- Dear Family and Friends,
-
- It is estimated that well over three million Zimbabweans
have left the country for political and economic reasons in the last six
years. This represents almost a quarter of our population. For the people
who have stayed in Zimbabwe, either by choice or because they have no choice,
it is hard to understand what it must be like to live in exile. From here,
we wish we were somewhere with single, double or even triple figure inflation.
We dream of being able to afford the most basic things again -everyday
things once taken for granted and now just permanently off the shopping
list because they are simply too expensive. We long for an end to fear
and oppression and ache for the time when we will again be able to afford
to travel to the beautiful places in our own country. We long to be able
to speak freely again, to stop whispering and looking over our shoulders
wondering who is listening, who is a spy, who we can trust. Mostly though,
we long for our families and friends who have gone, we miss the community
life, the gatherings and the laughter.
-
- And for the people who have left, the aches and longings
of being strangers in strange lands are probably even harder. The longings
are for familiarity, for friends and family left behind, for the climate
and countryside, and for the laughter in the wind of the country that will
always be home. Recently someone living in exile said how much they missed
the colours of Zimbabwe and it made me realise how we take the richness
and beauty of Zimbabwe for granted.
-
- Winter is almost over now although we are still waking
to blankets of frost sprinkled on the ground in the early mornings. The
days are mostly clear, bright and sunny and the skies are a brilliant blue.
The grass is golden and yellow in the fields and in the vleis and stream
beds the red hot pokers have almost finished flowering. In the bush the
lucky bean trees are just opening their clusters of red flowers and in
our towns the poinsettias are covered in scarlet. In the highveld the Msasa
trees have begun shedding their load and the ground is covered with hard,
curly, deep brown pods, their shiny dark brown seeds lying in the sand
waiting for the rain when they can start the cycle all over again. And
to end our days are the sunsets which are filled with spectacular colour:
pink and then lilac, and at last orange and polished copper.
-
- These are the true and permanent colours of Zimbabwe,
refreshed and replaced every day. They are the colours of home and frankly,
for many of us, it is the simple things like this that somedays prevent
total and utter despair at the horrific situation we are living in. The
other colours that are temporarily Zimbabwean - brown, purple and green
- they are just imposters. They are the colours of our bank notes which
aren't really bank notes and which have expiry dates. They are the colours
of inflation, oppression and despair and hard as it is to believe, we know
they will be gone - we pray it will be soon.
-
- Until next week, thanks for reading,
-
- love cathy
-
- Copyright cathy buckle 15 July 2006.
- http://africantears.netfirms.com
-
- My books "African Tears" and "Beyond Tears"
are available from:
- orders@africabookcentre.com ; www.africabookcentre.com
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