For travelers along the Harare-Mutare Highway, Macheke is little more than the minute or two traversed through the roadside vegetable market and the enterprising women who use their considerable skill to sell vegetables. However, on June 17, 2023, I had the opportunity to experience Macheke beyond the market as I attended the inaugural Macheke Integrity Champions Awards Ceremony. Organized by the Youth Development in Action Trust (YODAT), which operates out of Macheke, and in partnership with Accountability Lab’s Integrity Icon Campaign, the awards aimed to celebrate Icons within the Macheke community.

My visit allowed me the chance to explore the city and witness the warm hospitality and vibrant culture of the people of Macheke. Like many farming areas in Zimbabwe, Macheke has fared poorly in the wake of the Fast Track Land Reform Program, which expropriated productive farms in the early 2000s. These now operate below capacity, negatively impacting the local economy. During my visit, I spoke with a teacher who intimated that the material conditions of the community had significantly declined over the years. Despite this, the Macheke residents remained hopeful, working hard and demonstrating a strong sense of community despite harsh economic conditions.

Attending the awards ceremony, I was struck by the spirit of appreciation, honoring, and encouragement at the core of the event. Similar to the Integrity Icon campaign, the Macheke Integrity Champions Awards celebrate community members who display an unquestionable commitment to integrity and make significant contributions to the development of Macheke. The ceremony was inspirational, providing hope and encouragement to the community. People who had served the community selflessly and with integrity were, for the first time, treated to a red carpet experience, complete with glitz, glamour, hugs, tears, ululation, music, and dance. The sense of community at the ceremony was undeniable, allowing residents to engage in positive conversations about role models and the importance of integrity.

The recipients of the awards represented the diversity of the Macheke community. With people from various age groups, genders, cultures, religions, and political backgrounds, the awardees showcased the inclusivity and unity of the community. The Macheke Icons embody the philosophy of Ubuntu/Unhu – the belief that “I am because we are” – emphasizing the collective responsibility of doing good, serving with integrity, and combating corruption.

The awardees were as diverse as the community, drawing from across cultural, religious, and political divides. For example, Mrs. Florence Tamangani, a community organizer, was honored for her work in inspiring young girls to pursue a career in politics. Inspector Zhowalehe, a leading member of the Macheke police force, received recognition for his leadership and commitment to fighting corruption. Mr. Mutisi, a former Headmaster, was celebrated for his long contribution to education as a teacher and Headmaster of Macheke High School. The Macheke Integrity Champions Awards also honored Mr. Never Marara, a local businessman, for his willingness to assist community members in need, and Reverend Chikwindi, who preaches a message of peace from the pulpit, even during times of political turmoil.

The Macheke Integrity Champions Awards showcased the strength and resilience of the Macheke community. It demonstrated the power of unity, integrity, and collective action in overcoming challenges and fostering positive change. The event served as a reminder that celebrating and emulating those who embody these values can create a society where integrity becomes the norm rather than the exception.

The Awards manifest the community’s active efforts to build and strengthen its values. The Guest of Honor, Briggs Bomba from Trust Africa, delivered a speech that emphasized the role of the community in addressing challenges that are often mistakenly believed to be solvable on an individual basis. This message resonates with Accountability Lab’s work promoting shared community values, such as the collaboration with Washington State University, through the Integrity Icon Campaign. The Lab is an ecosystem builder, fashioning brick and mortar from collective action arising from crowding others in, collaboration, sharing resources, and building the capacity of change makers. The partnership between the Lab and YODAT for the Macheke awards ceremony is a practical application of the Lab’s trans-local network approach and a demonstration of the Lab’s willingness to collaborate with other actors. Furthermore, the success of Accountability Lab is not solely measured by the funds raised or initiatives staged but by how far its approaches are adopted and incorporated by others, influencing the accountability ecosystem.

The Macheke process exemplified the power of contribution, collaboration, and collective action, as opposed to territoriality and fragmentation, which often plague civil society, particularly in a resource-scarce environment like Zimbabwe.

People want to be appreciated and valued. Acknowledging good deeds or work done well encourages positive behavior rather than censure or a singular focus on mistakes and reprimands. As the award recipients were called to the stage during the Macheke Integrity Awards, it was clear that despite the absence of material rewards, honorees cherished the recognition they received from the community. The practice of “naming and framing” positive role models, rather than shaming those who engage in negative behavior, is a powerful tool for driving social change. YODAT drew inspiration from Accountability Lab’s Integrity Icon Awards and customized it to their context, a unique offering adapted from an existing framework. This allowed the Macheke Integrity Awards to become a celebration of positive stories woven together to create a ceremony of uplifting narratives.

This approach may seem counterintuitive. As we all know, the human brain naturally tends to focus on and recall negative experiences more than positive ones due to a negativity bias. However, the negativity bias risks the perpetuation of negative behavior. In closely-knit and socially connected societies like ours, there is value in cultivating humanity, hope, and empathy to counter feelings of futility and hopelessness. This includes building positive narratives around leaders and civil servants who defy cultures of corruption, demonstrating that while the challenge is significant, it is not insurmountable. Over time, we can build coalitions of like-minded individuals who advocate for a world where resources are used wisely, decisions benefit everyone, and people lead secure lives.

Nevertheless, it is vital to strike a balance. While we should acknowledge and address the horrific and the ugly, we must also pause and reflect on the positive and model the behaviors we want to see. We must celebrate those who embody positive change and work towards making integrity an intrinsic part of our lives rather than an exception.

Events like the Macheke Community Integrity Champion Awards reaffirm the meaningfulness of Accountability Lab’s work, even with pressure from donors for quick results, competition for limited financial resources, and shrinking civic space. It is not uncommon for civil society actors to question their contribution to development and experience feelings of sadness, depression, unhappiness, and emptiness. In a highly competitive world, with claims to expertise and the protection of intellectual property rights, organizations are often guarded about sharing their approaches with other actors. The Lab’s willingness to share its knowledge and resources is not merely an act of generosity but a testament to the power of its trans-local approach and its rejection of conventional development norms. It is a laboratory for experimentation and replicating good ideas, and where successful and unsuccessful interventions enable learning.

The Macheke Community Integrity Champion Awards are inspiring. For me, they were a valuable learning opportunity, showcasing the value of attracting more participants to effective approaches. The awards demonstrate the significance of replicating ideas that work, even if they may not be in vogue or mainstream, and the power of collaboration based on shared values. It was a demonstration of trans-locality in action.

Beloved is the Programs and Campaigns Manager at Accountability Lab Zimbabwe and Deputy Chief of the Party for the New Narratives for Accountability in Zimbabwe; he can be contacted via email at beloved@accountabilitylab.org