167: mood change in Zimbabwe?

I found this amazing piece on BBC online today. It's one of a series of 'diary entries' on the site, by a young woman in Harare. Esther (not her real name) writes today that the mood is palpably more optimistic in the Zimbabwean capital and across the country, as the nation gears up for elections on 29 March. Esther talks of 'high excitement' about the possibility of change, though says that some fear the election may already be rigged. (She also talks of goodies that her sister bought her family recently - such as mushrooms and bacon, which they hadn't eaten for months and months... ) The key thing is that - based on Esther's account and those elsewhere in the press - the people of Zimbabwe seem less intimidated and more confident about exercising their right to vote. By next week, we will know whether this increased optimism has been rewarded...