Pictures of Zimbabwe Crisis and their Interpretation: A Comparative View

In the previous chapter of this thesis, still and moving pictures selected for this study were studied (interpreted) using Marotzki and Stoetzer’s (2006) model of pictorial analysis. On the other hand, this chapter sought to assess how the respondents (EU officials) interpreted the same pictorial material. Therefore, this section seeks to compare how the author of the thesis and the respondents interpreted the above-mentioned pictures. In addition to that, this section also assesses whether there were any variations in the way officials from different EU institutions (European Parliament, European Commission and EU Delegation to Zimbabwe) interpreted the pictures in question.

As indicated in the preceding chapter, the study of the pictures selected for this study using Marotzki and Stoetzer’s (2006) model of pictorial analysis demonstrated the ability of such pictures to provoke deep emotions; especially anger, horror, hopelessness and sympathy.

Similarly, respondents to this study also indicated that the same pictures stirred the same emotions on their part. The pictures of Terry Ford’s dead body, Morgan Tsvangirai’s battered face, and a woman helplessly standing by the gate with her children during the seizure of her farm, stood out in that respect. Also, Scholars such as Perlmutter (2005), Sharkey (1992) and Vilmer (2012), among others, advance the claim that pictures have the capacity stir emotions and sometimes, public outcry.

Another point of convergence between the author’s interpretation of the pictures and that of the respondents relates to the “power” of moving pictures (videos) over still pictures. The analysis from Marotzi and Stoetzer’s model showed that, in terms of impact, videos are more potent compared to still pictures; a conclusion that is in harmony with the viewpoint of most

respondents. The potency of videos over still pictures emanated from the fact that videos consist of a combination of sound, gestures, text and pictures which produces a “powerful”

effect compared to still pictures, hence, their potency. Another point of convergence that is worth highlighting is that apart from stirring emotions, the pictures in question paint a grim and gloom picture on the national image of Zimbabwe which could potentially curtail tourism and foreign direct investment in the country. Both the respondents and the author identified gender and racial bias in terms of media representation of women and blacks vis-à-vis political violence and suffering in Zimbabwe; an issue that borders on patriarchal hegemony and racial bias, respectively.

However, there are some conclusions which the author reached but which the respondents did not establish. For instance, the author established symbolism as a dominant phenomenon in most of the pictures that were dealt with in the last chapter. Such symbolism was overlooked by the respondents in their interpretation of the same pictures. As the discussion in the last chapter revealed, symbolism associated with the pictures under study relates to communism, war, cultural heritage, suffering and a police state.

The study of the pictures in question also established the use of metapictures in an artistic and ironic form to portray violence and extreme suffering in Zimbabwe. Metapictures are pictures inside other pictures and a television that appears inside another television set is an example of a metapicture (see Mitchell, 2015). As shown in the last chapter, a number of metapictures were identified in the two videos that were selected for this study. Despite their existence, the respondents did not mention any metapictures. Additionally, there were no significant variations in the way the respondents interpreted the pictures under study despite their varied political backgrounds, ideological inclinations and geographical location.

6.6 Conclusion

This chapter tackled the first research question of this study which is premised on how the pictures selected for this study are generally interpreted by EU officials. Accordingly, the respondents’ feelings, thoughts, perceptions, memories, remarks and descriptions vis-à-vis the pictures in question were analysed. Therefore, an array of emotions (fear, pity, horror, anger, and hopelessness etc.) invoked by these pictures was underlined. Also, it was revealed that the pictures under study stuck in the memory of the respondents for longer periods compared to

verbal and statistical narratives. In addition, it was noted that moving television pictures are

“livelier” and more potent compared to still images due to the former’s ability to combine sound, text, gestures and pictures; as illustrated by Mitchell’s (1998).The chapter revealed iconophobia and iconoclasm and the two ideologically conflicting camps: those who were anxious about the pictures and wanted them destroyed and those who wanted them preserved and exposed to the public: iconophobes and iconoclasts and iconodules and iconophiles, respectively. In addition, the pictures also led to the emergence of a counter image in form of colossal state propaganda. Additionally, it was noted that the over-repetition and viral nature of the pictures under study diluted their message, contrary to the CNN effect trajectory. Racial and gender bias projected by the pictures under study was also underlined. Also, it was established that the pictures in question, swayed the EU’s attitude towards Zimbabwe as evidenced by EU’s sanctions on Zimbabwe, and travel and investment warnings. However, the EU’s interest, diaspora lobby, NGO and civic society reports were largely cited as major shapers of the EU-Zimbabwe relations matrix. Moreover, this chapter also revealed some pitfalls related to pictures such as; overestimation of their power, proneness to manipulation (e.g. “photo-shopping”), subjectivity (e.g. varying interpretations) and selectivity which distorts their meaning. The next section discusses the pictures under study in light of Zimbabwe’s national image and economic trajectory.

Chapter 7: Pictures, Zimbabwe’s National Image and Economic Trajectory