Dear World, Remember Me?
- 14/5/2008 <--Prev : Next-->
Dear World, Remember Me?
Over a year ago, when I was sixteen, I wrote a letter to you, the world, regarding my
homeland, Zimbabwe. Well, in five months, I will be eighteen, and we're still here; still
broken.
But, it's different now - the Winds of Change blow over the sands of Africa. There is an air
of expectancy hanging over Zimbabwe, and the brooding horizon of the Future has crept a
little closer than it ever has before.
For the first time, some dare to hope. Emotions run high as the fluctuating results of our
elections seep through to the people. No one will admit it, for fear of disappointment, but,
deep inside the hearts of Zimbabweans, flickering within these Children of Repression,
something akin to the Hope we used to know ignites. With bated breath and shining eyes,
we watch as the tiny flame of Hope, though small, begins to glow ever more brightly. Sure,
there has been nothing definite, but when one has experienced suffering as Zimbabwe
has, the faintest hint of Change, a mere breath upon the wind, is as blatantly obvious as
the Dawn. And Dawn it is. After the longest Night of our lives, Dawn is about to break.
There may be no rays evident upon the horizon as yet, but the Sun is there, ready to break
free of its chains and Light our paths once again.
Like the coming of the Storm, the imminent arrival of the Change we had despaired after
now burns through my blood. Suppressed excitement is betrayed by the hushed whispers
that fly through our community like birds set free. Freedom, yes... Is that so much to ask
for?
We have kept Faith, for a quarter of a century, and now, finally, finally, we are on the verge
of Tomorrow. It took all we possessed to hold onto what little Hope we had, and many fell
prey to Dejection, but we are Zimbabweans: Hope will forever burn in our hearts! Even in
the Darkest of Days, we will hold our heads high, because, really, Pride, along with Hope,
is all we have... (No food, no electricity, no food, no fuel, no food... It's hard to eat Hope,
but it kept us alive regardless!)
And so, but a page away from the end, I wish to extend all the gratitude of my heart to
you, the World. Though we are not quite free yet, our bonds are frayed, our cages rusted -
they cannot hold us forever! To those of you who heard my plea, to those of you who
listened, to those who cared - thank you. Thank you for your sympathy, thank you for
your assistance, thank you for your prayers. Because you kept us in your thoughts,
Someone, Something, out there, came through for us; Fate backed off, and we got to our
feet, at last. So thank you.
As I said, it's not over yet, but we're so close I can almost taste it! To my fellow
Zimbabweans, my People, Black, White, Indian, Multi-racial, all; both within this prison and
outside of it, well, look at us... Look at what we are... We are a nation of survivors,
eternally adaptable, suitably humble, and damn near indestructible! We have been to hell
and back; we've seen horrors, and lived worse, and now, we appreciate Beauty, we
appreciate Life. They couldn't beat us. They sure tried, and they very nearly did, but we're
still here! And I, for one, am proud to be a Zimbabwean!
There's no grass here at the moment, so I guess it is definitely greener on the other side,
but it will grow. We even had a good rainy season last year. The best we've had for a long
time. Our country has been washed clean, bar a few stains, and once we've BLEACHED
those, we can cut the cloth and fashion our Home into whatever we want it to be! And the
grass? The grass will grow.
Fear of Change is fear of the Future, and if we fear the Future we will remain stuck in the
Past. Now is the time for Change. Now is the dawn of the Future. And I... I am not afraid.
No, I am not afraid.
Soon, when this is all over, and we may breathe again, I hope to see my brethren, free and
unafraid, return to this, our country; our home, Zimbabwe. I hope to see the Future restore
my Thriving, Living, Loving People, and I will not settle for anything less.
So, to you, the world, thank you. We're almost there; so close, so, so close. I was born into
this version of Zimbabwe - it is all I have ever known. But I know it was better before, and
we will be the Breadbasket of Africa once more. Never again will we allow ourselves to be
dominated like this - NEVER. Now, all that remains after this Long, Dark War, is to rebuild.
We will need all of your support in the Future, for to rebuild our Lives, our Homes, our
Country, will take as much determination as surviving this Dark Era did, and the process of
picking ourselves up will be even more arduous than bearing the beatings of the Past. And
so, I implore you, remember us, the Nation that was brought to its knees, but which
refused to give in. Remember us. And to the Zimbabweans out there, come home... This
country is nothing without its People!
As we move on, and away from the Darkness of our past, let us remember: Humanity's
history may have been written in blood, but our future doesn't have to be!
To the world, thank you,
Tanya Hunt
(An almost-eighteen year old Zimbabwean)
