Mrs Marcos with prized collections of arts
Sometime back there were
reports that the shoe collection of Imelda stand damaged by termites, floods
and general neglect. The Marcoses fled
the Philippines at the climax of the army-backed 'people power' revolt in 1986
and left behind staggering amounts of personal belongings, clothes and art
objects at the palace, including at least 1,220 pairs of the former first
lady's shoes. In history, there are
stories of women in power tarnished by their arrogance. Imelda Marcos, the widow of former Philippine President
Ferdinand Marcos, is often remembered for her collection of more than a
thousand pairs of shoes. Mr Marcos was forced out of office in 1986; went out
of the country – she returned and got elected to the House of Representatives
in 1995 for Leyte, and again in 2010 for Ilocos Norte. Despite facing numerous
allegations of the family's source of wealth, she was not imprisoned on these
charges. She continued to wield power, and her ability to survive upheavals in
her life has led her to be called the "Steel Butterfly". A couple of
years ago, artworks belonging to her were seized by authorities claiming that
they were acquired with stolen State funds. Pablo Picasso's Reclining Woman VI,
Michelangelo's Madonna and Child, and a still life by Paul Gauguin are among
those the Philippine courts are keen to seize.
Miles away in African country of Zimbabwe –
the woman boasts of supernatural powers and plunders Zimbabwe's diamonds to buy
designer shoes. Now a nervous nation asks: Is 'Gucci' Grace Mugabe about to be
the world's first female dictator?
She has been called many
things since the moment when, barely out of her teens, she caught the eye of
the president of Zimbabwe as she tapped away in his typing pool. Now his wife, she styles herself ‘Amai’
(mother) for her supporters but, behind her back, is derided as Gucci Grace and
The First Shopper, a reflection of her extravagant spending in designer shops
around the world despite the struggles of her country.
Others simply call her
Dis Grace, especially those who believe she forced her 90-year-old husband
Robert to remain in power so she could plunder Zimbabwe’s diamond wealth to
fund her overseas shopping trips. But now a nervous nation fears she could soon
have a new title: President.
For this reviled woman has
stepped, in her costly Ferragamo shoes, into the political arena, exploding a
titanic power struggle to succeed the increasingly doddery despot who has ruled
Zimbabwe so disastrously for more than three decades. The 49-year-old has
stoked such fears by touring the country by helicopter, holding mass rallies
and pouring scorn on her rivals. ‘The time has come to show people what I am
made of,’ she told one crowd. ‘I had never dreamed of entering politics but you
have approached me and I am ready to go.’ At another rally a few weeks later,
the South African-born first lady said: ‘Some say I want to be president. Why
not? Am I not Zimbabwean too?’ Most of her fellow citizens see this as a
chilling prospect that threatens to plunge their beautiful but tormented
country into fresh despair.
Grace Mugabe is, quite
simply, loathed. ‘She is an avaricious monster with a vindictive nature, who
makes Imelda Marcos look mild by comparison,’
one is quoted as saying. Diplomats believe she is stealing vast chunks
of the nation’s wealth from diamond mines. She blew £3million of state funds on
her daughter’s wedding earlier this year and defends wearing her Italian
designer shoes while people starve on the basis that she has ‘narrow feet’.
Suddenly the public buses in Harare are bearing huge images of her hated face.
She has been given a doctorate in sociology after a two months of supposed
study and ministers are gushing about the ‘guidance and leadership’ of a woman
‘who is a mother to us all’.
The country has long been
transfixed by a battle between two powerful rivals who loathe each other. On
one side is sinister justice minister Emmerson Mnangagwa, a former spy chief
nicknamed The Crocodile, who is thought to represent party hardliners and own
substantial gold and diamond mining interests. The other camp is led by Joice
Mujuru, vice president since 2004 and a liberation struggle veteran who fought
under the nom de guerre Teurai Ropa (‘Spill Blood’ in the native Shona
language). During a ten-rally tour of the country, the first lady tore into
Mujuru in the most vitriolic terms, calling her ‘corrupt’ and ‘a liar’ needing
exposure.
If Mugabe’s
wife were to inherit his throne it would be a remarkable rise to power for the
former secretary, who began an affair with the president as his popular first
wife Sally lay dying of cancer.
With regards – S.
Sampathkumar
17th Nov 2014
PS: Grace Mugabe story reproduced from Daily Mail.
