Life in Mugabe's Zimbabwe

BBC Radio 4's Crossing Continents brings you six personal stories about life inside President Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe.

Chenjurai Hove: Poet "They want people who are yes-men." Jenni Williams: NGO worker "There are now one million orphans." Alexander Kanengoni: Writer and farmer "Mugabe is guided by his beliefs."

Beatrice Mtetwa: Lawyer "There will be nobody to feed the poor." George Shire: Academic "NGOs must assist not intervene." Roy Bennett Imprisoned MP "The people have had enough."

Alexander Kanengoni, writer

Alexander Kanengoni is a Zimbabwean writer and Mugabe supporter who was allocated a farm in the controversial new land reform.

"Robert Mugabe has always been guided by his beliefs and visions.

"The rallying point for all of us who fought in the war of independence was the issue of the land.

"In the 1960s and 70s our rallying slogans were all about land. I write about land. It is from the land that we get everything, our food, our sustenance.

"The relationship between us and the land is almost spiritual actually. My father had his own land, we grow up living on and knowing the land.

"I believe that this relationship is so strong that to try to break it is almost like trying to kill one part of a people.

I work together with a white farmer who is very experienced Alexander Kanengoni

"When you look at the details [of the land reform] there are a lot of problems. For example, such a radical change could not be implemented over such a short time.

"Unfortunately there were no adequate resources, the people were not trained, and poor rainfall patterns compounded the situation.

"I would certainly not call myself a farmer yet. I am new to the job and have lots to learn, but I work together with a white farmer who is very experienced. He is an amazing man.

"My first crop was about eight hectares of sugar beet. He came with his truck and tilled the land for me and planted the beet for me. This year we are having good harvests.

"Some of the things that are said about [hunger and starvation] are exaggerations of the truth."