Coffee With Mhondoro
If you were having coffee with me I would welcome you to my tangle of words. Temperatures are averaging 30 degrees Celsius (86°F) and rising. Weather forecast says there is chance of rain, as we progress into the week, but for now… for now we burn.
Its been hot and dry. Usually by December, we would be in the thick of the rain season but ever since the first rains back in October its been dry as bone. I would felt better with news from our government, on whats the way forward, all one government official posted was “The drought is real beloveds. Lets brace ourselves” 👀
If you were having coffee with me, I would tell you that the current weather conditions is due to the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). During the El Niño, surface water in the Pacific Ocean warms up, consequently the low-level surface trade winds, which normally blow from east to west along the equator, either weaken or start blowing the other direction..
In Southern Africa this results in less than normal rainfall while there are wetter conditions in equatorial east Africa. It’s a naturally occurring phenomenon that happens periodically, although we have a strange coincidence, where drought and famine seem to be preceded by an election year…
Traditionally, we are a superstitious lot, when it doesn’t rain, its usually because something is not sitting well with our ancestors and an appeasement ceremony or rain making ritual might need to be carried out for it to rain.. but hey nobody belives that ancestral stuff right?
Growing up, there used to a song we danced to in traditional dance class: Mhondoro dzinomwa muna Save which loosely translated to Mhondoro spirit mediums drink from the Save River. Mhondoro are spirit mediums who channel the Mhondoro spirit which stems from royal ancestral spirits of deceased chiefs, kings and other royals.
It is said that mhondoro spirits reside in the bodies of maneless lions until they find a host spirit medium. They are believed to be concerned with matters of the clan, territories including the nation.
If you were having coffee with me I would tell you of a Shona proverb “Aiva madziva ava mazimbuko” which loosely translates to what used to be deep river pools are now crossing places. It signifies change, usually for the worse, how a something that was once sophisticated becomes simple, a rich man becoming a poor one, and a grand river….
The Save River is 640km river flowing through Zimbabwe and Mozambique to wind up in the Indian Ocean. The Birchenough Bridge which crosses the Save River at the time of its completion in 1935 was the third longest single-arch suspension bridge in the world, designed by Ralph Freeman the same structural designer who worked on the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
A combinations of siltation, climate change and some questionable agrarian practices has seen this majestic river become a pale shadow of its former self. I would expect there to be talk about massive sand dredging operations and river rehabilitation…
If you were having coffee with me, I would tell you that our government decided to throw a beach party and market it as tourist destination, have people play beach volley ball and other activities. I mean yeah, Zimbabwe is landlocked and this might be closest thing to a beach experience some people will ever get to see… I mean sand is sand right?
A part of me wonders what our legendary Mhondoro who were fabled to quench their thirst in the waters of the Save River have to say about all this… If I was them, I would probably pack up the rain making factory until people put a lil respect into the land.
While we are figuring out what our mhondoro shall drink, the government is out to squeeze us dry. The proposed budget for 2024 was recently unveiled and what I mostly got from it was, tax, tax and more tax…
A tax of 2cents for every gram of sugar in a beverage because our government cares for us and wants us to reduce our consumption of sugar plus to fund cancer radiation machines and therapy
1% wealth tax will be levied on residential properties with a minimum value of $100,000 payable every year
With the way property prices are inflated, a $100 000 house isnt the mansion you would think, so a lot of houses likely to get caught in the wealth tax net.
Thought they wanted us to travel and experience some domestic local tourism, but no, Toll Gate fees will be going up by more than 100% which will effectively increase the cost of travel…. And of course if you decide to pursue the Zimbabwean Dream: of leaving Zimbabwe, well passport prices will also be going up close to 100%, the ordinary e-passport up from $120 to $200….
The passport offices are currently chaotic with extremely long queues as people try to secure their e-passport before the price increase with effect from 1 January 2024… I ought to be renewing mine too but the thought of hours in a queue in this heat….
Oh look its about to rain….. bye bye electricity.
Whats been going on in your neck of the woods?
~B
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