Zimbabwe Academy of Music

British Friends of the Bulawayo Music Academy provide music lessons to pupils in the Western Suberbs (aka: the slums.) A few students are selected and come on Fridays with their teachers, who also get lessons. They learn the marimba. They don't take any instruments home. A very nice program, but seems like they should be learning recorders or some simple instrument so they could take it home to practice!

As luck would have it, every two years they put on a week of performances. I was lucky to be there July 30 and 31. The academy is very old. A lot of dedicated white people were working hard to keep the place running, the electricity on and the roof repaired. Thursday night featured white and black students playing piano, guitar, flutes and singing. Reminded me of Mrs. Thurston's piano recitals. They all had to bow. Some teachers played accompaniment. Between the students' performances and the professionals, they served dinner in the lobby. During the conversation, Ken said he and his wife (flute teacher)  had a farm with a beautiful garden. If I had time, perhaps I'd like to visit. [see Last Days in Bulawayo for more.] 

Friday the show kicked off outside with the marimbas- first the teachers, then the students. Such joy was on the students' faces. Then we moved inside. The teachers were very creative. One piece featured 3 students taking turns playing with the teacher. A 3 yr old played his recorder [father Chinese, mother Zim] I was very impressed by the dedication of the small group of people who were keeping the academy running. It's an important cultural institution for them. They bring in artists to perform. Friday night they were showing a DVD of a performance in Argentina. As everywhere in this country, they struggle, they persevere and they have fun doing it along the way.

is this real?!

Teachers come with their students to learn on Fridays

Marimba Band- this guy had rhythm!

Marimba Band  with kids from the Western Suberbs

3 1/2 yrs old- Father Chinese, Mother Black - played not a simple piece!

Pulling at the heart strings

Through Lisa Gavin, the chaplain at Emory, I got in touch with lots of Methodists in Zim. Reverand Washington was in Bulawayo. As mentioned earlier, I met him at his church. He remembered to call me weeks later so I could visit his school. They decided to build the secondary school- which is just 15 min from NUST, but in the country - because there was no H.S. in the area. The kids had to walk a long way or they quit school. There are 2 buildings. I noticed the building with the restrooms, but the students were all headed to the outhouses, across the field. The reason? It was the end of the month and they couldn't pay the water bill for the flush toilets.

The reverend wanted me to donate the few paperbacks that I had. However, their "library" consisted of a locked storage room with boxes of textbooks. Instead I gave my books to the public library.

I sat in on a math class pf 14 year olds. They were learning - how many weeks are in 3 wks and 10 days. Pretty disappointing to see this level. No computers. The science teacher left so others are pitching in. The teacher said they don't have enough calculators or compasses to do the work for the exams. They have a challenge getting teachers because they are located so far from the city. Their school day is shorter because of the teachers' commute. They want to build housing for teachers. Friends said they would still have problems recruiting teachers because of the distance.

We walked to the fields to see the fruit trees that the students had planted. Each one had the student's name who was responsible for the watering. The parents, farmers in the area, had uprooted the thorn trees for the orchard. Visited the chicken coops and gardents. Saw the very nice house of the assistant Reverand. Told she provided counseling to all. I would want to find out why some of the rooms in her house could not be used as a library or some school activity!

The reverend is trying. After my visit, he was picking up a group of student visitors from Ohio. I told him not to be shy- be specific on the type of help you needed. Maybe this is a place I could go back and volunteer.

The Reverend and Headmaster

Math Class

Learning to feed rabbits

Agricultural teacher with students

Break Time

My Class

Google Exercise in the Computer Lab

Tea Break

Doing Exercises

Working in Pairs

14 students showed up for my class Aug 5-7- they were librarians from universities, teachers' colleges, polytcchnics and school librarians. I didn't exactly have enough material, but it worked. My main point was to make their classes more interactive, more student-centered. Don't just lecture. We had more in common than I thought. Some talked about the lack of respect for librarians. 2 were teaching a full-credit course on Information Literacy. Many talked about the challenges of working with faculty! Most were just doing orientation, not working too much with professors in their classes.

The facilities at NUST were horrible. No screen for the projector. No shades to block the sun. Windows were broken, so could not shut them on a cold day. Door kept slamming shut in the wind. The computer support was great. No wifi- they had to run a cord from the computer lab for internet access. It was a bit production to give the students bottles of water. They did manage to have cookies and cake at the tea break- students really filled up on these refreshments. After more than half had left on Friday the director produced very nice lamintated certificates for each participant.

Their institution paid their tution. I think many of them did not eat lunch. Mostly they were enthusiastic and engaged. They loved learning about Advanced Google searching and using Google Forms for exercises. We did quite a bit of group work- creating a Learning Outcome and an Assessment Rubric for a proposed class. Watched a Ted Video on Great Teachers. Searched Research Guides so they could get access to more Open Access sources. Warmed my heart that even the school librarian had Library Ambassadors that were 4th graders!

The lecturer who was suppose to help me plan the class, showed up in his red velvet blazer the first day. He was prepared for the photo op- university PR came to take pictures.

I was disappointed that Esabel, my host, the director of the library school, never met with me or had me meet with her staff of lecturers. I gave her a great article on how important it is that they teach librarians in library school how to teach- because that is what we do in the field. She never responded to me. They work with their doors closed - I would have liked to learn more about their work- but, she never raised this possiblity.

12 noon on Friday, I called it quits. I thanked them for their participation and expressed how much I enjoyed learning with them. A woman stood up and thanked me as a representative of the group. I gave them oranges for their journey - they were so appreciative. Then we took tons of photos- everyone wanted their individual picture with me and then lots of group photos.

My great fortune....Nyanga

I wrapped up my class Friday- more about that later. Friday night I flew to Harare. Leslie and Sasha picked me up- stayed at their home. Saturday Leslie and I, along with her friend Ken, took off for her cabin in Nyanga, in the Eastern Highlands. It was about a 3 1/2 hour drive. We are on the border of Mozambique.

The road to the cottage is incredibly bumpy- dirt road, only for 4-wheel drive. Leslie flies over the potholes - really wide ravines. We didn't encounter traffic. Lots of people at junctions waiting for comvies- the local chicken buses. Mon and Tues are holidays, so they are heading to their home villages to visit parents and relatives.

The cottage is right across the road from World View, a viewpoint with distances of major African cities. The cottage is pink stucco- no electricity, but running water. There are scores of cottages in an association. Each cottage is assigned a caretaker from the village down in the valley. Aaron arrived after 30 min. He looks about 70, but is 50. Short, thin, few teeth, big smile. He lights the fire for the hot water boiler. He brings in firewood for the fireplace. He washes the dishes. He lives in a hut on the property- I am quite sure without water. Caretakers also build fire breaks. Some cottages have thatched roofs, but insurance is much higher on them. Many cottages are now owned by companies, of course some whites left and sold their places.

Ken is a retired DR, never married. Traveled the world. Fascinating listening to their white lives in Zim. We spend hours analyzing Sasha, Leslie's husband. He works 24/7. He's Indian, so doesn't feel he belongs in White or Black society. He supports Mugabi's party because he was the liberator. Before independence he was discrimminated against. Once Leslie married him, she could only teach in colored schools. He knows things are screwed up in the country, but wants to believe things will be right.

For lunch we dined on homemade tomato soup, facing the mountains, sitting in the warm sun. I went to climb the small mountain at World View. Got 2/3 up and lost the trail. I headed down with a nice family of 4. Bought some stone sculptures that are sold everywhere by local artists.

After enjoying some South African wine, all 3 of us watched the sunset at 6:30 at World View- a bit cloudy, but beautiful. Dinner is made by solar lamps and candles. Leslie brought everything in 2 huge coolers. There is ice, but it was so cold in the cabin, nothing really spoils.

The place reminds me of old cabins in Maine or Joe's Pond in VT. 1950's decor. There was a fire in the past, 2nd wooden floor was destroyed. As a result the bathtub is half brown inside, not too appealing.

Leslie goes to bed after supper. I kept adding wood to the fire. Finished Loving Frank- a fabulous book about Frank Lloyd Wright and the affair he had with his client- a feminist in the early 1900s.

Up at 6. We headed to the park to climb Mt. Nyangani, 2592m, highest point in Zim. Parking lot is at 2140m. Someone disappeared on the trail in FEB, so now a guide is required. We picked Paul up at the park office and then drove 15km on VERY bumpy roads. We pay him $5/hr. He was superb- young guy- thin and spry. Leslie didn't climb, Ken was slow and birding, so I hiked with Paul. The average amount of time is 3 hrs, we made it in 2 1/2! It is very rocky, but luckily the plants don't have thorns, so easy to grab on to them. It is welled marked with yellow up arrows and white down arrows. He stopped to drink from the waterfall- his comment was: "it's fine to drink here, this is national water." I only had 2 bottles, but passed up his offer. It was nice to see a large church group climbing and there was a small group of Asians. The locals don't take much interest in national parks. School groups bring kids, so hopefully nature appreciation will improve.

Dropped Paul off and bought some frozen trout from their hatchery. Saw baboons, warthogs and kudus along the way.

Although Julia and Hannah would laugh, I thought the climb was quite challenging and it was tough on the knees coming down. We threw corn, sweet potatoes and the fish in the fire for dinner- just delicious.

Now I am sitting in Troutbeck Inn, Monday morning. Leslie brought me to the trail, heading to the stream. Luck would have it- Mary had just crossed the road and was heading to Troutbeck where she catches a bus for her work in the town as a maid and cook. She looked about 18, but had 2 kids. We walked through the beautiful woods and on the road for 45 min.Hopefully I'll find my way back! I left one marker. She lives in town during the week. Today she was working just part-time due to the holiday. Her kids live with the grandmother while they go to school.

Tomorrow Lelslie will drop me off at the junction and Passmore- a Fulbrighter, lawyer and head of the Human Rights Commission will pick me up and we'll go to Mutare- still in the Eastern Highlands.

Canoeing down the Zambezi

After I paid a pretty penny for my Canoe adventure, I had little money for dinner! That allowed me to meet the locals. My lodge was "self-catering, " which included this contraption that looked like a microwave, however it had 2 burners on top of an oven. I had cast iron pots - everything I needed. 2 supermarkets are within a 5 min. walk. TM is the popular one- all the student groups that I met at the Falls were there- kids buying all sorts of junk food. A woman in line told me they sleep at area schools. She also said the supermarket was busy because it was the end of the month when people were paid and the store was running specials.

As I was eating I heard some music- I looked outside and saw dancers down by the restaurant, so I ran down. About 10 guys dressed in zebra skins were singing and dancing. They took turns performing- almost like break-dancing, but the songs were African! Then they passed the hat and tried to sell their CD. All the patrons were white. I was staying in a pretty cheap place- options ranged from tents to cabins. In the morning I did see some locals- I guess they cooked in their cabin just like me.

The Rest Camp was quite large offering lodges (2 bedroom cabins with kitchen and bath,) cabins with just beds and tents. It was nicely spread out- with a restaurant and pool. 

During the night I heard the elephant trumpets. Looked out my window and just across the road, by a cabin were 3 elephants!

Maganu Adventures picked me up at 7am- we were a Dutch couple and a Zimbabwean. We drove 1 1/2 hours through the Zambezi National Park on roads that looked like rocky riverbeds. This was like a game drive because we saw elephants, buffalo and kudo. It was amazing to see how excited the guide was to see the animals. He had a camera and stopped the jeep with every sighting. Seeing tracks along the road the guide explained that it was a trapped buffalo with a collar dragging the plank. Eventually the animal would die.

8:30 they set up for breakfast. First hot tea or coffee. Then 2 guys quickly gathered firewood to start a fire to fry eggs and bacon. The guide gave us the safety talk - I was a little uneasy- I thought it was going to be super calm water, no rapids! We were in 2-man inflatable canoes. A Zambian fisherman was at the shore with a big catch of fish.

Luckily I was with the main guide. We saw a herd of elephants as they contemplated crossing to the island. I did the half-day- about 6 km. We were 15 km upriver from the Falls. We saw crocodiles and hippos. He told us how hippos were territorial, live in pods of 10, the dominant male does not tolerate other males. They can stay under water for 8 min.

The Zambezi starts in Zambia and runs through Angola, Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. They want to build a bridge where the river intersects 4 countries, but some of the land would be taken away from Zim so they are objecting to the project. Then it flows into Lake Kariba, then Mozambique and finally into the Indian Ocean 2740 km.

The trip was fantastic. We stopped briefly on a sandbar to stretch our legs. Then the guide tightened my life jacket and we put our sunglasses, hats and cameras into the dry bag. He then told us about the series of rapids ahead of us. I was not too excited, but he said I could just hold on to the side ropes, no need to paddle. He expertly maneuvered us through as he squealed in joy. The river was wide, the trees were beautiful, the birds were large and plentiful, the weather was perfect, the company was enjoyable, it was everything and more than I expected.

7th Wonder of the World

Today I'm in Victoria Falls- one of the 7 Wonders of the World. Now in the Hertzel Pasackow tradition, I'm hanging out at the Victoria Falls Hotel, even tho I am sleeping down the road at the Rest Camp! (As Jay will remember during our Nova Scotia trip- that's what we did)

Plane trip was 35 min. First stop was the falls, a national park. Started at Livingston's statue and proceeded to 15 additional viewpoints. It is breathtaking. Like the Grand Canyon with waterfalls. The water cascades so much that it looks like steam rising. The indigenous named this place Mosi oa Tunya - "The smoke that thunders." That is a perfect explanation. In November 1855 at the age of 41, Livingston credited himself as the first white man to set eyes on the falls. Many question this claim.

It was nice to see lots of school groups. It was hot- maybe in the 80s; the students were walking around in their school uniforms with blazers and sweaters. To the left is the canyon, to the right is a rain forest- thick vegetation. In parts suddenly grass meadows appear- as if it was the California Coast at Point Reyes. Surprisingly at the last 2 viewpoints there is no fence. One is tempted to step just a bit too far to get a better view of the canyon. Monkeys scamper around.

Cecil Rhodes was the force behind the Falls bridge - a Zambezi crossing was a necessary part of his vision of a Cape-Cairo railway line. It was completed in 1905 and opened by George Darwin, son of Charles. Today the main attraction is bungee jumping. I got queasy just watching them. A harness is strapped onto these daredevils and they fall head first. The elasticity of the rope bobs them for a few minutes, then someone catches them.

I walked across and entered Zambia! A train goes across and cars and trucks cross one at a time.
Tons of hawkers selling all sorts of stuff- including old Zim dollars.

Activities are very expensive. Some English girls said the 1-hour elephant ride was definitely worth it, then a couple from PA. said they heard it was a total waste. I found the guy at the Information Booth that sold the Israelis their canoe tour. I'm paying more because I'm solo, but did get it reduced. They'll pick me up at 7 am for a 5 hour canoe ride- the guide does the paddling!

The Victoria Falls hotel is like a museum for this town. There are tons of pictures and photos of when the Queen came- Elizabeth was a young woman. They toured all the spots where I have been - Bulawayo, Matobos, the Falls, etc! The lounges are spectacular. The clientele white, the workers black. The lawn faces the falls, you can see the steam rising. Magnificent, enormous trees grace the grounds. Lots of animal trophy heads on the walls. Beautiful swimming pool with a lounge in the style of a Turkish bath. I think I'll come back here tomorrow.

I'm beyond happy knowing that Hannah delivered a healthy boy. Thanks to Robin and Julia for the pictures. Please everybody- send me more pictures and keep me updated on everything related to James!!