adminBernard Bwoni Correspondent
Hutton le Hole is a little village in the North of England and it is quite picturesque.
It is a scenic little village nettled in the centre of the Yorkshire Moors. There is an interesting pub and restaurants.
The Forge Tea Room leaves you mesmerised, quaint and warm. It is charming. It is actually a very friendly place and the food is English food, not that spectacular but good.
In there, the locals love their food and they fill their bellies to the bream whilst downing real ales. You have got to give it to them, they take great pride in their history and traditions. I have been to the local a number of times because of the unmatched service and atmosphere. My friend was born in that village and has never left. I don’t blame her. The place is idyllic and unspoilt with no signs of any commercialisation.
The same calmness of the surrounding Moors extends to the friendly atmosphere all around. And then one day it happened.
It is getting warm as summer approaches, the sun is out and we are in the local. It’s not loud but it’s not quiet either. A gentleman entered the pub and stands by the bar area sipping on a pint of ale.
He is on his own initially and within a few minutes he was deep in conversation with some friendly locals. They are that friendly. I could not help hearing what was being said as this gentleman was speaking in a very loud voice.
From his accent, I could pick that he was my country man and as the conversation progressed with the locals, it became apparent he was indeed a Zimbabwean.
I have been to this place a number of times and conversations there mostly are on the weather, the surrounding beauty, the food, the sun and all the simple things in life. It is not heavy at all, just simple weekend talks to wind down.
My friend was busy telling me about her new water feature when I heard the words “Mugabe” and “potholes”. My heart sank because I could tell where this was headed. From then on as the pints of ale kept coming, the only voice that could be heard was this man as he emphasised repeatedly what a “disaster Zimbabwe has been turned into by Mugabe”.
The man was tearing into President Mugabe and what he called “the disaster that Zimbabwe has become”. Of all conversations to strike in such a place, the Mugabe vilification session!
The man was centre stage and there was initial approval from his audience. He was being urged on and he obliged with even more precise missiles directed at Zimbabwe and its President. It was unrelenting.
I could not avoid hearing it, it was loud and in your face. Everyone’s face. It was a bit uncomfortable, no let me rephrase that, it was extremely uncomfortable. It was unending as the Mugabe-roasting session carried on and eventually graduated into the “goodness of Rhodesia”.
The Mugabe-burning session would not be complete without the “breadbasket to basket-case” statement being thrown in there. Here is a man who potentially gained from the independence ushered in by the same man he was busy vilifying.
As more ales fell, the cheers and grunts of approval intensified. The conversation further deteriorated into “potholes” and the “illegality of the land reform”. It was loud and clear and I heard it all loud and clear. There was no need to eavesdrop. And then I heard it as I have had it all before. They all heard it. The Zimbabwean man was saying it so that they could all hear it. “Every single road in that country has galleys not potholes and the only infrastructure standing is what Ian Smith built”.
Yes, every road in Zimbabwe! The man did not even talk about the independence that accorded him that right to vote, that right to be considered a human being in his own country. That priceless feeling that has given Zimbabweans like him options to make decisions and to be considered human beings.
He was narrating the goodness of Rhodesia and from his youthful looks, he never experienced that Rhodesia he was worshipping. This is from someone who now has that right to vote, that freedom to walk, freedom to exist and be human.
This was an unfair depiction of Zimbabwe and President Mugabe. This was not exactly the place for this relentless assault.
My friend, being well travelled and having been to Zimbabwe was equally appalled. The many other patrons of this quintessential and quiet local pub were not that impressed. It was neither the time nor the place for such deep talk. The man might have won the few he was talking to but not the many who just wanted to enjoy the rare sunny weather. The loudness and expressive manner of this man was deliberately meant to enlist the approval of his audience. It appears that there are many who derive pleasure from this negative disposition and blatant lies about their own country.
Those like my friend who have already been to Zimbabwe can easily sift through the lies and have a true picture of Zimbabwe. The worrying thing is that there was a sense of satisfaction and a sense of achievement for this man as he was narrating his own version of Zimbabwe.
He narrated what he told his audience as “personal experiences of people in Zimbabwe being tortured, raped and killed by Mugabe’s henchmen” and that “this is happening daily”. The man was definitely spoiling my day. He was spoiling the day for the old ladies who were having their afternoon tea on such a sunny afternoon.
He was annoying my friend with tall tales about Zimbabwe. My friend has been to Zimbabwe and she always speaks of a friendly Zimbabwe, a safe and peaceful Zimbabwe. A Zimbabwe of natural wonders and natural beauty. A Zimbabwe of the majestic Victoria Falls. There are people who will always derive pleasure and satisfaction of some sort in deliberately and dishonestly distorting the image of Zimbabwe to win acceptance in some circles. There are many challenges in Zimbabwe as in many other parts of the world. Those who persistently paint this impression of absolute ruination want to make Zimbabwe’s problems as the pinnacle of all world problems.
This man in his eagerness to please his mostly reluctant but attentive crowd forgot to mention that before independence, Zimbabwe had only a single university and education levels for black people were dismal. That today under the so-called villain Mugabe, Zimbabwe has in excess of 14 state universities and the highest literacy rate in Africa.
The man deliberately forgot to mention the peace and tranquillity that prevails in the country. The man did not stop to think that he could sell the beauty and wonders that Zimbabwe had to offer to these affluent Britons. He decided not to share the sheer nerve of those who built the Great Zimbabwe Empire and the ruins that still stand today.
The intriguing Chinhoyi caves, the flora, the fauna and the wildlife and beauty Zimbabwe has to offer. Instead the man chose to de-campaign the country to find his place within this unwilling circle.
This is an audience that could easily have been sold a positive narrative of Zimbabwe. The man chose personal affirmation and national defamation instead. After nearly half an hour of butchering the name Zimbabwe, the man’s narrative became monotonous and the audience’s interest waned. They politely dispersed and our man was left cold and irrelevant. As he had entered the pub, he exited silently, clearly proud of his misleading narrative. I was left gutted and wondering whether those residents of this historic little village will ever look past these unpatriotic ramblings of this man and take time to visit the Falls, Nyanga, Hwange National Park and many other natural wonders the country has to offer them. There is no need for them not to. There is need for them to visit Zimbabwe.
To demonise one’s country is to degrade oneself. There are those who publicly and persistently discredit Zimbabwe oblivious to the profound implications of the negative speculation they constantly present to the world. The world has become way too interconnected and with the advent of the Internet and social media, anything and everything is now available online for immediate perusal.
It does not matter whether it is the truth or not, but that is exactly what the world would read about Zimbabwe. The negativity that is being presented about Zimbabwe has far-reaching and damaging effects on the country as a whole. It just boggles the mind why anyone would have such deep-rooted negative views about their own country to the point of national defamation. It’s persistent and it’s shocking the level of disinformation. Some are even travelling to the back end of beyond in their efforts to soil the name of Zimbabwe.
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