Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe recently turned 93, making him the oldest non-royal head of state in the world.
But in his 37 years in power, he's become a caricature of the corrupt African dictator. Once one of the continent's wealthiest countries, Zimbabwe's economy has halved since 2000. He's sent armed militias to beat and kill political opponents and in 2015 threw a $1 million birthday party for himself, feeding his 20,000 guests dishes like baby elephant even as many of his countrymen live in extreme poverty.
But as Mugabe pushes deeper into his nineties, there are growing questions about his hold on power. On this edition of Global Journalist, a look at the twilight of the Robert Mugabe era in Zimbabwe and what may come after him.
Joining the program:
- Charles Ray, a former U.S. ambassador to Zimbabwe
- Miles Tendi, a Zimbabwean lecturer in African politics at Oxford University
- Piers Pigou, a senior consultant for southern Africa at International Crisis Group
Audio show includes music from Simon Mathewson's "Abakua" via Creative Commons