Zimbabwe in Pictures was recently at University of Zimbabwe and what we witnessed in terms of the deterioration of that once glorious centre of learning brought tears to our eyes.

The buildings you see in these pictures once stood proud only a decade ago. New Hall was the residence of post-graduate and other senior students, Complex 4 was a residence for women and the Student’s Union Building was the hive of activity (euphemism for watering hole). Now all those buildings, and more, look like they have been hit by a merciless tsunami.

The students and staff we met looked tired and weary…

It can be easy to mourn over the destruction of our foremost centre of learning but we can no longer point fingers at the authors of this mess and leave it at that. Realpolitik has set in and people now have to work with their foes (erstwhile or current). In a similar vein the typical middle class syndrome of regaling each other with tales of when Zimbabwe was Zimbabwe does not help.  Those who left in the 1970s came to be called the “Whenwes” (“When we were in Rhodesia”) and those who left in that last decade have taken up the same theme (“Zimbabwe used to be”). We now have to go beyond the  “when we” and “used to be” chants.

If the University of Zimbabwe is your alma mater are you willing to be part of its alumni network and put your money where your mouth is? But it is not only UZ we are talking about here. There is a whole country to reconstruct.

The bricks have fallen but we need to re-build with polished stone.

Chris Kabwato - Publisher

Publisher: Chris Kabwato (chris@digitalartsafrica.org)

Editor & Project Manager: Levi Kabwato (levi@zimbabweinpictures.com)

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© Chris Kabwato 2010