Last month, the YRIS Interview and Events Team sat down with Babra Ontibile Bhebe, a member of the 2024 Maurice R. Greenberg World Fellows Program. A native Zimbabwean, Dr. Bhebe has been at the forefront of democratic and civil society activism in Zimbabwe and across Africa throughout her career. She has experience working in numerous organizations in the governance and human rights sectors. This includes her current role as Executive Director of the Election Resource Centre.
The YRIS Interviews and Events Team discussed a range of issues with Dr. Bhebe, from her motivation to work as an advocate for civil and political rights and her career experience to her thoughts on American democracy and advice for how young leaders can support global democratic activism. Dr. Bhebe’s open passion for political rights and compassion for her fellow humans was made clear throughout the interview. At a time when democratic backsliding is a major concern across Africa and the world, Dr. Bhebe’s optimistic, diligent, and thoughtful approach to addressing this problem offers a compelling model for anyone looking to make a difference in the fight for civil and political rights.
You can listen to the full interview linked above, or read selected quotes from our discussion with Dr. Bhebe below. All quotes have been edited for length and clarity.
Owen Haywood: Can you briefly introduce yourself and explain your background?
Babra Bhebe: Sure. My name is Babra Ontibile Bhebe. I am a Zimbabwean. I was born and raised in Bulawayo, which is the second-largest city in Zimbabwe. I started having an interest in human rights and governance work because of the environment that I grew up in, an environment where I witnessed a lot of poverty around me. When I was growing up, I interacted with some families who were struggling to send their children to school. For a long time, I tried to help these children to get access education by paying their fees, buying their school uniforms, and giving them all the material support that they needed
Then, after high school, I decided to do temporary teaching. This is where you go to a school and teach for a few months before you start university in Zimbabwe. I started teaching at a school in one of the marginalized areas in Zimbabwe that is called Binga. What I saw in that community was quite striking for me. Some of the students were coming to school barefooted, and without warm clothes when it was cold. That really touched my heart. I started helping again, paying for shoes and uniforms.
When I went to university, the same thing happened. I began to interact with children that were in the same situation, and I started doing the same thing – paying fees, tutoring students.. I also started asking other students to join me. We started an initiative called Little Souls Foundation to help take care of these children. But after college, we all went in different directions. It became difficult for me to continue to support these children.
That was when it dawned on me that the problems that were facing the different communities in my country were bigger than me and that I needed to join a movement or an institution that was directly influencing policies around anti-corruption or accountability. Policies that were going to help ensure that the government becomes more accountable and more responsible in terms of supporting communities and addressing the root causes of these problems. I realized that just paying fees and buying shoes wasn’t going to be enough because more and more children kept coming.
Most of the work that I’m doing currently is more related to civil and political rights, but that I do that work because of my desire to see the socioeconomic rights of the citizens in Zimbabwe being realized. I do not see you know the disconnection between the two sets of rights. I think civil and political rights are connected to the rights that have to do with people’s lived experiences, in terms of whether they have something to eat or whether the children are accessing education, amongst other things.
…
Hailey Seo: How can the global community do better to support pro-democracy movements and electoral transparency in Africa?
Babra Bhebe: There are many things that the global community can do to support our work – not just the Election Resource Centre’s work, but the work of citizen election observer groups across the continent. The first thing is to support the work of independent election observer mission groups. Deploying that work requires financial resources, but it is helpful in getting more independent views on how an election was held.
However, I think there is a need to support the work of election organizations between election cycles. Funders must not just give to organizations when there’s an election, leave, and then come back only when there’s another election. The work of citizen election observer groups must be supported in between elections because that is where electoral processes are shaped. That is when you work on electoral reforms that are necessary for free, fair, and credible elections. That is when you get the first-time voter registrants to register to vote. That is when you get citizens to understand electoral processes and get them to decide on whether they are going to participate or not. That’s when you advocate for different things that you want to change, including some of the administrative processes that may need to be changed to make the environment more conducive. That work is critical between the elections; elections are not just an event.
…
Ben Plana Trajtenberg: How do you view the state of American democracy?
Babra Bhebe: Let me say this with a disclaimer. I am not really an expert on American politics, so my comment is going to be based on what I’ve read. … I must say that the interesting thing with America is that while democracy is under attack, we’ve also seen elements of resistance, elements that try to ensure that democracy is protected. We’ve seen how strong institutions enable resisting autocracy or resisting attacks on democracy. About 725 people who were involved in the January 6 attack on the Capitol were arrested afterward. I think that shows that the rule of law is still respected in this country. When I look at America what I’ve learned is that democracy will always be under attack. There are always forces that do not want democracy to thrive. However, there are others that want democracy to survive. And it is the institutions that are set up in a country that enable democracy to withstand attacks and not to fall.
…
Ben Plana Trajtenberg: What advice do you have for young leaders who are looking to make an impact on the future of democracy but feel like the issue is out of their control?
Babra Bhebe: Young people have an opportunity now to take the stage and say, “This is our time.” Now is the time for young people to stand and support democracy. You can join an organization that’s dealing with issues that you are passionate about. If it’s elections, you can join an organization like the Election Resource Centre. You can join either as a volunteer, or you can apply for a job. But there are other organizations, some that are way bigger than the Election Resource Centre, that are doing work in different parts of Africa, or globally, that you can join. Join these organizations and join the group of people who are making an impact.
Secondly, you can also find a way of helping these organizations to think about how they can harness technology to advance democracy. Do research on that. Some are working with technology, or are even developing new technology, that can be tested in different contexts to improve the civic sphere. There are more innovative ways that we need to employ in doing work in civil society as it pertains to civic engagement. Young people have an opportunity to do things in a different way. You cannot join the movement and still do things the same way. You need to bring in innovation from past [methods].
…
I think you should also write a lot. Follow events. Write. Get your voices to be known. Get your opinions about democracy known. The internet and technology are both a force for good and for evil. So we need more people, more voices that are going to speak the same language, and that are going to say we need a more equal society, we need a more just society. And I’m hoping that you all are going to be amongst that group of people.
Image courtesy of the Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs
Authors
