Wednesday, August 03, 2005

When words fail


I'll just let these images speak for themselves. They are all works of art we encountered this weekend in Zimbabwe. The border is only an hour or so away and so every couple of months we take off to enjoy the Vumba mountains (one of the best birdwatching places in the world just in case you're reading this, Steve and Beth.) It's kind of like Vermont. Seriously.

We have a routine. Leave Saturday morning, fill up with gas since there hasn't been any available in Zim for the last 3 months, get across the border and into Mutare just in time for lunch at the Green Coucal--a pretty good substitute for the Fulton Bar and Grill. Sit under the Frangipani tree eating roasted pumpkin and kale lasagna and sipping cappucino. Stop at the street corner where Moses, Zebron and Givemore, our Shona sculptor friends, are selling their works of art under some mango trees. Talk to them awhile about how bad things have gotten in Zimbabwe (all the while being assiduous to not mention any reasons why this might be true or any dictators that may be responsible), how their art would fetch 10 times more if we could just get it to the US, buy a piece or two and pay them more than their asking price. Then off to our favorite cozy lodge with an amazing view and a fireplace tucked into the corner of each room. After a late afternoon hike, we're ready for dinner in front of a roaring fire and a game or two of cards before drifting off to sleep. Only problem is, it's become impossible to enjoy the Vermont-like facade when thousands of people have been thrown out of their homes and put out into the streets during the coldest part of the Zim winter. The first work is by Moses, it's one of the victims of Mugabe's recent "clean-up" campaign. If you want to learn more, click here for a recent article about how the razing of slums is also denying people access to the fledgling HIV treatment program.

The other two photos are pieces from the Zimbabwe National Gallery of Art branch in Mutare.


"HIV Carrier"


"The HIV Burden African Women Have To Carry"