Zimbabwe – the deep calling of the Earth that is visible in every aspect of life and aliveness: in people, lands, arts, speaking through trees and mountains, entering the feet from below and the heart from all around. After 6 months in this incredible country I am no longer the same.
Simplicity and Zimbabwe’s people
Zimbabwe’s ubiquitous simplicity is profound and perplexing, and at times saddening when encoded as an identity that excludes diversity. It shows itself in the arts, the food culture, people’s homes, the range of accepted ways of being and behaving. When I see the sculptures and paintings which only show the most significant features necessary to convey a message: an animal identity, a human being, a plant, a scenery, or an emotion, yet there is profundity, then I am taken away. So much with so little. Ancient frequencies of wholesomeness and connectedness flooding the land are embodied through this simplicity. Yet after a while I began to recognise the absence of exuberance and detail, and it bothered me because there doesn’t seem to be room for it. Then I connected that observation to its resemblance in society – a simplicity which emerged from scarcity and coercion – scarcity of anything material, scarcity of creativity and coercion of basic freedoms.
Never have I been questioned so much about my food choices and ways of life as here in Zimbabwe. Even though culturally completely different I felt taken back to the Eastern Germany of my grandparents. Not only were there specific types of foods for specific occasions, but they also had to be eaten in a particular way and at set times. Once as a child I mashed the potato on my plate because I liked it better that way. My grandparents’ response was: “Today’s dish includes boiled whole potato. What are you doing? Why are you making a mess on your plate? Eat properly.” My experience in Zimbabwe was like that no matter where I was. The only difference was that by now I am a grown up woman, strong enough to defend my rights and choices, and the people around me usually question in more subtle ways.
Deep contrasts also emerged from different forms and levels of togetherness – the ways in which people care, or don’t care about one another. On one hand there is this heart-warming ability to merge as a group and create something which is much bigger than the sum of its parts. Once the decision has been made to collaborate, or share, then it feels as though me and you become the same. The group suddenly and spontaneously is one. People are fully tuned in to each other and seem to move as a single unit. No holding back, no shyness, no barriers. It’s very beautiful and opens doors to great accomplishments in a short period of time.
Yet on the streets where we meet as strangers, without that immediate connection with one another the complete opposite is happening. So many are hit by cars every day, often fatally, simply because there is an absence of care when one does not know the other. Even children die because of it. Drivers don’t slow down. No effort is made to respect pedestrians. Human beings become meaningless.
Well known to everyone who knows Zimbabwe: government and state institutions are extremely corrupt. Yet in all these systemic political realms one finds people of very positive frequencies who are passionate about changing the way in which this country operates and who are pushing for transformation with their presence, their words and their actions every minute of the day. Extremes together, sharing the same space, and hence big potential for deep change once that honest, passionate benevolence gains momentum. Whereas in Europe the positive infiltration of politics happens at deeper, less visible layers, here in Zimbabwe everything is in your face. It can be mind-boggling how opposites prevail side by side, so openly.
Shall I give one more example of perplexing juxtapositions? Across ethnicities the people of Zimbabwe are very outspoken and straight in their communication as long as the topics that are taboo remain untouched, and the information is conveyed in specific ways that reflect the customs of conversing. All or nothing, and only the way in which it is known and accepted. I have pushed the limits every day. One very simple example is this: it is important to people to ask first thing in the morning: “Did you sleep well?”. It’s a small gesture of care that I quite liked. Yet I quickly noticed that the answer is always ‘yes’. What then is the point of the question?
Even though I loved the experience of the African soil, culture and dynamics, I struggled with it every day. There is much that I still can’t put into words. Just like the city of Mutare is so green and yet so dusty due to the dry silt which is catapulted up into the air by endless lines of lorries, working their way towards the Mozambican border every day. How can the two go together? I don’t know, but they can. It does not seem to make sense, and perhaps this is the strength of Africa. When logic fails something else has much room to establish itself and claim its place once the layers of coercion and deception are broken sufficiently to fully loose their grip. Nature is not logical. Logic can happen within Nature but it is not what decides. It seems as though the people of Zimbabwe are intuitive, ready to solve any situation or difficulty, yet entrenched in fear which is rooted in a history of systematic genocide and extreme, open political violence. Once that fear looses its grip on people there is nothing in the way of freedom – a situation which is so different from Europe: a continent run by logic and mental analysis.
House of Stone
If you are curious about Zimbabwe’s history and the dynamics between Black and White, then there is a book I can whole-heartedly recommend: House of Stone by Christina Lamb. It portrays the life of two main characters: a Shona woman and a white farmer, both born in Zimbabwe but the latter of British ancestry. A true story – sadly it depicts a history of war, scarcity, inequity, distrust, political coercion and genocide. And yet it is about people who find their way nonetheless, including the way towards each other. I finished reading this book at Johannesburg airport on my way out of this incredible continent, and already out of Zimbabwe. It is the first book I read from beginning to end in several years. I used to read a lot, but then began to put books away upon reaching that BS moment where I felt that the author was writing from a place of programming – based on stories we have been told and which are untrue. Sadly most writers mix their own experience with those external narratives, and authenticity fades away like a snow flake melting on the window. House of Stone is not like that.
Political coercion
Zimbabwe has an extremely aggressive government which openly works against the people of its country – whether black, or white. As soon as an empowering movement gains momentum a rule or law is enacted which forbids what brings about positive change. Protests and demonstrations are either officially outlawed, or ended violently as soon as people attempt to gather. Military and police forces work side by side and are not separate. Mass incarcerations of journalists, activists and human rights defenders, or simply people who complain, or in any way raise their voice against government are common.
The controversy of recognising the abusiveness and crimes of Zimbabwe’s official institutions, yet proudly working for the same is another mind-boggling observation which shows the depth of societal programming – an issue which exists worldwide but is much more common, visible and perplexing in Zimbabwe than in any of the many countries I have visited and lived in before.
At Ubuntu I met two guests who experienced this coercive aggressiveness first hand. One is a cyclist from England who is bicycling through Africa. He didn’t like the way he was approached by police, voiced his dismay, and ended up in prison for 2 days – his bike confiscated (he got it back later). The other guest was a black American young man who is backpacking through Africa. He arrived at the hostel very upset and we talked for 2 hours before he even saw his room. He too was stopped by police and aggressively forced to produce his passport and visa without reason, simply walking around exploring. So he showed his passport and the police officers’ response was this: “You are black. You cannot be American. This passport is fake. Where are you from?” He too was threatened with imprisonment and got out of this situation only when he pulled out his phone to call his embassy.
In 2021 a new bill was published which would massively infringe the rights of non-governmental organisations – national and international and is threatening the continuity of NGOs in Zimbabwe since then. It would criminalise the work of many NGOs, and impose punitive measures, including imprisonment. It would also require that all NGO’s operating in the country employ a Zimbabwean government worker at their own cost – government-controlled non-governmental organisations… even major charities and organisations would immediately leave the country if this bill is passed which is still under debate thanks to significant push-back.
This is one example which reflects the slipping power of Zimbabwe’s governing elites, and it does not stop there. Such new bills and regulations used to be introduced over night, but division within state institutions is ever increasing as those who sincerely and passionately work towards positive change gain in number and strength. This transformation takes on many shapes and forms. During the summit of the Southern African Development Committee in Harare in mid-August military was stationed in the city, and also in Mutare where I was living at the time. Local people were scared of arbitrary violence and many did not leave their houses in the townships where the military was present. While this type of fear-based operation heavily infringes on free speech and other basic human rights, the division among soldiers came to light in Mutare when fatal shootings happened within the own echelons. Soldiers were turning on each other – reminiscent of our world situation.
Gems
Raw milk & Nyanga wine
Five months of raw milk. Oh, how much I loved to skim the sweet cream off the top and let it melt on my tongue. Or to make raw cheese in various ways – with rennet, vinegar or lemon juice, fresh or aged. In many countries it has become challenging to access fresh raw milk that it felt like a luxury. It came from a nearby organic farm where cows roam free and a sign says: “Get high on milk. Our cows are on grass.”
Grown in an extension of the Nyanga Downs – a plateau of the Eastern Highlands north of Mutare, a gem of a wine is being made. It is brewed based on the ideas of a Scottish man (of course…) but the company is deeply embedded in the local culture and community. Nyanga wine is made from local fruits in collaboration with several small-scale orchards. It neither contains sulphates nor any fining agents, or other chemicals, and is now delivered in glass bottles (rather than plastic) thanks to an exchange with another local entrepreneur. It got me smiling through a couple of rough weeks 🙂
Animals – In Taneesha’s eyes
My roughest and most passionate fights with local people in Zimbabwe were about the intense objectification of animals – used for labour, property protection, food and status, and deemed worthless if not functioning as anticipated. Hearing a local girl speak about a dog – a 2-year old German Shepherd named Sascha – with empathy and in full recognition of the similarity between human and dog was a moment of hope that moved me deeply. This young girl, Taneesha, knows what it is like to be separated from her mom. On a walk with Sascha, passing by the house where Sascha’s mother lives, Taneesha realised that the two dogs who are connected through a close family bond do not live together and rarely see each other. She asked her mother: “Why is Sascha separated from her mom? She must be suffering. I know what it is like.” Of course her mom struggled to explain. For adult people who have accepted dictated ways of societal functioning, the passing around of animals, fragmentation of their families, even buying and selling them for money is normal. For the young child that sees the world with fresh eyes and simply judges based on her own feelings and the recognition of the same sentience in the dog, this way of treating another living being is an enigma. More and more children will no longer take on the ways of society but live based on their own knowing instead. This will change the way we treat life on this planet profoundly in the years to come.
Great Zimbabwe – A follow up
My poetry – Creative change & empowerment
Somehow while being surrounded by artists every day: watching, exploring, engaging and taking in the frequencies of creativity here in Zimbabwe, the way I write poetry has become more expansive, the styles of writing more diverse, more free and more personal than before. The inspiration seems to emerge from a deeper place. That connectedness with Nature – it just does not stop gaining in profundity. Diving to the bottom of the Irish Sea is great, but the Norwegian Basin is so much deeper and even more mysterious – a different world once again, beyond comparison.
At the same time I choose to show more of myself because there is less reason to hold back. The transformation of our societies is in full swing. More and more people are waking up to the depth of misconception about life on and the history of this planet that most human beings have carried around like a fantasy. Reality is replacing naïveté. My core is increasingly resembling the external given my choice of community and surroundings. Hence there is less need to protect. Something is rising inside, and that has a lot to do with those six months in Zimbabwe – my first exploration of an African country.
Even though I knew it would be difficult, the prospect of a cultural deep-dive was too tempting to be turned down. Taking on the challenge very consciously by throwing myself in the middle of it, has led to a strength that I have not experienced in this way before. The patriarchy, the narrowness of life with regards to how people are supposed to live, to behave, to function, the omnipresence of crime and corruption at close quarters are all something I had to stand up to on a daily basis since taking on a leadership position by managing a local hostel. Taking on this type of exchange was the first decision in years that took me several days to make. I knew I would reach my limits. Can I do it? Is it right for me to do it? Does it fit my personality at all: the preference of silence over loudness, countryside over city, 2nd row, or leadership in disguise over official leadership? I decided to give it a go despite the seeming mismatch, and like the writing of my poetry … life changed. It was worth it!
Big potential for change
In Zimbabwe people seem to worry less and jump onto challenges more. Perhaps because there is less to loose and more to gain than in Europe, North America, Australia…. Or perhaps the fire burns stronger in Africa and once a spark has ignited a flame there is no thinking twice; no ‘when and if’. I have seen many people go to their limits every day to change their reality and their loved communities. All without a second thought. And people are utterly aware of the manipulation by governments and institutions. Once I asked Unity who works at Ubuntu (where I was staying) about the reason for the power outage we were experiencing. Her answer was: “This is how we are controlled from the top. There is nothing wrong with the power plant.” And this is a simple woman from a Mutare township. People are crisp, on the edge, ready and tough enough to burst through anything, for the right reasons, or the wrong. Endless scarcity and a sense of racial inferiority have led to an unquestioned striving for money and fame – an attempt to reach security and abundance through external systems which appear to be so powerful. It does not work this way and I would not be surprised if the people of Zimbabwe, and likely many other African countries will realise this much more quickly than more affluent geographic regions.
Final words from a continent of rawness
Yet my heart is crying and was ripped open many times upon the adversity in every day life: drought, violence, scarcity, fear – some of which is generated in people’s heads, but much of it is very real. This type of rawness and intensity does not begin, or end at the Zimbabwean border. One of the last things I took in was the response to a question I asked a Zimbabwean lady who lives in Cape Town. We were sharing an Uber in Johannesburg (South Africa) when she told me that Cape Town has become very dangerous. So I asked: “Everyone has warned me that Johannesburg is dangerous. You say Cape Town is dangerous. Is it the same as here?” She responded: “Johannesburg is dangerous because people rob. Cape Town is dangerous because people kill.”
A poem for you
Moving on to watery lees,
Missing the baobab and jacaranda trees
Immersed in sacred, powerful lands
Full of home and prayer bands.
Waiting for the day
When human beings
Recognise each other
As glowing lights.
Our roots
Will touch again
No matter their shape,
Colour and size.
Then it is time to see many faces
Currently hidden behind curtains of prejudice
Occupying the most intriguing places
In a mist of separateness.
PS: It was not easy for me to write this post. There is still so much which has not been said. But there is one thing I wish to share based on my experiences in Zimbabwe: When there is a challenge calling us and we decide to take it on and dive right into it, whole-heartedly, grounded, rooted in personal wisdom like many African people were forced to, without choice, over and over in histories of war, coercion and scarcity, then something rises inside that cannot be extinguished, or lost. It is a fire that carries us through whatever may come in these times of transformation. No one can take it away. It is the cradle of our roots, our belonging – the essence of who we as powerful human beings are.
If you have missed the two previous blog posts about my experiences in Zimbabwe, here are the links:
