LtBlarg
Shared on Fri, 09/28/2007 - 07:13I am not a big crusader. I don't have a "cause" that I absolutely follow. That being said, it breaks my heart to see what is going on in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe is another country where a ruthless dictator is driving his country to the brink of destruction. I was listening to Public Radio coming home from work tonight and was hearing more about what is going on. South Africa took a stance that it wasn't there problem but now they are flooded with refugees and that is causing a problem for them.
Lots of countries are having this same problem. Why would I have an interest in Zimbabwe? I lived in the country Zambia in 1984-85 with my parents. Conditions in Zambia were stable but declining. Zambia's president Kenneth Kaunda raped the country from 1964 - 1991. When we lived there we were buying a 50 pound bag of Nshima (Corn Meal) for 55 Kwacha (5 dollars). Stamped on the side of the bag was: NOT FOR SALE: Donated by CIDA (Canadian International Development Agency). Diesel fuel was scarce. We would dilute our diesel with kerosene. Flour and oil was not to be found. We lived in Southern Zambia and my father had business each month in Livingstone. So once a month we went to Livingstone and would drive across the border to Zimbabwe. There we spend the night and get as much flour and oil and other staples that we could not purchase in Zambia. We were only allowed some much per person. I can't remember but it was something like 10 pounds of flour per person. You couldn't purchase bread so everything was made by hand. 10 pounds of flour doesn't long when you have 3 hungry boys to feed.
Zimbabwe was nice. We got to visit Victoria Falls numerous times. There had been a drought for four years so once we walked halfway across the falls.
Aerial view of Victoria Falls ( click the black box to make it disappear)
Just north west of the falls is a golf course. That was a golf course that was bombed and abandoned during the independence war. We walked through the ruins. on a couple of times. If you keep following the river, half a mile, up from the golf course there is a game park were we would spend the night. We would wake up in the morning to see Warthogs, impalla's and other various creatures.
One weekend we took a trip into the country. I remember seeing fences with signs that said, "Land mines do not cross". We got to the village and found out that we were the first missionaries to return to school/ hospital since it had been abandoned during the war.
The people were excited thinking that the missionaries were coming back when in fact we weren't staying.
One weekend all the missionaries in Zambia and Zimbabwe were getting together for a retreat in the town of Kariba. Kariba is next to the Kariba Dam, "Kariba remains the worst dam-resettlement disaster in African history". The government rescued the animals but just moved the people to less fertile lands.
It is such a shame that politicians are more concerned about themselves than the good of their country.
VOA news said
"Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe says the situation in his country is "not as dire" as portrayed by his critics."
"food shortages and an annual inflation rate officially pegged at more than 6,000 percent.
"Zimbabwe's economy is in crisis, with 80 percent unemployment and annual inflation of more than 6,000 percent."
Critics blame the situation largely on the government's economic policies, especially the transfer of white-owned farmland to blacks with little farming experience. Zimbabwe's agricultural production has plunged since the move, contributing to food shortages and inflation."
But of course it has nothing to do with that according to the President.
"President Mugabe blames the economic problems on British and American sanctions against his government."
Makes me sick to see a country that was so rich fall down to the brink of disaster.
Zambia was known for it's copper. When we were there in 1984 the worldwide copper demand had bottomed out. Now that there is a demand for copper I hope that the country of Zambia can recover.
Lots of countries are having this same problem. Why would I have an interest in Zimbabwe? I lived in the country Zambia in 1984-85 with my parents. Conditions in Zambia were stable but declining. Zambia's president Kenneth Kaunda raped the country from 1964 - 1991. When we lived there we were buying a 50 pound bag of Nshima (Corn Meal) for 55 Kwacha (5 dollars). Stamped on the side of the bag was: NOT FOR SALE: Donated by CIDA (Canadian International Development Agency). Diesel fuel was scarce. We would dilute our diesel with kerosene. Flour and oil was not to be found. We lived in Southern Zambia and my father had business each month in Livingstone. So once a month we went to Livingstone and would drive across the border to Zimbabwe. There we spend the night and get as much flour and oil and other staples that we could not purchase in Zambia. We were only allowed some much per person. I can't remember but it was something like 10 pounds of flour per person. You couldn't purchase bread so everything was made by hand. 10 pounds of flour doesn't long when you have 3 hungry boys to feed.
Zimbabwe was nice. We got to visit Victoria Falls numerous times. There had been a drought for four years so once we walked halfway across the falls.
Aerial view of Victoria Falls ( click the black box to make it disappear)
Just north west of the falls is a golf course. That was a golf course that was bombed and abandoned during the independence war. We walked through the ruins. on a couple of times. If you keep following the river, half a mile, up from the golf course there is a game park were we would spend the night. We would wake up in the morning to see Warthogs, impalla's and other various creatures.
One weekend we took a trip into the country. I remember seeing fences with signs that said, "Land mines do not cross". We got to the village and found out that we were the first missionaries to return to school/ hospital since it had been abandoned during the war.
The people were excited thinking that the missionaries were coming back when in fact we weren't staying.
One weekend all the missionaries in Zambia and Zimbabwe were getting together for a retreat in the town of Kariba. Kariba is next to the Kariba Dam, "Kariba remains the worst dam-resettlement disaster in African history". The government rescued the animals but just moved the people to less fertile lands.
It is such a shame that politicians are more concerned about themselves than the good of their country.
VOA news said
"Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe says the situation in his country is "not as dire" as portrayed by his critics."
"food shortages and an annual inflation rate officially pegged at more than 6,000 percent.
"Zimbabwe's economy is in crisis, with 80 percent unemployment and annual inflation of more than 6,000 percent."
Critics blame the situation largely on the government's economic policies, especially the transfer of white-owned farmland to blacks with little farming experience. Zimbabwe's agricultural production has plunged since the move, contributing to food shortages and inflation."
But of course it has nothing to do with that according to the President.
"President Mugabe blames the economic problems on British and American sanctions against his government."
Makes me sick to see a country that was so rich fall down to the brink of disaster.
Zambia was known for it's copper. When we were there in 1984 the worldwide copper demand had bottomed out. Now that there is a demand for copper I hope that the country of Zambia can recover.
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Submitted by ST6aTTiLa on Fri, 09/28/2007 - 08:20