Toward a World that Works for Everyone
Of Sugar, Sugar Tax and Passing the Buck Dear Family and Friends, This is a Letter about sugar, what’s happening to the people that grow and mill it, the government’s sugar tax, the money it raised and the questions that don’t leave a sweet taste in your mouth at all. Almost a year ago, In […]
The Ghost Bird and the Bizarre Back-pocket Dear Family and Friends The Ghost Bird sings often on these cloudy January mornings in Zimbabwe and is true to its name. Its call is a single, piercing, clear note. Described as a ghostly mournful whistle, the Ghost Bird’s distinctive call should make it easy to see but […]
The Beating Heart of Every Zimbabwean Home Dear Family and Friends, Long time readers of my Letters From Zimbabwe will recall very early stories from our invaded farm in 2000 with mentions of my 6 year old son Richie. That was a very, very tough time for us. How do you explain to a little […]
Lunch On A Stick Dear Family and Friends, Come with me on a drive in Zimbabwe this late November and see what I see through the windscreen. I am heading east towards Manicaland. It’s a little after seven in the morning and heavy grey rain clouds are hanging low in the sky ahead of me. […]
Zimbabwe’s Moral Conscience Has Gone Dear Family and Friends, Walk with me in the rain today and listen to this absurd story I have to tell you. I am writing this letter to you with the sound of the first rain of the season falling on my roof. It is very early in the […]
The Time Before The Rain Dear Family and Friends, In the blistering September heat in the midst of a devastating drought in Zimbabwe, I thought it was going to be hard to find the beauty in our country on a recent visit to the wild, but it just needed a bit more patience and a […]
Steve: Cathy says, “There is no charge for this Letter From Zimbabwe.” But we can assist her with donations at https://cathybuckle.co.zw/. What we give her, I know that she shares with her neighbors. Come with me to the hand pump Dear Family and Friends, Come along with me to the borehole on the side of […]
Boulevards, Villas and the Last Oomph Dear Family and Friends, Zimbabwe now boasts a boulevard. The Chairman Mao Boulevard runs from Westgate shopping centre on the outskirts of Harare to the new, Chinese built and funded, parliament in Mount Hampden. A boulevard, in a country full of potholes, was constructed for the just ended SADC […]
For the Love of an Elephant Dear Family and Friends, An elephant with a very swollen lower leg was standing in the hot, dry bush. Something was wrong, its foot was big and the skin peeling and Kelly watched for a few minutes, took photographs and then phoned Blake Muil. Blake, heading the Rukuru Conservation […]
The Prisoners and the Full Moon Dear Family and Friends, Walking past a small dam where the remaining water was just a muddy stagnant pool, a big bird lifted up into a leafless tree. The beautiful Purple heron sat very still watching me, it is not a common bird around here and was the perfect […]
Visible Scars of Torture Dear Family and Friends, Utterly heartbreaking scenes were shown in a short video clip last week of former Senator and Cabinet Minister, Jameson Timba, and 77 youngsters disembarking from a police bus which was taking them to the Harare Magistrates Court. It was almost too painful to watch as they hobbled, […]
Seventy-five Cents and a Zimbabwean Dinosaur Dear Family and Friends, An icy cold moved into Zimbabwe this week with night time temperatures dropping to three degrees Celsius in my home town sending us running to the markets looking for warm clothing. ‘Only US$10 Ma’am,’ the vendor said at the market as she looked through […]
The Zulu Warrior and Zimbabwe’s Zig Dear Family and Friends All week I’ve been rolling the word ZIG around in my head wondering why it was so familiar aside from the fact that it’s the name of Zimbabwe’s new currency. Then I remembered the Zulu children’s song we used to sing around the campfire growing […]
Getting Burnt in Zimbabwe’s Currency Collapse Dear Family and Friends, Slowing down to go over speed humps at the local hospital I watched a slender mongoose running across the very busy road. A beautiful russet brown with a black tipped tail, the mongoose was surely dicing with death but amazingly it made it to safety […]
One Farm In Zimbabwe, 24 Years Later Dear Family and Friends, Twenty four years after farm invasions began in Zimbabwe it was time for me to go back to my farm again and have a look. Surely 24 years later, there would be something to see to support the legend that what happened on commercial […]
