The Elected Dictator: Robert Mugabe Quiz

Answer: Zimbabwe

Robert Mugabe was elected in a turbulent election on March 4th, 1980. The campaign left a legacy of intimidation, mistrust from security forces, and reports of full ballot boxes found on the road. The newly independent country of Zimbabwe, formerly called Rhodesia, had its first government.

Answer: February 21st, 1924, in Kutama Mission

As of November 2009 Mugabe was still alive, although in 2005 there were rumors he had died of a heart attack. Kutama Mission was in the district of Zvimba. Kutama Mission and Zvimba district was part of Southern Rhodesia at the time, which was what Zimbabwe used to be called. Mugabe had a Malawian father and a Shona mother.

He had two older brothers who both died young. Throughout his young life he was described as enjoying his own company and reading a lot in the Katama College's library, which he attended.

Answer: Subversive Speech

Mugabe spent the next 11 years in a prison in Salisbury, now called Harare, Zimbabwe's capital. He gained three degrees during that time, one of which was a law degree from the University of London. During that period his four-year-old son died, although he wasn't allowed out of prison to attend the funeral.

Answer: Caucasian

Mugabe is a racist towards white people, according to many people. A Ugandan-born Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, who lives in the United Kingdom, called Mugabe "the worst kind of racist dictator" for having "targeted the whites for their apparent riches". Mugabe has accused the United Kingdom and the United States of supporting white imperialism and has commonly accused rebels to his government of being allies to imperialistic white people.

Answer: Nazi Germany's Adolf Hitler

After the United Kingdom condemned Mugabe's fascist policies and accused Mugabe's racism as being near those of Nazist German dictator Adolf Hitler, Mugabe replied with an extraordinarily controversial remark, and mocked the UK's allegations by saying about himself and his policies that "I am still the Hitler of the time.

This Hitler has only one objective, justice for his own people, sovereignty for his people, recognition of the independence of his people, and their right to their resources. If that is Hitler, then let me be a Hitler tenfold."

Answer: 1995

Mugabe has been very violent in his anti-homosexuality campaign. The condemnation came in August 1995 during the Zimbabwe International Book Fair. He told the audience that homosexuality: "Degrades human dignity. It's unnatural and there is no question ever of allowing these people to behave worse than dogs and pigs. If dogs and pigs do not do it, why must human beings? We have our own culture, and we must re-dedicate ourselves to our traditional values that make us human beings... What we are being persuaded to accept is sub-animal behaviour and we will never allow it here. If you see people parading themselves as lesbians and gays, arrest them and hand them over to the police!"

Answer: President has the right to rule by decree for two years after he is voted out of office

The proposal about Presidents being limited to two terms was not retroactive. If it was approved, Mugabe could have stayed in office for another two terms. 55% of the voters were against the changes, which was a surprise to ZANU-PF, Zimbabwe's ruling political party.

Answer: True

The revocation in Edinburgh happened after two years of campaigning from the Edinburgh University Students' Association. The student body at Michigan State University passed a resolution calling for Mugabe's degree to be revoked, which was done.

Answer: Morgan Tsvangirai

On September 15, 2008, the deal was signed, having been brokered by then South African President Thabo Mbeki. The New York Times wrote that Mugabe's top lieutenants began "trying to force the political opposition into granting them amnesty for their past crimes by abducting, detaining and torturing opposition officials and activists." Members of the opposition and human rights activists have been abducted and tortured in the months since October 2008, dozens of them. Tsvangirai was sworn in as prime minister in February 11, 2009.

Answer: ZANU-PF

Black, red, yellow, and green are the party's official colors. The party was founded on December 22nd, 1987. The party has the ideology of African Socialism, Socialism, Civic nationalism, Black nationalism, and Marxism-Leninism Communism. The party has a politburo, which is a 49-member body that formulates and decides policy for the party. Most of the politburo's members are appointed by Robert Mugabe.