Round and Round and Roundabout
I am from a place where we call traffic circles Roundabout… I used to think that’s what everyone else calls them, but as the global world became smaller, not everyone goes roundabout.
Before its multimillion-dollar upgrade into an interchange, Mbudzi Roundabout was a traffic circle leading out to one of our busiest highways (the Harare-Beitbrididge road which connects us to South Africa) and connected to industries and populated residential areas. As you can imagine, the congestion was epic, as you could get stuck in a 4 hour traffic jam.
The second republic in its quest to transform Zimbabwe into a prosperous and empowered Upper Middle-Income Society by 2030 gave Mbudzi Roundabout a much needed upgrade and renamed it to Trabablas Interchange whose meaning has been elusive except that its in honour of the president’s nom-de-guerre.
Before the official opening, perhaps they should have also invested in some awareness campaign as to how one navigates an interchange and the various meanings of the signage.
There has been some chaos and confusion as folk navigated the interchange and of course people have been making jokes about that, because well, its easier to make fun of things than to say things with your chest and less hazardous to your health.
Signage aside, the interchange seems to not have accounted for its location, which is a busy industrial hub, close to a densely populated residential area, without provision for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport pickup and drop off points. While they were prioritising ending traffic jams, they forgot about those without cars and those who live in the area, trying to get to the other side of the road without being run-over.
As at last media reports 30, people had been arrested for relieving themselves on, in and near Trabablas Interchange. One wonders where these people used to go before this, we are going to need more toilets and less handcuffs.
The interchange has been getting a lot of publicity and scrutiny both good and bad, and has low-key become a tourist attraction. From a roundabout to an interchange its quite the glow up.
We have a Shona saying; kukwira gomo hupoterera, which literally translates to, “to go up a mountain, go round and round it”, a cautionary saying about how sometimes the best path to an objective is a roundabout route.
I am from a place where an ill-advised utterance can have you in jail for “transmitting data messages with intent to incite violence or public disorder” or “subvert a constitutionally elected government” which are some serious charges. I once asked the following question on my socials, “if you heard I had been arrested what would you think I had done” and most responses were to the effect that I had posted an article the government did not care for.
So round and round and round we go, as change interchanges and subtext punctuates whats left unsaid.
~B
Becoming The Muse 
Your thoughts.. if you will?