Mr. Speaker, each year on Valentine's Day courageous activists from the 35,000-member organization Women of Zimbabwe Arise engage in peaceful protests that bring to light their motto, “The power of love can conquer the love of power”.
Women of Zimbabwe Arise is one of the most remarkable peaceful responses built across tribal and racial lines by Zimbabwean citizens who are determined to be advocates for social goals such as access to education, health care and food; to speak out, regardless of the physical danger to themselves, against political oppression and in favour of power-sharing; and, notwithstanding the endless provocations of a regime that has jailed and beaten elderly protesters and pregnant protesters, to do all of this peacefully and with love, not anger.
This Valentine's Day let each of us whose paths are so much smoother than the one chosen by these brave Zimbabwean women salute them for demonstrating to their government and to the world that there is no power that can crush the power of love.