Douglas Mwonzora

Douglas Mwonzora is a political activist and one of the most important opponents of president Robert Mugabe. After obtaining his degree in law at the University of Zimbabwe, he joined the Zimbabwe Unity Movement in 1989, which resisted the establishment of a one party state in Zimbabwe. In the 1990s Mwonzora was involved in drawing up a constitution for his country, and as a result he was arrested and imprisoned. In the following years he was arrested no fewer than 33 times. Despite these attempts at repression by the government, Mwonzora continues his fight for political change to the present day. He has campaigned tirelessly for new constitutional rights, and in 2008 he took part in renewed negotiations on a new constitution for Zimbabwe, which was eventually ratified. Mwonzora is the Secretary General of the Movement for Democratic Change, which is the major opposition party in Zimbabwe. Earlier this year, the BBC broadcast the fascinating documentary film Democrats on Mwonzora’s heroic struggle.