sally Mugabe, then Grace Mugabe. Sally, however, was from Ghana, and nothing but Mugabe connected her with the people of Zimbabwe, but Zimbabweans are not petty. Amai is now Auxillia Mnangagwa. Well, and Lukashenka, of course. So they have a lot in common, and now it looks like they are finally related. Auxillia came to visit Belarus, taking her two sons. Lukashenka traveled to Zimbabwe with his son Mikalai. Given such squads of delegations, those trips no longer look like official visits, rather informal outings to visit relatives. Sit by the samovar, smoke a self-made cigarette, dive into the hole from the bathhouse. To talk about the repressions, for the implementation of which the husband of Auxillia Emmerson was responsible even under Mugabe, being his main ally. It was then, by the way, that he removed his friend and patron from power, along with Auxillia’s predecessor Grace Mugabe, who, as it turned out, also wanted to rule a little.

Auxillia's husband in Zimbabwe has long been called the Crocodile since he became responsible for political repression. Once a journalist even asked her: “Is your husband the same crocodile in life as in politics?” Auxillia replied: “No, come on, at home he is not a crocodile at all, he is a very caring and loving person.” Probably, Lukashenka's wife could also give such an answer to the same question, if she existed in reality. However, he does not need a wife, he is a mother. But the Mnangagwa couple seems to have complete harmony and love. He does not force her to sit in the palace and polish her nails, but says: “I think’s you’ve stayed home for too long, dear Auxi, go, have some good time, rest for a week”, and sends her with official visits around the world. In those countries, of course, where they are accepted at the proper level. I counted two such countries: Russia and Belarus.

In Belarus, Auxillia Mnangagwa became an honorary doctor of the Belarusian State Medical University for her great scientific achievements. I fully support this point: like author, like book — like science, like honorary doctors, the picture comes out harmonious, like endless fields on a summer day. The rector of the Belarusian State Medical University also explained to the new honorary doctor that for foreign students studying in Belarus there is a unique opportunity to learn Russian. He is probably unaware of the existence of the Belarusian language, just like the Zimbabwean Amai. In Russia, last year she was given a mantle and a diploma of an honorary doctor of philosophy at the Russian State Humanitarian University. (I imagine the meeting between Auxillia Mnangagwa and Lukashenka, this dialogue full of nuances, halftones and allusions between the two sophisticated intellectuals. “Auxillia, dear, I will tell you as a historian…” “And I will answer you as a PhD…”)

However, Auxillia is not as simple as she seems. She served for five years in the Zimbabwean Central Intelligence Organization. The CIO in Zimbabwe is something like our KGB, only, in addition to the opposition and civil society, it also terrorizes white farmers. Apart from the farmers, it’s the same thing. In Zimbabwe, it was rumored, by the way, that Auxillia “leaked” information to Mugabe about her own husband. However, that was a long time ago, even before honorary degrees and mantles. What I am trying to say is that Auxillia is a lady with an interesting biography. So who knows, with what task and for what purpose the husband sent her to Minsk to have a good time for a week?

In any case, she fulfilled her mission in Belarus to the utmost, giving Aliaksandr Lukashenka a capacious definition. Now he can prepare for the new presidential elections by ordering posters “The Motherland is Calling!” with his own image. Only it is necessary to appoint Auxillia Mnangagwa as the head of the electoral campaign headquarters. Together they will win, no doubt.

Iryna Khalip, specially for Charter97.org

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