Of Coffee At 41

37 Comments

If you were having coffee I would be happy to have you visit on this occasion of our country turning 41. Hello, Zimbabwe at 41, what a ride…

I would offer you some snacks, Gonja Crisps, sweet fried plantain chips. Is it weird that its Zim independence day and I am here offering you a delicacy snack straight outa The Pearl Of Africa, Uganda.

Gonja Chips Uganda
Gonja Crisps

Serendipity led to a friend in Uganda meeting with a Ugandan who is based in Zimbabwe and of course decided to ask them to deliver a package… This time there wasn’t any package drama, like the case of Coffee With The Package but I hear the customs authorities gave the package very suspicious glances.

Care package from Uganda

If you were having coffee with me I would tell you that I am graciously accepting the care package as an independence day gift from Uganda. Imagine if I could walk into a shop and there were Gonja Snacks and other lil pieces of Uganda and other countries available, imagine if we could bring together communities of different people together to celebrate their diversities and cultures not as a trumped-up tourist attractions but for a slice of home… Imagine a world….

For one Zimbabwe Zimbabwe at forty one

Today Zimbabwe turns 41 and someone came up with the clever theme to For One Zimbabwe .. kinda corny but I like it…. I thought it was pretty clever, everyone working together for one Zimbabwe, One Africa, One World.

They say life begins at 40, so this should have been the time for Zimbabwe to be enjoying its best life but Zimbabwe feels like a grownup kid who lives with their parents and cant afford to pay the bills. Zimbabwe is that brilliant kid who had so much potential and grand dreams which have remained only that, grand dreams and lives to watch everything unravel like a loose thread from a favourite sweater and you cant even explain how we got to this place.

Zimbabwe flag

If you were having coffee with me I would tell you that I am Zimbabwe and Zimbabwe is me, you say Happy Independence and I don’t know what to be happy about when the are whispers of people saying we are independent but not free. Life begins at 40 but if the powers that be had anything to do with it, one cant even be a presidential candidate at 40 as they try to push through a constitutional amendment to raise the age limit for presidential candidates from 40 to 50 and other sweeping changes from the how to stay in power handbook our leaders seem to study from.

The government has also re-introduced National Youth Service a programme that is designed to instill in young Zimbabweans between the ages of 18 and 35 years, a sense of national identity and patriotism as well as equipping them with survival skills through honesty and hard work.

They are grand words but its hard to forget history and how previously those who went for Youth Service grew into militia used to terrorise the electorate before polls… or how the Youth Service Certifcate became more valuable than qualifications when enrolling in government institutions or getting civil servant employment. Maybe this time they have got it right….. maybe second time is the charm, maybe, so many maybes…..

If you were having coffee with me I would tell you that the president made a grand speech of hope and the future…

Karanda bridge The G string bridge
ZIM @ Forty One ZBC

“Happy Independence Day Zimbabwe
41 years ago, our great nation broke free from colonial rule. Today we come together not only to honour our past, but to celebrate our future.
I have no doubt that through the genius and passion of our people, Zimbabwe shall rise once again.”

I hope we will rise soon, I hope Mbuya Nehanda’s bones shall rise again too because seeing what has become of her sacrifice, her bones would never rest. Besides how can they rest when its said that her bones are on display in Museum in the UK, of course, its never been officially acknowledged that they are Mbuya Nehanda’s.. Well but you have somene’s bones hmmm

Tonight I have set a reminder to watch a movie based on The Story Of Nehanda not only because I may or may not know some of the cast but because much as we should let go of the past to move forward we must not forget.

Speaking of the medium The Mbuya Nehanda Monument is coming along nicely I half expected them to be done in time to unveil it for independence but it was not without its own drama too and never mind my thoughts that money could have been better used… To catch up on some of this history read Coffee With Mbuya Nehanda.

If you were having coffee with me I would tell you that Zimbabwe is 41 years old and a whole president makes a grand show of opening a bridge, if he had been opening lets say a Vaccine Center which would produce not just COVID vaccines but immunisations and drugs for all sorts of things I would be suitably pressed…

Karanda Bridge Mt Darwin known to some as the G String Bridge

Lest we forget, once upon a time a whole minister officially presided over the opening of a trash bin.

Chinamasa commissions a bin

I woke up to darkness, there was no electricity in the morning power cuts have been low key happening, a power cut on independence day, I am not one to read signs in anything but it sure seems like a metaphor; the future looks dark…

Meanwhile the Minister of Energy has announced that loadshedding will be coming back and insists it will be no more than a few hours a day… but have no fear, we looking into having nuclear power stations.. here’s to more grand dreams Zimbabwe *raises coffee mug*

So what does independence mean to you and whats been happening in your neck of the woods…?

~B

Advertisement

37 Comments

  1. Happy independence day!!
    I relate to most of the issues you’ve written in the piece. 😂😂All I can say is, Africa is indeed a country.
    Anyways, here people spent their night on the highway where our president Uhuru authorized a roadblock for police to extort Kenyans stuck in traffic due to a misguided curfew.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Cry my beloved Africa…

      The other day I got a lift to town which took me via a strange strange route I was half convinced I had been kidnapped, turns out they were evading the police roadblocks to get into the city

      ~B

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

  2. Happy Independence Day, Beaton!

    National Youth Service is coming back to Zimbabwe? I honestly want that thing scrapped here in Nigeria because… I don’t get it🤷🏻‍♀️

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thank you Bolaji

      we had it before and it eventually got scrapped I really dont understand why its even back… I dont get it
      thanks for visiting
      ~B

      Like

      Reply

    1. The road is long
      With many a winding turn
      That leads us to who knows where
      Who knows where

      Thank you for visiting Claire
      Have an awesome week
      ~B

      Like

      Reply

  5. Happy Independence Day Beaton!
    I love that you enjoyed the gonja package and that book, wow!!! From Uganda.

    Being a Ugandan, i do not know what national youth service is.
    All we can do is hope for the best as we try to be part of it (building the hope).

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Uganda is definitely calling 🤣

      To be honest I also wonder why exactly national youth service… It’s something a lot like drafting into a community service with military structure not sure how long it lasts a month or two and mostly targetted at school leavers during that vacation after high school but before tertiary education.

      ~B

      Like

      Reply

  6. I was gonna say that the gonja was definitely from Uganda, and then you said it. “Grand words” lol.
    Thank you laugh seriously, and Happy Independence!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. A week ago someone was trying to explain gonja to me and I could not imagine why anyone would fry bananas 🤣🤣🤣🤣 but of course now I know…

      Thank you for visiting
      ~B

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. I still don’t care for the chips. Now a grilled gonja is a different story all together. If he/she is a friend, they will bring you the real stuff, lol.

        Like

  7. Hi Beaton, We have a local source of plantains at a Brazil BBQ place. It is a family favorite and we each have our favorite items from the menu but each of them includes a BBQ’ed slice of plantain and we like them enough that sometimes we order a full side order to share. So yea, I’d try your chips and would expect to love them.
    Happy anniversary to the teapot country.
    If nothing else, we can celebrate how hard it’s getting for our politicians to hide their deeds, so they have to work harder at hiding them. Theoretically, this should translate to fewer misdeeds in total. My current gripe here is more along the lines of how tolerant my fellow citizens are of such things, as long as they accomplish something they’re in favor of. We’ve seen our media and even our courts support and protect acts of fraud and outright lying, but it’s okay because these things accomplish something that one side or the other wants.
    It just never ends.
    I hope there is a great week queued up for you and Zimbabwe.

    Like

    Reply

  8. Happy Independence day and my favorite is “I am Zimbabwe and Zimbabwe is me” but I feel sad that there is whispers of we are independent but we are not free. I hear your passion that you share for your beautiful teacup country. I pray for better, brighter days to come for all. Stay strong and I hope you have a wonderful week! ❤️ ~D

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  9. Dayummmm Beaton!

    This has been hilarious😅 and witty😉 and eye-opening😮 and heart-breaking😥 and genuinely a nice🤩 read! (like you ever disappoint)

    I will comment on a few things that stood out for me. First and obviously; the GONJA CHIPS!!!! I love love those scrumptious bundles of calorie-filled temptations! I hate that they are so cheap and everywhere, so eating in moderation is ACTUAL DISCIPLINE for me😒

    Secondly, Happy independence, Day! So Zimbabwe is this young!

    Thirdly and may be lastly, A whole minister presiding over a BINNNNNNN?!!!!!!!! 🤣🤣
    I am still recovering from that!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. hahaha I think I have developed a taste for Gonja Chips OMG now where am I going to get more so I rationing out how I eat these while wondering how I can get my hands on plantain and fry my own or if I cant fry regular bananas hahaha

      The irony is not lost on how people commission things and make great fanfare over doing things we would expect any self respecting government to do for its people without using it to score political mileage points

      hmmm I should preside over the opening of a Gonja processsing plant

      ~B

      Like

      Reply

  10. Aaaaah Uncle B…. happy Independence Day to Zim. Not sure what Independence means we seem to reside in the same neighborhood most times. I love that you enjoyed the gonja crisps it was thoughtful of them who sent it. We can only hope because to be hopeless is death. Here is to more hoping.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thank you Connie
      I am even savouring them slowly because even they get finished then where would I get more hahahaha I thinking of frying my own bananas and see if they taste like Gonja hahahaha

      Here is to hope
      ~B

      Like

      Reply

  12. Happy Independence dear Zimbabweans.
    Yes, I know it’s coming late but I’d still love to drink coffee with you because we share similar predicament on this side of the continent.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  13. Happiest Independence Day
    I believe Africa shall rise and be what it was destined to be. Though we still have a long to go,theres still hope.

    Gonja snacks looks yummy
    I’ve never tasted them, I’d love to have some

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  14. Thanks for commenting on one of my posts because it brought me here. For some reason, I thought you haven’t been blogging recently and I was wondering why. Then, I landed on your page and found out that you’ve been writing plenty. It’s just me who hasn’t been as engaged lately…

    I’m curious what is in those little jars in the care package? Moonshine?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thank you for checking in I was actually wondering if you were on a blogging hiatus of sorts 🤣
      Haha oh not moonshine I don’t think that would have made it past customs 🤣🤣 it’s Shea Butter.
      ~B

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s