By Style Reporter
It turns out Zimbabweans on Twitter do not take losing lightly. Be it a war of words (twar), good-lookers’ contest or and — as it appeared this past week — who has the most stunning flag, they want it all.
An account under the handle @WorldCupOfFlags has been hosting a clash of flags over the past few days and all had been going well until the landlocked “house of stone” was disqualified on Friday.
As petty as it sounds, twimbos (Zimbabweans on Twitter), including celebrities and politicians, have been working overtime on the micro-blogging site making sure that the colourful national banner makes it past all the stages via polls.
“Ndaisa vote yangu guys. Let’s go Zim. Ngatimbohwinawo chinhu chinonzi World Cup [it’s time we also won a World Cup],” wrote multi-award-winning musician Jah Prayzah.
However, after trouncing Jamaica, North Korea, Trinidad and Tobago as well as Namibia, Zimbabwe got disqualified in the quarter-finals, for flouting some technical rule of the game.
“[Zimbabwe flag emoji] Disqualified for the 50% rule (54,3%),” posted @WorldCupOfFlags in what attracted fury from the twimbo brigade proving that it meant more than just another game online.
Essentially, Zimbabweans long for a win in any form and the voting for their flag manifested into an opportunity for the nation to pull in one direction despite differences and misgivings that have left many feeling beaten in most spheres of life.
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From politics, ethnicity to sport, among others, there is always disagreement among locals, but unison online has somehow become the much-needed middle ground to mend relations.
Apart from despising the competition since the announcement of the disqualification, some have gone on to create parody accounts of competition, proving just how eager they are to win.
However, win or loss, the show of patriotism online has come as a positive energy the highly-polarised nation sorely needs at the moment.
