If you have the capital to start something and even a slight entrepreneurial inkling, Zimbabwe is where you should be. If you are greedy and have little conscience, your chances at success and obscene wealth are even better. It is a country with unbelievable potential and with so much having been divested over the last decade, the opportunity for investment is ripe. Unfortunately if you are a government employed teacher, nurse or other low ranking civil servant the picture isn’t so pretty. You are looking at US$200 a month in a unique economy that is based on the US$ and where the cost of living rivals that of a developed or typical US city.

How can the teachers possibly survive on so little? First of all, it should be said that even this is a lot more than what they were receiving in 2008; secondly almost every old teacher of mine that I spoke to has something else “on the side”. Whether it is tutoring wealthier children or buying and selling an imported commodity they are able to obtain; this instinct and stubborn determination to live is a testament to the spirit of the Zimbabwean people. These civil servants and others alike, who continue to struggle to survive just so that they may carry on providing such valuable service, keep the light burning at the end of the tunnel. The men and women who earn a meagre salary; the gardeners, street cleaners, maids, supermarket attendants, electricians, plumbers, labourers all continue to persevere, they find a way to survive, in fact they do more than survive; they live. Meanwhile in this parallel universe there exists a minority, which is by no means uni-racial, it is a multi-racial upper class that has managed to profit and benefit in ways that your “average Joe” from anywhere in the world would struggle to fathom. These people have used their political or financial status to benefit themselves and those in their immediate circle. This creates an incredible dichotomy that exists somehow in unison.

As a Zimbabwean who has been away for 6 years, I look and see so many wrongs that could easily be made right, but the basis for my judgment is Zimbabwe in 2004, which in the grand scheme of the last 10 years, was far from the lowest point. It is 2008 that the people who have never left use as a measure. A time when Cholera was taking thousands of lives a week, when there were a total of 128 teaching days throughout the year, when the sanitation department ceased to function and the doctors and nurses were out in search of their next meal and simply were not able to treat or teach. So when one looks at Zimbabwe today in comparison with the Zimbabwe of 2008, one can see where the optimism comes from. One can begin to see that, while the journey is going to be long and tough, Zimbabwe is beginning to climb out of a very dark decade in her young history.

I once benefited from these services that, if still available today, are not of the same standard that they were in the late 1990’s; so I am resisting to be too optimistic so soon. Yes, I believe that since 2008 there have been positive developments in the political and certainly in the economic arena, but I am hesitant still to talk of our transition back to the Jewel that we once were. Having met and interacted with many Zimbabweans around the world and those at home, in Zimbabwe, there is valid reason for hope. It is the people of Zimbabwe are what keep this hope alive. I think that perhaps Zimbabwe is on the verge of a transition period and is ready for the people to take back what is theirs, to utilize the skills and knowledge their home country and the other host countries provided them, and rebuild and develop Zimbabwe. But that unfortunately remains to be seen in the coming years, whether this is the beginning of the new Zimbabwe or just another carrot to keep the donkey walking.

I am a see-saw of optimism and pessimism. Zimbabweans from the diaspora are investing and assisting “back home”. I see the herculean efforts of those committed to making the best of a tough situation. I take heart that a few of those who have grown excessively wealthy plough back into their old schools and communities. These all give me seeds of hope. I want so badly to be optimistic; having been back and seen everything running as close to normal as is possible in such difficult circumstances; but when I remember that all of this optimism is dependant on a stable and open political system, I become a little dejected. I truly believe that better things are to come for Zimbabwe and Zimbabweans, but this will not come until there is a legitimate, free and fair political platform upon which the rights of the people are heard, protected and fought for.

Doug Leresche

PASSOP Volunteer

Prince Edward High School, Harare, Zimbabwe 2004

CUNY Queens College, Queens, New York 2010