Zimbabwe: The Truth

http://www.usaid.gov/zw/html/Map.html

Zimbabwe was once an economically healthy and amazing place. It was nicknamed the “Breadbasket” of South Africa.  The crops were overflowing; the tourists were coming by the droves. They were doing well for themselves. And since us Americans only listen to what happens here in the U.S, we still have this image of Zimbabwe being what it once was. I believe that we should be educated on what is really going on in Zimbabwe and understand what they’re going through.

Zimbabwe: The land and how they live

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1560724/Zimbabwe-faces-anarchy-in-months.html

Zimbabwe is located in South-Central Africa and is a land locked country. Its surrounding countries are Zambia, Mozambique, and South Africa.  There are about 3 different languages spoken there. But the main language is English. But not your normal American spoken English. They speak the way they speak in the UK. But unfortunately, they do not live like how they live in the UK. The capital, Harare, was ranked number one worst city to live in. Zimbabwe is full of poverty, crime, and horrible diseases. And I’m not just speaking from the lies I hear. In my research, I learned the troubles Zimbabweans have to face every day, hoping to survive by the end of the night. Over 75 percent of Zimbabweans are living in poverty. Due to lack of farming and food, everyone is starving here. In north Zimbabwe, they have a place called “Starving Island” where there is almost no food. The animals there are even dying off. They are predicting that by the end of the year over 4 million people will be starving in Zimbabwe. There only hope is to feed off of the dead elephants. The houses also show that the Zimbabweans are living in poverty. Your typical Zimbabwean either lives in villages or farms. The houses are usually made out of brick, mud, or plastic with metal roofing. There is usually about 5 people per house. Unfortunately, some are even homeless. It is such a shame that these poor people have to live this way

Zimbabwe: Its leader and why it is the way it is now

When I started this article, I was in shock that most of the blame as to why Zimbabwe is this way is because of it’s President, President Robert Mugabe. As I did my research and read articles, I learned that he did so much harm to this country. In !987, he was elected into power. And surprisingly enough, he still is ruling the country. How he managed to become President multiple times is simple. He promised a bright future, and promising lies. But he broke all the promises and put Zimbabwe in a horrible situation. He has put the country in poverty, economical crisis, and has done many bad things. Many fell for his charm and promises, but little did they know that he would turn this country around…in a bad way. His party, Zanu-PF, was giving many great donations. But they didn’t know that soon Zanu-PF would be taking control. Robert Mugabe ordered the mass murder of his black countryman in Matabeleland, and left 20,000 dead. In competence and corruption were on glaring display. But how did Mugabe do it? By persuasion that he was personally honest, lived on a modesty salary and was uninterested in wealth. But of course the country soon found out that he has been building a six million dollar home that was the largest ever built. He, of course, also took over the four most profitable white farmers. He secretly managed all the profits go to him, and his second wife Grace. In interviews, it shows the ruthlessness Mugabe has. He was asked if he were to meet Rhodesia’s(which was Zimbabwe before they had their independence) white leader, he replied with “Shoot him.” Also  Mugabe, as they say, is probably one of the racist dictators of time. He has driving out all the white farmers, and the whites are afraid of him and what he might do. And as he said, as long as he is still alive, he is still ruling Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe: Full of crime

Now I know that a lot of people may disagree, but as I did my research on numerous websites, I’ve come across a couple of Zimbabwe news websites. And as I was looking I was taking back a bit. Almost every headline either had to deal with Mugabe, or with something crime related. In all honesty, I thought it would be a bit nicer. They are dealing with pick pocketing, bribing, con artists, scandals, and of course a horrible President. It seems that this country can’t help it but be crime filled because of the poverty and destruction Mugabe has made.

Wrap up:

Zimbabwe was once a beautiful, great country. But unfortunate to those, it had to go all down hill. There are some upsides to Zimbabwe, though. It has the beautiful Victoria Falls and that is what brings all the tourists. Zimbabwe isn’t a completely forgotten country and I hope people would visit. I hope this blog has shown you the real truth about Zimbabwe and that you would be more aware of what they are going through.

Citation:

"Encyclopedia of the Nations." Housing. Nations Encyclopedia, 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 07 May 2012. <http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Africa/Zimbabwe-HOUSING.html>.

"We Apologise for These Images but They Speak More Eloquently than Any Politician of the Plight of Zimbabwe's Starving People." Mail Online. Daily Mail, 12 Mar. 2012. Web. 07 May 2012. <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1257292/The-Mail-apologises-readers-pictures-speak-eloquently-politician-desperate-plight-starving-people-Zimbabwe.html>.

Thornycroft, Peta. "We Can Help This Family Pull Through." Telegraph. 5 Dec. 2010. Web. 7 May 2012. <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/telegraphchristmasappeal/8181300/Zimbabwe-charity-appeal-We-can-help-this-family-pull-through.html>.

Thornycroft, Peta. "How Did Robert Mugabe Turn Hope into Misery?" Weblog post. The Telegraph. The Telegraph, 18 Apr. 2010. Web. 7 May 2012. <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/zimbabwe/7601479/Zimbabwes-30th-birthday-how-did-Robert-Mugabe-turn-hope-into-misery.html>.

"Robert Mugabe." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 05 June 2012. Web. 07 May 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Mugabe>.

"Alworth Institute." : President Mugabe Is What Is Wrong with Africa Today. Web. 07 May 2012. <http://blog.lib.umn.edu/whenders/internationalissues/2008/04/president_mugabe_is_what_is_wr.html>.

Tran, Mark. "Revealed: The True Horror of Everyday Life in Zimbabwe." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 02 Oct. 2009. Web. 07 May 2012. <http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/feb/11/zimbabwe-secret-film>.

"The Zimbabwean." The Zimbabwean. The Zimbabwean, 7 May 2012. Web. 07 May 2012. <http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/>.