Namatai Kwekweza, a leading voice in Zimbabwe's social justice movement, has received the 2025 German Africa Award for her courage and work inspiring a new generation. "What keeps me going is solidarity," she told DW.
00:00With me now in studio is Namatai Kwekweza, the recipient of the 2025 German Africa Prize.
00:05She's the regional director of We Lead Africa.
00:09Congratulations, Namatai. It's good to have you with us.
00:12What does this recognition mean to you?
00:15So thank you so much for having me in studio today.
00:18And the first thing I wanted just to say is that this recognition is a very powerful recognition,
00:24and not just to me, but to our organization, our team, and the young people in our constituencies that we've worked with for the past eight years.
00:32You know, this is a full circle moment because, you know, when I started this organization, I was 18.
00:37And it's quite unusual that you have young women, you know, in their activism, leading institutions that are able to make such a significant impact.
00:46So this award goes beyond just me, but I think it is the representation of the collective dreams, imaginations and hopes of the young people that we are working with.
00:54And definitely it means that there is an awakening towards youth leadership, and particularly the leadership of young women,
01:01and also willingness to recognize it and support it across the continent.
01:04Right. And help us understand the space in Zimbabwe in which you work, the civic space, the democratic space, for people who are not familiar.
01:12That's fantastic.
01:13So in Zimbabwe, in terms of the civic space and the democratic space, we have unfortunately experienced a lot of regressions.
01:20And I think it's not something that is peculiar or unique to Zimbabwe only, but it's something that we are seeing across the world.
01:26I think that when you look at, you know, the civic space, we have seen the, you know, the introduction of the Private Voluntary Amendment Act,
01:34which is basically meant to, you know, stifle NGOs.
01:38Everybody has to re-register.
01:39We have seen the introduction of more draconian pieces of legislation, such as the Cyber Security and Data Protection Act.
01:45We have seen the introduction of the Patriotic Act.
01:49And all of these are pieces of legislation that are increasingly making civic space quite repressive.
01:55But I think a major characteristic that we have seen is just a repulsion to, you know, certain civic and political rights, the rights together.
02:03It's becoming increasingly difficult for people to convene.
02:05A crackdown on media freedoms, so the right to freedom of expression and the rights of journalists consistently are being violated.
02:11So, you know, for us in Zimbabwe, it is a time that we have to really look deep within ourselves and to ask ourselves, you know,
02:20is it really worth it and meaningful, you know, to fight to protect and preserve democratic and civic space?
02:26Because we have seen a gradual regression, definitely.
02:30And that includes your experience being pulled off a plane, locked up, put on trial.
02:36What did that experience, that ordeal, teach you about activism in Zimbabwe?
02:44Okay.
02:44So, I mean, look, when you are an activist, I think those things do come.
02:51And I think they come often at times when you least expect them.
02:54I never expected that in my own country I would, you know, have the security system ground a whole plane.
03:00I mean, the plane was ready to take off.
03:02The engine had started, but they turned off the engine, they opened the doors and they extracted us.
03:06I never thought I would be abducted.
03:08I never thought I would be held incommunicado and eventually imprisoned.
03:13And I think that that particular experience has really taught me that, you know, there is a true cost to struggle.
03:22And unfortunately, for us to get whatever, you know, gains of democracy, whatever gains of freedom that we aspire for,
03:30we have to pay the price in full.
03:32And sometimes it's going to happen in very unexpected ways.
03:35I mean, the last thing that that experience taught me is to trust in my own power, but also to believe in solidarity.
03:42Because there were a lot of people that came through for myself and the colleagues that I was held with.
03:48And I do have a faith in the unbreakable will of people and particularly people to be in solidarity.
03:56And I do have faith in the unbreakable aspects of the human spirit.
04:01Right.
04:02But that's not easy, especially with what you experience, what many young people across Africa are experiencing.
04:10We've seen suppression of youth activists across the continent.
04:14How would you convince other Africans that this is worth the risk?
04:20So, the thing about it is that we are living at a time where we have seen a lot of, you know, regressions, particularly in, you know, in democracy.
04:31And I think that when you look at it, you know, even the place in the world that people thought they could run to are either not willing to receive people or they're also not democratic themselves anymore.
04:44So, the reality of the matter is for a lot of people, and unfortunately, this is the reality, this is what the statistics are saying, that over 70% of the world's population is now living under an autocracy.
04:56That's quite different from about 30, 40 years ago where it was less than, you know, 40%.
05:00So, the world is becoming an increasingly dark place.
05:03And we have to come to terms with the realization that if we want to live in a better world, we want to have a brighter future, we want to have, you know, lives that are fueled with dignity, lives that are fueled with opportunity, where we have access to good healthcare, where we have access to good education, where people are able to, you know, as Barack Obama says, you know, speak their mind freely and not hear a sudden knock at the door, right?
05:25And we actually have to step a foot down and do something about it, which often means that we have to confront systems of power, systems of oppression, systems of tyranny.
05:35And the reality of the matter is that there will always be backlash.
05:40You know, you could find yourself abducted or in prison, like what happened to me at some point.
05:45But I also then always make people this invitation, right?
05:50It's difficult, it's hard to wake up and not be able to afford three basic meals a day.
05:54It's difficult and it's definitely hard to be arrested and imprisoned for speaking truth to power.
06:00It's also very difficult and hard, you know, for you to, you know, be abducted or to have them disappear or to lose loved ones or to lose property, etc.
06:09In the struggle for democratic freedoms.
06:12But what's also hard is to live a life with no opportunity, with no possibility, with no dignity.
06:17So I think it's also important that we as Africans, especially as African youth, choose what kind of hard we want to experience.
06:24The hardships of trying to change the system to make it better or the hardships of expecting or accepting to live life as it has been given to us.
06:33Would you say that's what keeps you going?
06:34What keeps me going is solidarity.
06:40I think that when I, and that's really my point of emphasis, that I'm believing in the power of us doing things together.
06:50And I'm believing in the power of people that have a shared mindset, a shared belief coming together and working together.
06:55And that is what keeps me going.
06:58I do also have a radical core and a radical belief in the unwavering faith that every person born, every person alive is deserving of living a life that is full of opportunity and possibility.
07:10And I think the only way that that can be achieved is if people leave an environment where their rights are respected, where there is rule of law and there is generally democracy.
07:19So I think that is principle, that is core.
07:22But I think beyond that, when there are hardships and there are difficulties, I have received love and help from strangers.
07:29You know, I remember once when I was released from prison, I had a young man from Denmark send me a message on LinkedIn.
07:36And, you know, he was saying that he wanted to send me money for my legal fees.
07:41I don't know him, but he'd say that he had heard my story from a Zimbabwean young woman who actually is learning there.
07:46And I told him that I do have legal aid.
07:48I had a team of lawyers that were already assisting.
07:50But I think it's in those moments when you know that there are people who think about you, who remember you, who have you in your thoughts, in your minds, in your prayers, and who are also willing to show up and step up materially, who are willing to show up and step up by posting, by sharing, by talking to other people.
08:06That, for me, keeps me going.
08:08Namatai Koukweza, thank you very much for speaking to us.
08:12Thank you for your time and congratulations once again.
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