Living Zimbabwe

Tag: People

It’s Tough Being Black!

A few weeks ago I was directed to Africa Online (NZ) to read the review of the Celeb Wedding where Fortune and Zanele tied the knot. Reading through the review got me thinking about something someone said at an event where there were a number of Africans present. All that this person said shaking his head was, “it’s tough being black”! What he was referring to was the manner in which people arrived at the event and the manner in which they conducted themselves throughout the evening. It was a case of look at the car I am driving, look at who I am with, look at what I am wearing and so on. Reading the review of the wedding just got me thinking about how with so many black people it is all about the ‘show’ and ‘keeping up appearances’.

Going back to the wedding, to me it seemed like the wedding was put on as a show of God knows what for the guests. It is all well and good to celebrate such a day to the fullest and being a Zimbabwean wedding you can expect it to be a jam packed and joyous event. But, when it goes to the point of talking about how we did this, did that, had this, had that it takes a bit of light off what the day was about. Marriage is the union of two souls and when a wedding goes over the top it can take a lot of essence off of that.

You don’t have to try hard or even look far to find people out there who go to great lengths to make it look as if they have made it when that may not necessarily be the case. For a lot of them, they are struggling to make ends meet and trying to keep up appearances is fuelling their journey towards more debt. On the outside they may look happy and as if they have got it all together but in actual fact there may be amongst other things emotional turmoil.

This is something that I failed to understand in the early 90’s when I would observe young Zimbabwean’s in the middle of summer sweating up and down 1st Street for hours on end and wearing heavy jeans and a leather jacket. Regardless of the temperature, the leather jacket would not come off because I guess it looked good. This is the same phenomenon I am still seeing today almost two decades later but I still fail to understand it.

That there is where “it’s tough being black” came from. Some of these people are likely to spend their last few dollars on something to enhance their social standing than something more beneficial such as food. But, who am I to judge? People can do and are entitled to do whatever they want to do but what is the point when nothing meaningful comes from it?

October 6, 2009
Zimbabweans Must Go Home Says Tsvangirai

Morgan Tsvangirai had the pleasure of addressing diasporans in the UK and his main message was that Zimbabweans should return home. The message was met with what seemed to start as applause that progressed to jeering and chanting and the PM was unable to continue with his speech.

Chinja! Mugabe Must GO! was what the crowd was chanting with some people waving Banners with “Mugabe and Gono Must Go”. People in various forums saw it as an embarrassing move by Zimbabweans in the UK but it may just have been them getting their point across that Mugabe must go before they consider returning home.

Tsvangirai clearly looked lost for words when he saw that he had no control over the crowd. There was nothing else he could do but step down from the pulpit.

Take a look at the video for yourself and be the judge of whether or not the jeering was justified:

June 21, 2009
Working To Death To Feed A Family

So many Zimbabweans in the diaspora are working hard to support their families they left back home. There are a few who don’t necessarily send any sort of support to their families but feel compelled to because they know things are tough. Those who are supporting their families are finding it harder and harder to do so because of the global credit crunch. They are finding that their cost of living is increasing and they are also having to send more and more money home to meet their families needs.

As already mentioned, people are feeling the pinch as the cost of living rises significantly due to the global credit crunch and after taking care of the all the bills, credits cards, loans and so on that they need to attend to, there isn’t very much if any left over to send home. What is making it even harder now is the dollarization of the Zimbabwe currency. Yes, the dollarization of the currency and the introduction of foliwars (Foreign Exchange Licensed Warehouses and Shops) may have been a God send in that it has made food more readily available if you have the forex. On the other hand, it has pushed the prices of basic commodities and just about everything else meaning larger amounts of hard currency are needed to meet day to day needs.

A short number of years ago, you could manage to do a bit with a couple of hundred pound sterling or U.S. dollars but in this day in age that amount of money does not go very far. The need to send more money means having to work more. Some people are on the clock almost 24 hours a day for days on end doing what it takes to keep themselves and their families alive. Some have literally worked themselves to death – the irony.

When there is food available it is expensive, decent medical attention requires payment in foreign currency, some schools have even started setting their fees in U.S. dollars which after a near collapse of state run schools may put education further out of reach. The Zimbabwe dollar is becoming less of an accepted form of payment and the dollarization has put so much out of reach for so many people and may actually be killing Zimbabwe. The credit crunch isn’t helping diasporans who are trying to support loved ones. Not only Zimbabweans at home are suffering, those abroad are finding it more and more difficult to survive and help their families at the same time. This poses one question: is it really worth it being wherever they are in the world as opposed to being at home and trying to make ends meet there?

January 6, 2009
Viomak – Zimbabwe Circus

Guest submission by Harriet

As Zimbabweans continue to chew bubbles and swallow air in anticipation of a quick and successful resolution to the sleazy political crisis ravaging the country, protest singer Viomak continues to call a spade a spade, and if her music is to be played at a political rally all the political clowns in Zimbabwe will hide their faces in shame. Viomak only started experimenting with protest music in 2005, but her determination, versatility and imagination have seen her turning up to be the sole woman protest singer in Zimbabwe. Thanks be to the woman who has stood against many gender and political odds to give protest music a chance in a bid to bring about leadership sanity in Zimbabwe.

The album sleeve that she designed tells a hidden story of her face looking like a circus clown. This she says exposes the circus of the situation in Zimbabwe and how Zimbabwean political leaders have become clowns. This could be the most relevant political music album of this time. It’s very unfortunate that such kind of music is banned in Zimbabwe otherwise this must to listen album was going to give solace to many deranged Zimbabweans who are unwillingly embroiled in the Zimbabwe circus politics, if only they could afford to listen to it in the comfort of their freedom. With a picture of an MDC membership card in her right hand and the picture of a Zanu pf membership card in her left hand Viomak compares Mugabe and Tsvangirai to 6 and 9. Don’t ask me where she got both membership cards from. All I know is she is non partisan, and the picture works very well with the title. The title of the album sounds promising enough.

Of course it will take a while before some people appreciate her type of music but the good thing is starters always shape the way forward and at the end of it all the crown goes to them .Whilst many people were busy making arrangements for a great Christmas holiday, Viomak was busy in and about the studio doing some touches to her album which was officially released on 25 December 2008.Viomak’s music remains in a style of its own. Its truthful nature is becoming a beacon of strength to wannabe protest singers. This is another step towards something truly special. Some political singers have avoided mentioning names. Some have remained silent on criticizing the MDC. ‘Zimbabwe Circus’ certainly inspires confidence that “freedom of expression is the backbone to a democratic society” to quote her words.

With this album Viomak has not only reinvented the musical wheel in Zimbabwe, but has shown that music is a great art that can be utilized in various ways to free one’s voice and feelings. In its uniqueness the album is packed with well thought out lyrics that blend well with awesome guitar chords, exciting drum beats, marimbas and soulful vocals that rub up against well- adapted organs and neatly tailored basslines completing the package . Her music talks and her voice sings. If you are the type of person who is not bothered about the politics of Zimbabwe this album will not interest you. However, the good thing is you can ignore the lyrics and dance to the sizzling Zimbabwean beat (as she calls it) that cushion the lyrics.

The album is one kind of a companion that can lead you through trying times without causing harm to anyone, as long as you play it in the absence of narrow minded people. If you are the sort of person who likes meaningful and inspirational songs that speak on behalf of the oppressed then ‘Zimbabwe Circus’ is a must for you, as it carries the type of music that speaks for your oppressed soul in a way that will make you applaud Viomak for the great work which most of us have failed to achieve.

The album is politically charged and is sung in a gentle way that might also put you off if you are the type of person who is into the aggressive and harsh type of voices. Viomak’s seriousness about the political situation in Zimbabwe takes toll through her vocals and lyrics. One can only imagine how emotional she was as she recorded the music .The lyrics are written in a jocular manner and that could have eased up her mood. It is up to you to judge too. I have done my part. The choice of instruments that accompany all the songs is superb too. Viomak who had to sing the rough lyrics of her songs to her producer in Zimbabwe on the phone to produce instruments of which she then added her vocals in a studio in Britain, says she faced a terrible time dealing with ‘telemusic production’, but her perseverance made her to pull through successfully. The Zimbabwean producers’ expertise with instruments matched with Viomak’s soft-to-loud vocal style to add depth to an album that is pleasant all the way through.

January 2, 2009
Fortune Muparutsa Passes Away

Last night I read the unfortunate news that Fortune Muparutsa passed away on Saturday 25th October, 2008. This came as a even more of a surprise because just a few weeks ago we went through a period in our household where we searched for and played a number of songs by Zimbabwean artists mainly from the 90s and Fortune’s song “Wangu Ndega” was one of the songs that we played repeatedly not only because of how good it is but because of how it reminded us about the Zimbabwe of times gone by.

Way back when, when that and his other songs were being played over the airwaves or videos his being shown on ZBC TV I can remember the volume being put up and people around me enjoying the music. This was a time in life where CD’s and MP3’s were unheard of and it was all about cassette tapes. My first copy of “Wangu Ndega” was one that I recorded onto tape as it was playing on Radio 3. These were the times where you would use a pen to rewind or fast forward the tape to a particular song or part of a song if your tape player was somehow still able to play music but had lost its fast forward and reverse functionalities. You got to know how many turns in one direction or the other to go to get to a certain point. Life then was relatively simple, hassle free and people in Zimbabwe were much much happier than they are today. That is where listening to Fortune Muparutsa’s song took me. It took me to a point in time when life in Zimbabwe was good. It brought joy then and brought joy now. That is how I will remember him. Rest in Peace.

October 28, 2008
Musalad Losing Identity

Last month, CNN’s Inside Africa featured a Zimbabwean DJ in New York, Chaka Ngwenya who started up an online radio station SARFM Radio through which he says he is trying to help African listeners keep their identity abroad. Identity caught my attention and that lead on to not forgetting about who you are and where you are from. Thinking about ‘Identity’ got me thinking about the term “MUSALAD” that so many young Zimbabweans have been labeled. What exactly is a “salad/musalad/salala?” It is a term that cannot really be given a clear cut definition because of people’s different interpretations of it. My understanding of the term is; someone from a low-density suburb and from a so called group ‘A’ school (private school) who is not streetwise, copies Western culture (mainly American) and speaks English with an accent. In years gone by munozi (nose brigade) was more commonly used due to ‘these people’ speaking nasally.

I am one of those people who was and still is labelled a munozi and/or musalad but to a much lesser extent as compared to years gone by. Up until just after starting high school I went to these so called group ‘A’ schools until I was shifted to a boarding school out in the rural areas. Within the first few hours of being there I was labelled a munozi. Very soon after that I was given a nickname brought about by me being told to stand up and tell the class my name. When I opened my mouth, the entire class burst into laughter and I didn’t understand what was going on until the teacher eventually asked me to repeat what I had just said whilst a number of my classmates (and the teacher) were still laughing and mimicking what I had said with a very exaggerated nasal intonation. The nickname I was given was what they thought they had heard me say and it stuck through out my time at the school. It wasn’t easy going by day to day and having to deal with the discrimination (which is how I saw it) but as time went by I got used to it and paid less attention to it. Those years of my life were probably my quietest and I only spoke when I really needed to so that I didn’t have to deal with the onslaught if I spoke. I did make a few friends and those who got to know and respect me saw more than just what was on the surface.

Masalad are viewed by many as, “vanhu varasa tsika” (people who have lost their traditional ways). This Shona term, tsika refers to knowing and being able to use the rules, customs and traditions of society to be regarded as a respectable person. Not all masalad are a lost cause. Those who went to schools where they mixed with other races, they had and still have different accents to those from a rural background. For most when they got back home it was back to their traditional ways but they would take along what they picked up in their environment. They way that they speak is different but it is not necessarily fake or put on. Yes, there are some where it is a bit over the top and obviously put on and bound to draw a lot of attention and criticism. The video shows what I would consider to be over the top. The people in the video do live in the United States but you could very easily come across people in Zimbabwe who have never stepped out of the country speaking like them.

It is not only masalad who get discriminated against. An example I can use from years and years ago is that before I left the private school, an SRB (someone with a Strong Rural Background) was awarded a scholarship to do his ‘A’ levels there. He was ostracised because of his mannerisms and the way he spoke English with a very heavy Shona accent. He was a very nice guy but his background and the environment he was in did not do him any favours.

I have been criticized by family and friends who said I had an identity crisis because of the many white friends I had and the ‘white things’ I did (whatever they were). Yes, I did mix and mingle with a lot of white people but that did not make me less of a Zimbabwean. The discrimination encountered by both groups of people (masalad and SRBs) is unwarranted at times because we should not be judging a people by the way they speak, what they wear and how they carry themselves. As long as those in question know who they are and where they come from they should be treated with respect. When cultural identity has been lost there should be cause for concern because you will have lost a lot of who you are.

October 6, 2008
Kirsty Coventry’s $100,000 Handshake from Mugabe

Zimbabwe’s “Golden Girl”, Kirsty Coventry was awarded US$100,000 by Robert Mugabe for her spectacular performance at the Beijing 2008 Olympics. She won a gold medal and broke the world record in the women’s 200 meters backstroke and also won three silvers in the 400m individual medley, 100m backstroke and 200m individual medley. The $100,000 is double the $50,000 “pocket money” that she was given by Mugabe on her return from the 2004 Athens Olympics.

The cash award has sparked a bit of controversy because of the country’s current economic situation and for few because of the fact that she is white and based in the United States. Other members of the Zimbabwe Olympic team were given between US$2,000 and US$10,000 each.

The way I see it, she is a Zimbabwe citizen that regardless of her skin colour chooses to represent the nation of her birth at an international level. Her efforts at the Beijing Games took a lot of hard work and at the times she was in the spotlight Zimbabwe was mentioned in a positive manner. As far the cash award goes, yes the country is going through economic hardship but athletes who are representing the country don’t get there just like that. It takes a lot of hard work and training that all comes at a cost. If anything it should also serve to encourage young aspiring Zimbabwe athletes to work towards achieving such goals. At least the money is going to a good use and not towards funding violence or anything else untoward.

I do however wish Mugabe had extended the same kind of courtesy to the countless numbers of white Zimbabweans who did a lot for the country and pretty much lost their livelihoods’ at his hands.

Congratulations Kirsty.

August 30, 2008
Q & A with Hopewell Chin’ono

Over the past year or so, Zimbabwean journalist and filmmaker Hopewell Chin’ono has been celebrating a number of successes with the most recent one being his win of the CNN-sponsored African Journalist of the Year competition for the documentary, “Pain in My Heart”. His successes are leading towards bigger and better things for himself and his work helps to make a positive change in people’s perceptions of certain issues faced by various communities. To get to know him a bit more I asked him a few questions which he was kind enough to answer.

Q: What got you into journalism and how long have you been at it?

A: I got into journalism in 1990 when I started writing for a music magazine called Prize Beat when I was in high School.

Q: Where do you draw your inspiration from?

A: I draw my inspiration from people who were ordinary and have done more for their community than themselves.

Q: What is the most satisfying thing about the work that you do?

A: I enjoy it when my work changes people’s negative attitude towards other members of society.

Q: Earlier on in the year it was reported that you were blacklisted from covering the March elections. Was there a specific reason why you were on the list?

A: I was never given a specific reason for my banning. They just said I could not report. But I have put it behind me as it reflects work of small minded people.

Q: With the media clamp down in Zimbabwe, how much of a hindrance has that been on you working to your full potential?

A: I have not been able to work properly because you have all sorts of people trying to stop you from just taking out your camera.

Q: This year has been particularly good for you with your recent win of the African Journalist of the Year Competition and the Archbishop Desmond Tutu Leadership Fellowship awarded earlier in the year. Were these awards you ever saw yourself receiving and what do they mean for you and your future?

A: I am motivated by reflecting on what’s around me. Awards are a reflection of what your peers and society think of your work.

Q: Has ”Pain in My Heart” had any sort of impact on the people in the documentary and other people living with HIV/AIDS?

A: It has made sure that the children of the late Angeline are assured of a brighter future.

Q: Will there be a follow up to “Pain in My Heart”?

A: I am working on something different from that. A reflection of the Zimbabwean election.

Q: What advice would you give to young aspiring African journalists?

A: I would say hard work pays and a lot of reading is important to understand issues.

Q: Where can people go to take a look at more of your work?

A: I will be setting up a website soon.

July 30, 2008
Zimbabwe Vote Rigging Film by Shepherd Yuda

This video taken by a Zimbabwe prison guard, Shepherd Yuda (for the Guardian) shows how the government made sure that votes were cast in their favour.

July 6, 2008