Some facts about Zimbabwe

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I thank God that I had such a wonderful childhood in such a beautiful country...think back to the time...Before the Internet or the Apple Mac...Before semi-automatics, AK-47s and crack cocaine... Before SEGA or Cartoon Network...Before Play station and MTV, and CD's and DVD's... Way back.

I'm talking about the time of hidhingoseek mugarden... or in the dark, nhodo, Jim bass, pada, sweetie sweetie, and Christopher Columbus, and country game, and how everyone wanted to be USSR and USA! Building a swing from a piece of rope tied to a tree. And the times when you were lucky enough to go Greenwood park.

Taking a bath at 4:00pm, then having tea yekuma 4 nemarofu in your pygamas. And you knew kana wageza, no mo playing panze. Closing the windows at 5 kuti tisarumwe nemosquito, while waiting for TV 1 to start and watching cartoons like ana Fat Albert, Voltron, Care Bears, Button moon, Rainbow!!! Smurfs, Captain Planet, Inspector Gadget and those unforgettable cartons from the Czech Republic or some place with no sound and simple graphics! And pleading with your parents to watch the news at 8pm (not because you were interested in current affairs but to delay bedtime!) Alas, when the weather report started you were sent to bed!

School holidays meant kumusha or ma extra lessons. Few days before school started again you would plead with your parents to get you new socks coz all the ones you have maburi And the night before the first day of school when you couldn't get to sleep. Shoes polished till you could see your face in them, suitcase clearly labeled with your name in large capitals, uniform pressed, new stationery (that your parents got from work!). First thing in the morning, you would get your lunch box with chingwa ne poloni, and cool drink. The smell of Mazoe Orange Juice. Dandy bubble gum for a cent, an ice cream from the Dairy board chap on the corner with his little cart. Running to the corner to buy maputi, ne frizit, and ma nigger balls.

Wait, can you still remember... going into town seemed like going somewhere, and your mother made you "dress up" for the trip, or threaten that if you don't finish your food unosara when the rest of the family goes to town. And when in town, crying for chicken licken, and a soft drink.Running till you were out of breath. Laughing so hard that your stomach hurt, kujambha pamubheda..... Pillow fights Spinning around, getting dizzy and falling down. Being tired from playing... Remember that?

Racing with an old tire, to see who was the fastest. Playing soccer with a plastic/ newspaper ball. Going to the shops to go play slug. I'm not finished just yet... Can you still taste and smell...Eating raw jelly from the packet, Ice-lollies made from cold drink in plastic holders in the freezer, Eating Willard's Peanut Butter on the fattest slice of fresh bread. Eating guavas till your stomach hurt and being constipated for days after that. Ko mahabros, mango, mapeaches ne chibage chepa road. And you knew that come chibage season you would have it breakfast, lunch and supper.

Going to visit your grandparent's kumusha, at Easter, Heroes Weekend and Christmas. Roasted mealies, dzimbe, manhanga, magaka, tsubvu, muriwo unedovi, beef that tasted like beef, nemukaka wakakora. Mahewu kumunda, nenyimo, tea hobvu. And not forgetting kurwira nyama in the same plate, while sitting parukukwe. Sipping a 300ml bottle of Coca Cola and a packet of maputi. Going to the river with the girls to do the laundry nekugeza! And coming back with mvura yekunwa, from the same river that the cattle also used to drink from.

Remember when...There were two types of takkies - Tommies and North Stars! And the only time you wore them at school, was on 'Civvies Day'. It wasn't odd to have two or three "best" friends. And you would ask people to be your best friend. Nobody owned a pedigree dog. 25 cents was decent pocket money, you could buy either a fatso, green giant, super split, monster mouse or what ever with it. When you'd reach into a muddy gutter for 5 cents and feel lucky. When nearly everyone's mom was at home when the kids got there.

Remember when it was considered a great privilege and very unusual to be taken out to dinner, or a movie, and it was something you couldn't wait to tell everyone on Monday morning, kuchikoro.Or when any parent could discipline any kid, or feed him (and it wasn't considered kukwata) or get him to carry groceries and nobody, not even the kid thought a thing of it. When being sent to the head mistress's office was nothing compared to the fate that awaited a misbehaving student at home? We were in fear for our lives, but it wasn't because of muggings, drugs, Aids etc. Our parents and grandparents were a much bigger threat... and some of us are still afraid of them!!! Doing bad in school meant being transferred to Manandzva Secondary Mission, or holidays uchifudza mombe.

Didn't that feel good..... Just to go back and say, Yeah, I remember that! Remember when.... Decisions were made by going eeny-meeny- miney-mo." Mistakes were corrected by simply exclaiming, "Ninger!" "A race issue" meant arguing about who ran the fastest. The worst thing you could catch from the opposite sex was germs. Having a weapon in school meant being caught with 'BIC' pen pea shooter or an eraser catapulted by a 30cm ruler.Ice Cream, Flings, Willard's Chips, ma corn curls and ma things. Ma hot cross buns during Easter, chikendi cake, pork pie, cream donut, ma Marie, tomango tomato Sauce).When having relatives over seas was a big deal, and it was essential for the whole family to go to the airport and wave goodbye, by the balcony. And when they were coming back, you expected them to bring you new shoes (which you wouldn't wear, coz you were saving them for civvies day) and mars bars. How about muchato muma halls. Remember that, with a bridal party of 16 - 20 people doing masteps to it's a wedding day. And mudumbu the day after.Skills and courage were discovered because of a "truth ordare" Older siblings were the worst tormentors, but also thefiercest protectors. If you can remember most or all of these, then you have LIVED!!!!

The end...

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Pass on the link below to all the zimbos all over the world :

http://www.leaderpage.com/zimbabwe/Reflections-from-Zimbabwe.html