I was watching a wildlife documentary on the Discovery Channel and something caught my attention.
The lion is a formidable animal. Its roar can send other animals scampering for cover, and its sheer presence commands respect.
The baboon, on the other hand, may appear clumsy, foolish and completely out of its depth when confronted by the king of the jungle. But make no mistake, the baboon is an intelligent animal.
It knows when to stand its ground, when to retreat and, most importantly, when to work with others.
A lion may have the muscle and the roar, but intelligence, strategy and alliances can change the balance of power. A troop of baboons working together can make even a formidable predator think twice.
Nature is fascinating. Never mistake a quiet troop for a defeated one, and never assume that because an animal appears cornered, it has run out of options.
#PauseForThought
When you first land in the Diaspora and start earning pounds, dollars or euros, there is a false sense of financial security that can engulf the mind.
Suddenly you're doing the calculations.
"I'll work for five years, save some money, build my retirement home kumusha, start something back home and eventually return to live the soft life."
Five years becomes ten. Ten becomes twenty.
Because somewhere in those calculations, we forget one important thing ,we also have to live where we are.
There is rent or a mortgage to pay. Council Tax,gas,electricity, transport food,family,insurance,the car and unexpected expenses.
And naturally, you also aspire to get onto the property ladder and build some security for yourself where you actually live.
Before long, life becomes that familiar cycle:
Work. Home. Work. Payday. Bills. Repeat.
And quietly, the years pile up.
That dream of coming here, grafting for five years and going back home with enough money to "start something" slowly becomes a pipe dream for many.
That was my reality too.
When I first landed here,20 odd years ago, I would actually feel guilty about spending money on myself. I could buy a £99 bottle of Issey Miyake aftershave and immediately start thinking about the people I'd left back home.
Even something as simple as treating myself to a Double Cheese and Bacon Whopper from Burger King could bring that little pang of guilt. 😅
I'd be sitting there enjoying my burger while part of my mind was thousands of miles away wondering, "Ko kumusha vadyei nhasi?"
That's another side of Diaspora life people don't always see.
You may be earning pounds, but in your head you're constantly converting them into what that money could do back home.
A £99 bottle of aftershave stops being aftershave. It becomes groceries, school fees, electricity or something towards somebody's rent.
Suddenly enjoying the fruits of your own labour can feel almost selfish.
When I first arrived, it wasn't rosy either. I was fortunate because I had a good, reasonably well-paying trade. Sometimes I think about those doing less rewarding jobs and wonder how they survive.
But somehow they do.
JAM .....Just About Managing.
Take somebody bringing home around £1,800 a month and paying close to £1,000 just for a one-bedroom flat. Before Council Tax, gas, electricity, transport, food and everything else enters the equation, more than half the salary has disappeared.
For many people on lower incomes, two salaries in one household are almost a necessity just to get by.
And that brings me to another uncomfortable part of the Diaspora story , marriages and relationships.
🇿🇼👏🏾 Great to see England-born Zimbabwean referee Farai Hallam taking charge of tonight’s Carabao Cup clash between Manchester United and Brighton at Old Trafford.
The 33-year-old was born in Rugby to a Zimbabwean mother and an English father.
Before becoming a referee, Hallam was a defender in Stevenage’s academy and once harboured ambitions of playing for Zimbabwe’s Warriors.
He later turned to refereeing and has risen all the way from grassroots football to the Premier League.
Earlier this year, Hallam made headlines on his Premier League refereeing debut when he stood by his original decision despite being sent to the VAR monitor during Manchester City vs Wolves.
The decision was subsequently backed unanimously by the Premier League’s Key Match Incidents Panel.
Tonight marks another big occasion in his remarkable rise. 🇿🇼⚽👏🏾
📸 Sky Sports Football
#FaraiHallam #Zimbabwe #CarabaoCup
في مشهد مهيب :
الدكتور علي صلاح يقوم بإجراء عملية في الدماغ لرجل يعاني من الرعشة اكثر من عشر سنوات، خلال العملية تم كي "نواة المهاد" الامر الذي جعل الرعشة تختفي تماما وبشكل فوري خلال العملية!
💻 Carry smart, protect your laptop, and explore with ease. No heavy shoulder strain. No damaged devices. Just a sleek, drop-proof backpack that moves with you — from morning class to evening travel.
From Gwanda,Zimbabwe with love. ZimHip rapper,Easy Ice.
Born Esther Ngwaru in Harare and raised in Gwanda,Easy Ice slides effortlessly between Isindebele,Shona and english.
Keep rising,Easy!
#SoulShackRadio#EasyIce
His Excellency Alexander @vanderbellen, Federal President of the Republic of #Austria, has congratulated President @HHichilema on his re - election as President of the Republic of Zambia.
Read more; https://t.co/rZRmuGhCv7
There is a guy I found on Facebook Marketplace who sells these moveable cabin houses. He delivers anywhere in Zimbabwe. 6x7 with varanda 2x2
$7360 2bedrooms toilet and open plan
Drywalling and ceiling
Electrical and plumbing
Aluminum windows and sliding door
Some reunions simply make sense.
When I saw Tony "Tony D" Ndoro and Tich Mataz on the same poster again, I smiled.
We shared the studios and corridors at Radio 3 FM Zimbabwe many years ago.
We were all chasing the same dream, and these two gentlemen crossed the Limpopo and built broadcasting careers that earned them respect throughout South Africa.
Zimbabwe gave them their wings, South Africa gave them another stage, and they did us proud.
What also made me smile was seeing two legends standing shoulder to shoulder.
Our broadcasting fraternity can do with a little more of that.
Let's celebrate each other's success. Let's stop this habit of player-hating.
One broadcaster's achievements don't diminish another's. If anything, they raise the standard for all of us.
Now, let's talk about the people this event has been created for.
The "I Grew Up In The '80s" crew.
The generation that danced through the late '70s, the '80s and the '90s.
The generation that fell in love to these songs, got married to these songs and, in many cases, raised families with this soundtrack playing in the background.
Life has moved on.
The children have grown up. Many have flown the nest. The school fees have eased. The daily grind isn't what it used to be.
Every once in a while, you simply want to get out of the house, meet people who understand your era, enjoy great music, have a laugh and dance without somebody trying to turn the place upside down.
That's the space COYOM Promotions have recognised.
For that alone, my good friend, fellow broadcaster and radio legend Comfort Mbofana @Mbofs deserves a pat on the back.
Zimbabwe has plenty of entertainment for the youngsters. The over-35 crowd deserves a space of its own too.
A place where the music is familiar.
Where conversations flow.
Where the dance floor is full of smiles instead of drama.
Where you can bump into old friends, make new ones and go home feeling like you've travelled back in time for a few hours.
I sincerely hope Mature Mixer becomes a regular feature on Zimbabwe's social calendar because there are thousands of us who've been waiting for afternoons and evenings exactly like this.
So, if you grew up with Tony D and Tich Mataz on your radio...
If soul, R&B, disco, funk and Old Skool classics still do something to you...
Then this one's calling your name.
🗓 Sunday 9 August
📍 Grill Garden, Milton Park
🎧 Tony D & Tich Mataz
Bring your cooler box.
Put on your favourite hat.
Round up your friends.
Leave the stress at home.
Come with one thing...
Your happiness. 😎🍻
🚨 Bryan Mbeumo on Casemiro’s message after his brace against Atletico Madrid:
“After the game I saw a message from Case. He said, ‘I’ve played Atleticco enough times with Cristiano to know they don’t give strikers presents. If youve scored two against Simeone’s team, don’t start telling yourself it’s just pre season.’
Then he reminded me of something he’d told me months earlier. ‘Your movement has never been the issue. You just need to start finishing with the same confidence you arrive with.’ I sat there smiling. Case has a habit of saying things that stay in your head long after the conversation ends.”
Reach your muscle goals 💪
Stick to this simple plan to succeed:
1. Take a 1-minute quiz
2. Get a workout and meal plan
3. Follow the program (easy-peasy)