Zimbabwe

Last December, after I searched online for food from Zimbabwe in California and only found it at the rain or shine Farmer’s Market in Davis, Suzy and I drove there in the rain. Although Zim Cuisine wasn’t there, the information booth had their catering information, so I gave them a call to confirm that I could order later. Suzy bought pumpkin bread, I bought avocado toast, and we laughed all the way home about the adventure and how soaked and cold we were. Good for the various vendors for staying open, and good for Suzy for being pleasant and fun when my first plan to experience food from Zimbabwe didn’t work out.

When we ordered Zimbabwean food in February, Mom and Dad took their turn to drive with me to Davis to pick it up. I wanted to make the long drive worth it, so I had ordered everything from the vegetarian part of their menu: veggie samosas, sauteed veggies in garlic oil, pinto bean curry stew, mustard greens in savory peanut butter sauce, sauteed beans with shaved coconut, marinated tofu stew, and lentil curry. With that much food, we had a party with Teresita and her two boys, Dick, Althea, Mom, Dad, and Suzy. Everyone took home whatever was left of their favorite, and we had plenty to eat the next day as well. If you want to order from Zim Cuisine in Davis, they can be contacted through their webpage: https://www.zimcuisine.com/

For some Zimbabwean recipes, see here: https://hillsofafrica.com/blog/traditional-zimbabwe-lunch-dinner-recipes-from-my-childhood/

After I listened to Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller, I recommended it to Michael and Raewyn's book group and then read the book in hard copy to make sure I had thoroughly integrated the thoughts before the discussion. What a powerful book about what was happening in this part of Africa when it was called Rhodesia. I read Scribbling the Cat, Alexandra Fuller’s next book, for Zambia because that’s where she went next, but realized that the conversation in the book was about what happened next in Zimbabwe, so it truly belongs here. Alexandra Fuller’s TED Talk is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkrkfaUMAxQ

Having seen the end of Rhodesia, I listened to Cecil Rhodes: Master and Monster of South Africa by Elliot Engel to learn more about the beginning. I also listened to The Stone Virgins by Yvonne Vera to experience the writing of a Zimbabwean author, but I have to admit that it is hard to follow without knowing the country. An article and a poem by Chenjerai Hove and a collection of art including some by Owen Maseko are here: https://wordswithoutborders.org/read/country/zimbabwe/

I had fun watching Cook Off, a 2017 Zimbabwean romantic comedy film on Netflix. For other art, music, dance, and history I enjoyed:

· Tengenenge: Zimbabwe's Hidden Sculpture Community: https://vimeo.com/32162796

· A compilation of Zimbabwe’s traditional dances: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGvUxtc2QUs

· A series of current music videos from Zimbabwe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAgIz_ium3M&list=PLnfMIilts0qmS3bPo_gEWdX86cqaAq7Of

· Video of Great Zimbabwe National Monument, which shows the remains of a complex society with trade connections as far away as China and the Arabian Peninsula during the 11th to 15th centuries: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-africa/southern-africa/zimbabwe/v/great-zimbabwe-unesconhk

To experience the nature, I appreciated:

· Film of Victoria Falls: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQmGiJe41rE

· Dogs in the Land of Lions, which can be found on Kanopy without ads or with ads here: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6z844i

· Cheetah Children on Kanopy with a clip here: https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/cheetah-children-cameraman-discovers-five-baby-cheetahs/15701/

· Akashinga: The Brave Ones, a National Geographic film about women training to be rangers to protect elephants from poaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUYQS40I9mw

I have been keeping an eye out for Rhodesian Ridgeback shows here in California. I am particularly interested in the lure coursing competition. There are at least three clubs that sponsor activities and I hope to take Vonnett (my favorite dog enthusiast) to watch with me one of these days. Here are the local clubs I’m checking:

· San Diego: https://www.sdrrc.org/

· San Francisco Bay Area: http://www.barrc.org/

· Orange Coast: http://ocrrc.com/wordpress1/

There are beautiful places to go in Zimbabwe. Just a few are noted here: https://www.thecrazytourist.com/15-best-places-visit-zimbabwe/. I would love to go! I hope for a time when broad travel gives us new perspectives. In the meantime, I’m hoping we all survive, thrive, recognize our mutual humanity, learn to deal with our conflicts, and allow peace, health, and safety to flourish in Zimbabwe and throughout the world.

Photo Credit: Benjamin Van Der Merwe https://unsplash.com/photos/t0BzmxGwokw