Monitoring press freedom and international affairs from Mid-Missouri Public Radio and the Missouri School of Journalism

Zimbabwe after Mugabe

23 February 2017
Zimbabwes former president Robert Mugabe speaks at a ruling ZANU-PF meeting in Masvingo, south of the capital Harare, Dec. 17, 2016. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe recently turned 93, making him the oldest non-royal head of state in the world.

But in his 37 years in power, he's become a caricature of the corrupt African dictator. Once one of the continent's wealthiest countries, Zimbabwe's economy has halved since 2000. He's sent armed militias to beat and kill political opponents and in 2015 threw a million dollar birthday party for himself, feeding his 20,000 guests dishes like baby elephant even as many of his countrymen live in extreme poverty.

But as Mugabe pushes deeper into his nineties, there are growing questions about his hold on power. On this edition of Global Journalist, a look at the twilight of the Robert Mugabe era in Zimbabwe and what may come after him.

Joining the program:

    • Charles Ray, a former U.S. ambassador to Zimbabwe
    • Miles Tendi, a Zimbabwean lecturer in African politics at Oxford University
    • Piers Pigou, a senior consultant for southern Africa at International Crisis Group

Monitoring press freedom and international affairs from Mid-Missouri Public Radio and the Missouri School of Journalism.
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