Dangarembga, a fierce critic of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government was arrested in 2020 for marching while holding a placard demanding reforms. She was charged with her friend and colleague Julie Barnes who joined her on the protest. The pair were handed a suspended six-month jail term and fined $70,000 Zim Dollars . Inside the Harare courtroom, Dangarembga and Barnes held hands as magistrate Barbara Mateko handed down her judgment.
Condemnation The ruling has drawn widespread condemnation, with the Booker Prize committee saying it was “shocked” to hear about the conviction,” in a Twitter post. PEN International, an association of writers, which awarded Dangarembga a Pinter Prize in 2021, also condemned the sentence in a statement. “The conviction today of award-winning writer, filmmaker, and activist Tsitsi Dangarembga and her co-accused, Julie Barnes, by a Zimbabwe Court is a travesty of justice.