the sun will be going up in smoke. conflagration the world on fire starts aug 12th on d w 4 half 205 at the back. and downside with the blues. this is due to be news africa on the show today cash tag zimbabweans lives matches that trending on social media this week as celebrities and politicians join the campaign against human rights abuses in the country that campaign comes off to the embrace of civilians journalists high profile political activists and opposition figures in zimbabwe i'll be speaking to one of them. and we'll meet the artist in ghana who's standing against me these recent work to the people on the frontlines of the call the 1000 pandemic.

welcome to news africa it's good to have your company popular and that is growing in zimbabwe over the failings off the government inflation is currently above 700 percent hospital workers all striking and as a shoot shortage of food and medicines in the country the human rights situation is also deteriorating amnesty international ses the brutal assault on political activists and human rights defenders who have had the courage to call out alleged corruption and demand accountability from their government is intensify. now in a moment i'll be talking to a member of the opposition but 1st this report on some recent developments in the country was this is what it has come to despite health workers pleading with the police in early july these nurses took to the streets they are overworked haven't

been paid and don't have protective equipment against covert 19 and. they were all arrested. their plight is indicative of the di a situation symbolic of finds itself in is a society marked by corruption mismanagement and hyper inflation now the pandemic has brought a new layer of suffering on the people. on the 31st of july activist wanted to demonstrate against the worsening situation but some protesters were arrested even before the took to the street coming at us in the. right on the side fencing towards us one of them politician fatima harris of the opposition m.d.c. alliance filmed as riot police moved in streamed her arrest live on social media.

another person targeted was the award winning writer said dr amber she was detained and jailed after staging her own small protests she is now out on bail and accuses the president of holding the people hostage. it's like the people of zimbabwe in a chokehold. trying to change the way for that it is going to be a long. engagement and we have to strategize tensions have been rising in the country in the last few months as the economy implodes define president blames rogue elements and outside forces. but who attempt. to divide people and with him i was a systems will be flushed out. despite such threats it's unclear what

will be able to keep the upper hand. i'm now joined by friends i might hear in had already she is the lawyer who was picked up by riot police in the report we just had but is also the spokesperson for as the mob his main opposition party the m.d.c. welcome to africa you were arrested last week what is the status of your case currently we are we've been released on bail and we are scheduled to return to court on the 18th of september we've got stringent bail conditions we've handed in our passports we have to report to the police once a week and we've been ordered not to interfere with witnesses. all right. maybe talking about what you've been charged with but before you get there just looking from the outside in there has been a number of a rest by the authorities people who've come out and spoken against the government . and your wrists part of

a wider crackdown and if the answer to that is yes why now. they are these arrests are part of a wider clampdown as you're aware you know the opposition has continuously complained about the shrinking democratic space in zimbabwe we've seen a series of abductions we saw the abduction torture and sexual assault of the m.d.c. trio every single day there are reports of objections of you know anti government critics we saw the arrest and detention of journalist hopeful ching or nor we saw the arrest and detention of jacob woman who is also a political activist who called for the planned protest of the 31st of july a number of journalists like. to talk on the run currently because of you know the clampdown by the state just yesterday president made a speech where he because the government is feeling the pressure and yesterday the

president said he wants to flush out opponents he calls anybody who dares speak about the national crisis a detroit detract a dark force a terrorist a bad apple the government has no solution whatsoever to the national crisis we know that we've got a public health crisis a hunger crisis an economic crisis i'm there i'm running short of solutions so i think it's the pressure that they feel because they've got no answer and the citizens are have reached their wit's end and they're speaking out and they're ready to protest and i think that pressure that's put the government in the position where the only answer is violence. one can appreciate the desperation that zimbabweans are experiencing but we are in the midst of a pandemic is it responsibly for you as the opposition to be endorsing mass public gatherings and taking part in them as you did.

well if you look at the kind of protests that we did it respected every single covert regulation that exists it was socially distance everybody was wearing a mask were carrying sanitizer and if you look at the substance of the protests the cause for it it's exactly the public health crisis that we're facing the corruption that underpinned the cove of 19 supplies the very pandemic and the manner in which it's been mismanaged by the government that's causing us to protest the fact that the public health system is on its knees the fact that the government is doing precious nothing to provide safety nets for the informal sector bets hungry in the midst of this covert 1000 pandemic the fact that the government is doing nothing to address the concerns of the striking nurses the striking doctors the fact that instead of addressing the public health crisis like other responsible governments the government is using this is an excuse to clamp down you know and use this to to impose a de facto state of emergency that's the only reason why citizens are protesting so

it's absolutely responsible for the opposition to protest in the midst of this blow right and. the guy you want to be someone else a lot of our responsibility if we did everything granted the government in zimbabwe has consistently accused the opposition of being funded by western powers they say it's to destabilize your country does your party get any funding from outside donors. absolutely not i mean we've been running a consistent campaign where we've been crowd sourcing from zimbabweans that's where we get our money from you know our political party is the m.d.c. alliance our political power comes from the people you know we had a court order which they bet the money from the government grant should have come to us. court order was completely disregarded by the government and made him coffee and so we've been crowd sourcing from zimbabwean citizens at home and abroad we're not western at all that's a complete fallacy it's complete untruth we must end it there that is heads up

again where and you know this is no substance no substance thank you right here in our ali thank you. now in guyana over 2000 health workers have been infected with the coronavirus many have died in response one gunny and painter prince cordial hilton has decided to dedicate his recent opulence to the help workers trying to battle coverage 19 his hope is that he can raise money for them and get ordinary people to appreciate the sacrifices they have made. 39 year old prince quit the hilton has been painting for over 18 years his themes are mostly about social issues including health education and hewitt empowerment to speak in several locations let local authorities to improve the communities. isn't. good enough to go away come form we. are really. sort of.

recognised and not even see that much as to solving problems what with what we have who we have been limited we who we we. have never been given that opportunity to express or to bring out what it's truly internet us so you see artist in the only people seem to make money by europeans into problems ok so i believe our true duty artist is to saw fabolous point a gun i recorded its 1st case of coroner vireos hilts and wanted to help in the fights using his paintings to create awareness of his latest. hope in the patient hilton cops to draw attention to the dedication of health where case under mobilize support for them a major pandemic. watching t.v.'s and what we're coming to

then let me. create an artwork to celebrate this health workers who are giving not just best. did you could i love i used to do to save you money if you are able to appreciate them to recognize the need to give them more raw that's joy to continue to do what you're doing. today hilton is visiting one of canada's good 1000 treatment centers in a cramped to learn about the plight of health which is here ghana has one of the highest numbers of infections in africa this facility takes care of over 1000 patients white a critical condition to go back to health workers here complain of lack of fight equates as not protective equipment disabled or work and conditions have exposed many of them to the virus. and day in and day out and have so many health that has gotten infected and when that happens to me they have to go off with this with

a lot of burden on the few people that i remain and so it has not been anything really. to supports the plight of the health wake a skillet in spain team is to be auctioned with the funds raised the need to to support the coveted $1000.00 fight he is also mobilizing in africa to paint on it educates a deed to see and to be known as the international visualize the case if you got the artist on that day you walk into any hospital we do graffiti on the wall good to. us was designed to make the please look nice. and it's going to be out in heels the whole event will be arts and health which is celebrated health witness hilton hopes his support of the fight against poverty 19 will inspire across africa. i certainly hope so because if he

a tribute to the here is off this pandemic well that is it for now from africa be sure to check out all of the stroller he's on you don't come forward slash africa we're also on twitter and on facebook we used to handle at the news we can get in touch directly i met with us they've been told next time. i actually lost hers from nigeria you know that's what money would. be. authentic. for and successful beyond belief. this is the we were doing. it would start. on d w. until.

i see a show. about beethoven i constantly begin to imagine that they told the. story september 16th on d w. welcome to arts and culture it's the 100000000 euro art collection that got away what am i talking about stick around for that story and a dragon who fears humans with good reason there's a new animated film dragon writer based on a beloved children's book. german artist avoids gun uses germs to create his artworks and now they're not the coronavirus. and over $3000.00

candles bringing the heavens down to earth for a very special outdoor performance. but 1st imagine someone tries to give you an art collection worth millions of euros how fast would you say yes well that's what irish born american artist sean scully was offering a museum in the city where he lives his own invaluable life's work but the museum and cars who are germany didn't say yes as enthusiastically as he expected it's a tale of frustrations slow bureaucracy and some invaluable artworks stuck in the middle. sean scully wanted to donate 280 of his works worth 100000000 euros to the current style of museum in the city of cars which. and leaders in the region seemed interested. so i knew piece. this is an important collection by a major internationally renowned artist.