kuDomboshawa

Photos: Birds eye view of Victoria Falls (Mosi-oa Tunya, Zambia (upper Zambezi River, falls) and Zimbabwe (Victoria Falls Park, viewpoints, gorges).

Photo: Victoria Falls from the bridge (noones land) between Zimbabwe and Zambia. Here, bungee jumping is practiced. It looks very scary. Below you see the first gorge and the mighty Zambezi River. In the dry seasons, the high water rafting starts here. By the time I was there we still started further down the Zambezi River.

How did I travel to Victoria Falls? Despite my travel experiences, due to power imbalances, postcolonialism, the socio-economic situation, poor infrastructure and safety risks, I decided not to travel by myself in Zimbabwe at first. Due to some unfortunate situations, I didn’t find anyone with whom I could travel. In addition, Victoria Falls is overpriced. Also, very few local people can afford it. In the end, I planned the trip on my own. I made some friends at Vic Falls. This is speaking of personal experiences only. Other people may experience differently. At all times, safety goes first. Consequently, I flew from Harare to Vic Falls and back. From the plane I could observe savannahs, rivers, lakes, mountains, and dry river beds. It was impressive. At arrival, “The Smoke That Thunders” (up to 400m high) welcomed me. Having said that, flying is bad for my carbon footprint. I had booked an affordable accommodation and all activities in advance with “Wild Horizons”. Everything worked out and I felt safe at all times. Only once I was in danger, because I wanted to walk to the big Baobab Tree. By foot, I was at risk of wild animals. All in all, everything worked out well and I had an amazing time. I could really enjoy nature and the activities. I was at on with nature. It was an absolute privilege. Next time, I would travel by bus or car (12 hours journey from Harare via Bulawayo to Vic Falls) and plan an affordable trip together with my Zimbabwean family and/or friends.

Photo: It gets wet between viewpoints 9 and 16 of Victoria Falls Park. Here I experienced the spray created by the waterfalls, the speed of the falling water and upward winds. The spray has created a rainforest around Victoria Falls, which is very unusual for its otherwise dry surroundings.

2 Another Reality – kuMusha kuDomboshawa

kuMusha means at the home stand in the village where my Zimbabwean Mama was born and raised. kuDomboshawa is at the village Domboshawa, which is located in a rural area approximately 1.5 hours drive away in the north of Harare, Zimbabwe. The prefix “ku” refers to a place or location in Shona.

When my Mama and her siblings got married and moved out, my Zimbabwean late grandparents lived kuMusha. When they passed away, the house was emply for 10 years. For the last three years, my elder aunty (Mai Guru which means Elder Sister or Big Mother) was sent to live kuMusha by another brother. Mai Guru now inhabits the house with her husband and her grandchildren.

Experiencing rural Zimbabwe – the „real“ Zimbabwe, how we say.