Zimbabwe is everything you expect when you think “Africa” but it is so much more. During my visit I saw poverty and a population hugely affected by a corrupt government, but I also saw the natural beauties of Zimbabwe and they were breathtaking , the kindness of the people was truly beautiful, it is something that the people of Zimbabwe should hold onto.
From what I noticed you could be in one of the poorest areas of Zimbabwe and all it would take is a walk around the corner and you would find a huge estate (home) in the middle of such poverty, I saw this a lot in my trip. The economic divide is big and from what I see you either have money or you don’t . To see a population so greatly economically divided is shocking because for an education in this country you have to pay and the fees are continuously increasing(just because they can) , this can help understand that so many children will not be getting an education and it shows Zimbabwe will be stuck with this great economic divide of the population for many years to come.
From conversations I have had with the people who have grown up in Zimbabwe the most common thing I have heard was “it is a messed-up country” and they often say the government(president) is pocketing a lot of the money.
One example :On my journey to this country the government had decided to triple fuel cost (just because they can) and this led to many riots and in retaliation the government switched off the Internet to stop communication, they can do that here because water /electricity are all controlled by the government not by separate companies. Due to the riots people were so scared that no one went to work, schools and shops were shut and food was running out . “it’s a messed up country”
And the worst thing that resulted because of these riots is that 12 civilians died and thousands injured because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. And the injured could not get medical help they needed because good medical help is expensive there.
African adventure 