Toward a World that Works for Everyone
The Snake and the Shooting Stars Dear Family and Friends, Our hearts are heavy for our neighbours in Madagascar, Mozambique and Malawi who have been repeatedly in the frontline of Cyclone Freddy for over a month as it has circled, retreated, returned and left a trail of destruction each time. Rivers of mud, houses washed […]
Zimbabwe’s Greatest Treasure Dear Family and Friends, On an overcast and stormy day friends and I set out for the ancient monument. We were excited, it was a very long time since we had last seen it. We set out early, none of us sure exactly where to go but there would be signs, wouldn’t […]
Red Mud and Gold Bars Dear Family and Friends, Nine young guys came running fast along a narrow path through the long grass which was as high as their shoulders. When they were almost at the road they all stopped and bent down and I wondered what was going on: had they seen something, caught […]
The Big Ball of String Dear Family and Friends, Growing up as a little girl in Southern Rhodesia, one of my most poignant memories is of my Mum’s visits to the Leper Colony across the valley at Mount Mutemwa which was opposite our home in Mutoko. Our house was at the foot of a black […]
Time Goes Backwards In Zimbabwe Dear Family and Friends, Early in the morning when the clouds are smudged with pink, the dawn chorus fills Zimbabwe’s cool air: robins and flycatchers and the koo-ku-ing of Red-eyed Doves. As the sun lights the horizon a pair of mousebirds take up position at the top of a bush, long […]
Christmas in Zimbabwe 2022 Dear Family and Friends, Christmas in Zimbabwe 2022 is: Towering purple clouds and torrential downpours. Hail stones rattling on the roof. Green, the colour of life, growth and production. Mushrooms emerging to nourish and decorate the newly wet ground. Streams reappearing and rivers starting to move. Silver trickles of water running […]
Dear Family and Friends, I am writing this “Letter From Zimbabwe” under a deep purple sky where the lightning is spectacular against the dark clouds in the distance. The rains have started in Zimbabwe, bringing relief after seven long dry months, replacing hot dusty whirlwinds with strong fresh damp breezes. You can see the rain […]
At the going down of the sun Dear Family and Friends, In the still, quiet heat of a Matabeleland morning a few kilometres into the Matopos National Park outside Bulawayo a friend and I came to the consecrated ground of a shrine. An Emerald Spotted Wood Dove was calling, its haunting, mournful song in this […]
Full pantry while pots are empty Dear Family and Friends, It’s hot and hazy and red and purple in Zimbabwe this October. Summer is here and temperatures are soaring; gone are jackets and trousers and the sky is a deep blue when you can see it, most days it’s obscured by the suffocating smoke of […]
Finding solace in the quiet beauty of wild places Dear Family and Friends, September’s a gorgeous time to go rambling in the kopjes in Zimbabwe, especially if you’re trying to forget the trials of everyday life here. As I set out on a cool early morning walk I came across a troop of baboons sitting […]
The Predator at the Waterhole Dear Family and Friends, Twenty two years of writing this Letter From Zimbabwe, once a week for the first thirteen years and then once a fortnight for the next eight years is a very long time at the wheel. After my website was hacked again recently and lines of communication […]
August always has a story to tell Dear Family and Friends, August is the time of new beginnings in Zimbabwe when temperatures are rising, leaves are falling and the Msasa pods are cracking and spitting out seeds. The night skies are full of orange from a million fires burning the land as everyone claims a […]
Jewels in the dust Dear Family and Friends, While the youngsters were cleaning spanners and putting tools away the plumber and I stood chatting. We talked about the crisis situation with water in the town. An electricity power surge had apparently blown up the water pump that fills the reservoir which feeds the entire town. […]
Gold and the Godfather Syndrome in Zimbabwe Dear Family and Friends, Walking along the banks of the beautiful Gairezi River a few months ago the water was clear and cool, tumbling and swirling over pebbles, cascading down rocky outcrops. Sunbirds and waxbills were foraging in the scrubby banks and the only sound to be heard […]
Thousand dollar shopping in Zimbabwe Dear Family and Friends, On the shortest day of the year (21st of June) Zimbabwe gave us her very best: blue sky, sunshine and golden grass. It was gorgeous out there in the bush, aloes in flower, streams still trickling and mist nestling in the grass long after sunrise. For […]
