Becoming The Muse

If you were having coffee with me, I would invite you to my tangle of words and tell you to feel at home, put your feet up and have your beverage of choice.

Our July weather kicked off to a cold snap to remind us that we were indeed in winter. Before then, the temperatures had been warmer than our usual winters, one could almost forget we were supposed to be in the cold dry season. The cold front resulted in snow in South Africa and I half-expected that as the cold system moved northerly, we might even get some too.

In my head I even thought up a future article about Coffee With A Snowkoloshi… A snowkoloshi is a snowman goblin as captioned from a viral social media post. A goblin is also known as tokoloshe in isiZulu so a snowkoloshi  is a clever portmanteau of snowman and tokoloshe.

Of course our tropic climate does not do snow and our winter temperatures might be as warm low summer temperatures in some places. There is a long running “joke” from Zimbabweans who have been abroad to those who are said to lack (travel) exposure that Zimbabweans do not know winter.  Can you believe that someone will weather-shame you for saying you are feeling cold, simply because they have experienced colder temperatures?

If you were having coffee with me, I would tell you that speaking of July weather, while we out here feeling cold, the other side of the world is bracing for heat waves and high temperatures… I always find it odd how we can be on the same planet and experience it so differently, like getting a drought while its flooding elsewhere… where is the balance?

Reminds of that phrase on being in the same boat… we arent all in the same boat, we are in the same storm, some are in yachts and others in canoes…

The heavy weight boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jnr was in Zimbabwe as part of his The Motherland Tour. The visit to Zimbabwe was facilitated by an aspiring Member of Parliament in the upcoming elections who has been previously implicated in the Al Jazeera documentary Gold Mafia on Africa’s illicit gold trade.   

 According to Celebrity Talent International to book Floyd Mayweather Jr for an event is in the starting range of $500 000- $749 000. Its rumoured that Money may have pocketed north of 1 million dollars on his 3 day visit to Zimbabwe. Mayweather arrived on a private plane and was treated to hero’s welcome and travelled around with a motorcade of luxury SUVs branded The Money Team that would rival a head of state’s entourage.

IMAJENI – “I’m Back Home” @FloydMayweather pic.twitter.com/IED8u1scdZ

— zimDaily (@ZimDaily) July 13, 2023

If you were having coffee with me, we would talk about how even though the visit received quite a lot of media publicity, Mayweather does not seem to have posted any coverage of the tour on his socials, as if it was something he’d rather not mention. The visit has been dubbed a mercenary tour by some, as he took money and made politicall endorsements…

I would have been more impressed had he disembarked from his plane holding a couple of cancer radiation or dialysis machines, than just promises and more promises… Sure it sounded grand and all but pardon my pessimism, I have heard so many promises that never come to be, promises never impress much.

If you are having coffee with me, I would tell its 35 days to the elections and the circus is in town, from presidentials candidates being removed from nominees list to campaign rallies without attendees and people being compelled to attend rallies… I keep hoping people do not get incited into meaningless acts of violence at the behest of people who sleep in warm beds with well-fed bellies.

Anyway the president finally signed into law, The  Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Amendement Act 2023 otherwise referred to as The Patriot Act. Amongst its other provisions the law criminalises individuals caught “willfully harming the sovereignity and national interest of Zimbabwe.”

Whats been happening in your neck of the woods.

~B