I would like to share with you more about Zimbabwe, my impressions here, encounters with people, the lands, the projects. As time passes everything is gaining depth. Gold emerges in many ways…
MAVAMBO – Women empowerment
I saw the most beautiful glimpses of community life among women who are part of a local empowerment project called MAVAMBO: family-like togetherness – trust-based strong mutual support. Many of these women have experienced a lot of tragedy, loosing their partners, being abused by their partners and partner’s families, loosing children, going through difficult disease, poverty. Together they have formed a bond which was initially led by Christa, from Germany, who lives mostly in Zimbabwe, but the group is now run by the local women themselves – all an outcome of Christa’s and MAVAMBO’s philosophy when it comes to support: “Help me to do it myself.” Joined activities include the production of home-made pasta, peanut butter, herbal salt, and the growing of oyster mushrooms, all together generating a somewhat reliable income.
The women are an anchor to each other, and are very close. I was impressed what happened when Christa realised 30 minutes before an event at the kindergarten that she needed some of the children to be there (it was a holiday): she told the women of MAVAMBO and within that half an hour 15 kids appeared. What a level of spontaneity and support. Another time one of the women needed money for her child – money that she did not have. The women all pitched in and came up with the amount needed even though none of them has much to spare. The level of mutual support is deeply touching, and is showing what community can be.
The message of art – Tatenda, a wood sculptor
I had an incredible conversation with Tatenda, the wood sculptor whose work space is at the property of Bongai Shamwari kindergarten – another one of Christa’s wonderful projects. He explained how the wood – dead wood which he finds in the surrounding forests – speaks to him, revealing what needs to be expressed, or communicated through it. He then alters the shape of the wood, often very minimalistically, just enough so that people who look at it can see and receive the message in their own personal ways.
Then Tatenda pulled out a big sculpture from behind a pile of wood. My friend and I looked at it. Even though the wood still appeared very raw and original it clearly showed two people holding on to each other. “This piece is called: ‘I will never let you down’. It is a man holding a woman who is about to fall, but the woman also represents my country. It is a promise by me to my country Zimbabwe.” These were Tatenda’s words. I felt goosebumps all over my skin.
He then told us about a sculpture of his which recently won an award at a national artist competition. It shows a pregnant girl. He won the price because of the story that came with the art work. During the most recent pandemic people had to stay at home and were often bored. In Zimbabwe many very young women got pregnant during that time. The sculpture reflects these circumstances, carrying a negative connotation. At the same time there is a second meaning – joy because this young girl is contributing to replacing the people who have died, sowing life once more.
Ubuntu – The hostel
Ubuntu is the hostel I am staying at for a Workaway exchange. It’s been two months here already. What a place this is, full of local art work. It’s run by Christa and a local couple: Oliver and Unity. On the wall it says: “Ubuntu is a southern African philosophy meaning humanity. It is translated as: I am because we are.” It is a place where beauty is celebrated, where artists go in and out, where meetings are held, funding applications are written and musicians come to play. Guests are part of the family during their stay. We may have meals together, go on joined excursions and dive into deep conversations. Yesterday I spent the evening with someone who works for Deutsche Welthungerhilfe (German World Hunger Aid), someone from the Christian Blind Mission, and Christa. The four of us talked till midnight.
A few days earlier there was a very popular Zimbabwean content creator for social media platforms here. He calls himself Zeus and has thousands of followers. With him came a Harare-born chef who has his own radio cooking show. He cooked for us too. It was incredible. Then there was someone who works with United Nations, someone who is part of a community empowerment project in Mozambique, an incredible very young local poet, a Harare businessmen and lot’s of world travellers. If this place could speak, it would have so many stories to tell.
A few weeks ago Phillip Kusasa was here. His people is Ndau. Phillip is a community leader and activist who is working hard towards giving his previously marginalised people a voice. He is concerned about climate change, the loss of culture, food sovereignty, and runs an initiative which documents and harnesses Ndau cultural heritage in film. In Philip’s words this is “a strategy to resurrect and immortalize what defines Ndau.” Take a look at Ndau Heritage Films.
Sadly in 2019 a strong cyclone, Idai, struck the lands of the Zimbabwean Ndau (there is also Ndau in Mozambique and Malawi). Many people died in that one night. Nothing was the same the next morning. In collaboration with several other Ndau people Phillip Kusasa wrote a poetry anthology in which the authors describe, express and process their experience. It’s called ‘The Dark Moon – Cyclone Idai Poems and Letters’. He pushed a copy of this book across the table towards me. I read. I cried.
Chimanimani & Chipinge – The lands of the Ndau
A few weeks later Christa, my friend Kiki (another Workawayer), a Ubuntu guest and myself took five days to see the lands of the Ndau people, and to visit Phillip where he is at home. We met him on the grounds of the yearly Ndau Festival of the Arts – a celebration of culture expressed through music and dance – 2000 people gathering in the forest of Chipinge. This year’s festival is on September 21st, just in case you are interested – you will most likely be one of only a couple white people there (one of them being Christa), and you will most certainly take a deep-dive into the culture and stories of a deeply peaceful, harmonious and community-oriented people.
Before meeting Phillip we drove to a forest of a kind you may have never seen: Chirinda – Africa’s southern-most tropical rainforest, close to Mount Selinda on the Mozambican border. It’s a 950ha small botanical wonderland – an ancient lush and very dense forest with large red mahogany trees (Khaya anthotheca) and an incredible diversity of other trees, thick vines, bushes, agave, herbs. As we drove into the forest we were greeted by swarms of hundreds of butterflies. We got out of the car and listened to the calls of toucans who communicated our presence to the forest. In the tree tops were lemurs jumping around. The largest red mahogany tree is simply and lovingly called ‘Big Tree’. He is possibly the tallest tree on the continent. I put my forehead against him, closed my eyes, my hands laying flat against the bark. I breathed and ‘Big Tree’ seemed to breath with me. I sat down on one of the root branches, pushing my back against him. It felt as though time had stopped. I sat there for a long time. Then I picked up one of its fruit, gnawed on it, swallowed the juice. Meet Big Tree Meet Big Tree.
We spent two nights in private houses of local Ndau families – friends of Christa’s. Christa Zeller came to Zimbabwe in 1985 and lived in Chipinge for five years. After a local man asked her to build a kindergarten she raised funds, brought together people and created a project which, at its peak, comprised not one, but 15 kindergartens, spread throughout the region. Unfortunately the Zimbabwean education reform in 2014 destroyed the project. All kindergartens were closed. We visited one of the buildings at Chikore Mission – all that remains is a ruin with broken windows, deteriorated.
Chimanimani National Park: Ancient rock paintings, stunning water falls, illegal gold panels
We went for a several hour hike up a mountain, to a hut, down through lush forest to a stunning waterfall. With us was Dijon, an armed ranger – National Park policy. There are illegal gold panels in the Park which pop up in ever new places. A dangerous business. The ranger costs $5 per day and did not only protect us but also knew the way, led us to ancient bushmen paintings, explained about plants. We shared our lunch with him, sitting outside the mountain hut. Two armed rangers are stationed up here at all times.
The rock formations were incredible, the views stunning. There were alpine meadows, and sheer beauty amongst the surrounding mountains. The Eastern highlands feel sacred – a little known treasure, rarely visited by foreigners. We hiked across a plain, then down the other side, through a forest. Then suddenly when we came around a corner … a group of 10-15 people was in front of us, walking in our direction, maybe 40 meter away. Dijon raised his gun and aligned it with his eye. The group split – people running into the bush to all directions. We stopped, stayed back. Dijon lowered his gun and kept walking to the point where the group had been. He signaled us to come. We caught up with him and he showed us the gold panel. A new one. He reported it later when we returned to the village and dropped him off at the rangers’ office.
Lastly we arrived at Tessa’s pool – a beautiful waterfall with a small lake at its base. We were sweating from the hike, took off our clothes and jumped in the water. A rainbow had formed where the water reaches the lake. We swam towards it, laughed. It was so beautiful.
Penhalonga – The run for gold
Penhalonga is a mining village just north of Mutare. Major legal and illegal gold mines can be found here. I drove through twice, with Christa. ‘Red Wing Mine’ it says on a large sign. I am told that there are Chinese people here, and people from Belarus who control the operations. And lots and lots of locals, mostly young men, living in tiny wooden sheds with plastic tarps for roofs. There is lots of crime here. It’s a highly competitive business. The air feels tense. Panels are created. People search day after day. Even if gold is found, they don’t receive much money for it. It’s the lowest end of a slavery system. It feels like a form of prostitution to me. People sacrificing their soul for a few dollar. Sad.
The gold found here is sold to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe and the money is then laundered via various channels to and from … Dubai. Aljazeera investigators put together a deep, well researched 4 episode-documentary called ‘Gold Mafia’ which disappeared shortly after being aired, and then re-appeared on Youtube. The documentary exposes the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe as southern Africa’s biggest money laundromat, and uncovers a global shadow economy, incl. some of its main players.
Back to Mutare: Sakubva market & Cyber kings and queen
Sakubva market is a wholesale market for local produce right on the edge of town. You need to know that the town of Mutare lays in a valley of Zimbabwe’s beautiful Eastern Highlands. So visualise a market of about the size of two football fields, packed with simple small wooden stalls, full of local people, right in front of a mountain range. An abundance of vegetables and fruit. The frequencies here are incredible. It’s one of the most peaceful markets I have ever visited, and I am lucky to go there every week, usually together with Oliver. Here is where we buy the food for the hostel – bananas, pineapples, melons, oranges, lemons, baobab fruit, tomatoes, beans, potatoes, bundles of rape leaves, carrots, peppers, eggs, sweet potatoes, yams, the list goes on.
Sellers are not pushy at all but helpful and respectful. The prices are much lower than elsewhere in town: 15-20 bananas for $1, 6-8 avocados for $1, 10 bundles of rape leaves for $1, A good size water melon for $2 – you are getting the picture. Recently, when Zeus was here, we went there with the local dance band ‘Cyber kings and queen’. We were creating content for Cyber’s and MutARE Tales’ social media pages. In Africa everything works through social media. At the top are Tiktok and Instagram. This is the way it is. Cyber dancing at the market was such a show and highlight. They are incredibly good, and from a very poor suburb of Mutare. Motivation to be seen is high. Check out this video, or here.
Nyanga Mountains – Sacred land
The Nyanga Mountains, north of Mutare, are home to sacred landscapes, incredible valleys with stone formations of which no one really knows how they came to be – some look like washed out faces, others like doors. Many rock formations resemble giant tree stumps. Patches of deep red flowering aloe seemed like little gardens of stunning beauty. Here is also the home of Zimbabwe’s highest mountain – the Nyangani which I hiked together with Kiki and Joseph – a local ranger. The sacredness of the land felt physical. I left an apple at the top, underneath a bush – my gift to the mountain. On the way back down I suddenly had a deep, warm feeling. I guess it sounds funny but it felt as though the mountain had found the apple and reacted with great joy…
Later that day we had a picnic by a waterfall. The fall was split in two by a small plateau half way up the mountain. After we shared our home-made bread, avocado and boiled egg I sat down right next to the river just before the water fell again – now all the way down into the valley. The valley was narrow and all I could see was a roof of very beautiful umbrella acacias. I love those trees. Sadly there are almost none of the typical African wild mammals left in the Eastern Highlands. They have all been removed and put into game reserves.
There are many dolmens in the region, and ancient ruins. Unfortunately the road to the latter is very bad and I have not had a chance to go there yet. But the history of the region is palpable.
The Vumba
The Vumba is a lush, beautiful region of the Eastern highlands, very close to Mutare, where the climate is cooler and rain, mist and hence water are more abundant than in the surrounding landscapes. Here many ecological, holistic and organic projects are emerging. There is small-scale production of charcoal, food, coffee, tea, and lately also some wine again. Zimbabwe used to be so self-sufficient. There were great wines and coffees grown and made here. Even cars and many electrical appliances used to be produced in this country. Until upheaval was created and it was all destroyed.
Zimunda Estate is a farm in the Vumba which I love, and which you may have found in a recent newsletter, or on the ‘Foraging & farming’ page. The previous owner of the farm had reached high age and was eventually unable to care for it. The gardens were neglected and everything overgrew and began to fall apart – until the property was acquired by a couple of a Zimbabwe-born man of German origin, and his wife from the USA. These two have a big heart for heritage, for community and for sustainable business.
The two made a plan, began to work with locals and step by step regenerated the farm which meant digging out the remaining coffee plants to continue with the varieties which are part of the heritage, and re-plant them in a food forest type setting. Much maintenance work was carried out and small new structures built. The place is now growing two high-altitude heritage varieties of coffee which are hand-picked and processed with traditional equipment, and dried in the sun – reviving the legacy of single-origin, specialty coffee in Zimbabwe. Besides that small, minimalistic but charming cottages were built in a stunning environment with beautiful views, for small-scale local tourism which is deeply embedded in the local community. Foods are organic and sourced from surrounding farms. Everything is put together with passion and attention to detail. It’s a place of healthy perfectionism. Team work is greatly valued here. Ever new skills are being developed and shared. Personal wisdom has replaced external ideas and text book knowledge. It’s a wonderful place where I felt expanded and elated after a mere hour or so there.
The website is still in progress zimunda.com/coffee. Again, everything works through social media in Africa. There are very many people here with great projects on to go but no website at all.
More coming
Thank you for reading! Almost 3 months to go in Zimbabwe before my return to Europe. Part 3 will follow. I am looking forward to meeting you here again…
A poem for you
This poem was written in Mutare, Zimbabwe, on April 26, 2024.
Transformation
The flowers are no longer flowers
But living expressions of gold,
Some people are no longer just people
But integrity in form.
Art is no longer objectified
But our sentient memory,
Unlocked from time –
The story of humanity.
The plants are no longer silent,
The animals’ wisdom no longer unseen,
The Earth no more a stagnant ball,
Obedience falls, leaving all beings free.
