Evan Mawarire

latest news & developments

When going home is a risky gamble

Opposition leaders find it hard to fight dictators from abroad, but may place their families in danger when returning home

Kenyan Boniface Mwangi after a street protest in 2020. In 2025, he was driven to an unknown location, stripped naked, beaten by state security officers. Photo: File (2020)
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In Softie, politics takes a personal toll on Boniface Mwangi – and his family

Softie is an intimate portrait of how political activism complicates family life

Supporters of Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa celebrate in Mbare, Harare, on August 3, 2018. (Photo by Marco Longari/AFP)

Unfollow the leader: The Twitter campaign against Zimbabwe’s president

Campaigners urge Zimbabweans to unfollow the president on Twitter

Even in established democracies, the failings of supposedly strong institutions has shown that there is no substitute for an active and organised citizenry.

Rule of law must first be strengthened by people power

Dynamic grassroots movements are especially needed in authoritarian states where institutions are fundamentally broken

Angry protesters barricade the main route to Zimbabwe’s capital Harare from Epworth township after the government announced a huge hike in fuel prices. (Jekesai Njikizana/AFP)

Vicious crackdown in Zimbabwe

Experts say the harsh reaction is a symptom of a bankrupt and desperate government

Police had been at Mawarire’s property for more than two hours before he was driven away in a truck. (AFP)

Zim police detain Mawarire in wake of protests

​Leading Zimbabwean activist Evan Mawarire was detained by police on Wednesday when he was taken from his house in a widening crackdown

Mawarire is already facing charges of trying to subvert the government over his online activism. His trial is due to begin at the Harare High Court in September.

Evan Mawarire’s next chapter: #ThisFlag pastor to run for local office

The pastor is running for the Ward 17 councillor position and he has formed a loose coalition of other independents

It can be a hallelujah moment now, but it could also be a moment to realise that the hard work starts now.

The flame of justice flickers on

A new breed of African freedom fighter is emerging, challenging authoritarianism with pure ideas that seek nothing but progress through liberty

It’s too soon to be confident that Zimbabwe’s new president

Can an old croc learn new tricks?

Mixed messages from President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s first few days in office

Cash-strapped: Zimbabweans queue to withdraw cash from a bank after the central bank introduced bond notes.

Can Zanu-PF afford another currency crash?

‘Bond notes were the government’s short-term answer to its long-term economic problems but now this is proving to be an expensive mistake’

Mawarire is already facing charges of trying to subvert the government over his online activism. His trial is due to begin at the Harare High Court in September.
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#ThisFlag leader Mawarire arrested for ‘praying with students’ at protest

Pastor Evan was taken into police custody after addressing students gathered in support of protesting University of Zimbabwe medical students.

Speaking the Unspeakable: The use of text is a major feature in this show by Grada Kilomba.

Treason season in Southern Africa

Across the region, governments are cracking down on political opposition, and treason charges are the leaders’ weapon of choice

The M&G chatted to #ThisFlag protest pastor Evan Mawarire’s sister

Zimbabwean #ThisFlag activist Evan Mawarire arrested at Harare airport

He was returning to the country after he’d sought safety from Mugabe’s men first to South Africa and then in the United States

Sibling solidarity: Before he was abducted

Suspicions over Itai Dzamara’s disappearance fuel the current anti-Mugabe protests

Itai Dzambara disappearance and activism was a catalyst to the current protests in Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe data prices hiked by up to 500% to curb social media activism and dissent

Zimbabweans are defiant and undeterred by rising data prices which they believe are in retaliation by the Zim government to social media activism.