The Prime Minister`s wife(s)

A president of a republic is the country`s first citizen, a public servant whose salary comes from the rest of the citizenry. His words, decisions and actions reflect, whether positively or negatively, affects the rest of the people. We care whether he makes friends with a certain country, which for economic reasons, might have an impact on our wellbeing as a  people. Do his genitals, or the painting of his genitals, or how he uses them have an effect on the rest of us? Why then does the media dwell on the issue of South African President Jacob Zuma`s painting with his genitals exposed.? Why does it matter who Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai decides to spend his time in bed with?
                  As far as I`m concerned it does matter because it has a bearing on his character and his character has a bearing on us who voted either of these gentlemen into power. But I do not belive that we as journalists, though trying to stir debate, are looking at the issues here as they should be looked.Its the lack of in-depth anaysis that has me worried. Whilst the male journalists are busy  commending  President Zuma and Prime Minister Tsvangirai for the beauty of their women, they are busy ignoring the implications of these two men`s actions on the rest of society. The issues of women`s rights, the impact on the fight against Hiv and AIDS, how public funds are spent etc.
                Out of every one hundred thousand women who give birth in Zimbabwe each year, 790 of them die from complications arising from their pregnancies and labour. Sadly, most of these deaths are preventable. I think it is a social injustice to devote acres of newspaper space on how two "dancers" ( I think they are strippers, plain and  simple) are fighting over clients, to the extent that Zoey and Bervely`s so called feud ran in a local daily for a whole week!
                Much as I might want to hear and read about celebrities there are  million more things happening in the country that we all should be more concerned about. The least we can do is  to probe those personlities with a view to discussing some of our more pertinent social questions affecting us as a country.
                 Which brings me to the scarier thought, any average 13 year old, who has a Facebook account and a mobile phone, has probably seen the  painting of the President, with his genitals exposed and has probably read the uncensored, nasty and all kinds of ugly comments made on the Prime Minister`s wife(s)! Call me a pessimist if you must,  but this unlimited access to the internet and the so called new public sphere has me worried for the future of my children. We cannot stop the train of technology from going through, but I think I would be more pacified if there was adequate regulation and control of this new technology.
        My money is on new media winning over Zimbabweans...