Zimbabwe Absurdity

Every now and then we have a stab at being normal in Zimbabwe, you know, just do the things that would be totally normal elsewhere. Today it was the charity dog show put on by the ZNSPCA over at the Mukuvisi Woodlands which is a small game and nature park in the north east of Harare. It was very much a fun affair and there were all sorts of stands selling mostly junk. I entered Jenny in “The dog the judge would most like to take home” category and she won! We came away with a couple of bags of imported dog food (she was a bit wary of it tonight but then tucked in with gusto) and a couple of rosettes. One of the categories was “The best rescue dog” and the judge also gave some details of how the dogs were rescued. One little Jack Russell type was found tied to a stick by the side of the road to be sold as food. Others were found in various states of abuse. It was a testament to their subsequent care that all looked like normal, well adjusted dogs.

One of the stands was selling pickles and various types of chilli sauces under the name of Peter Piper’s Pickles. They are, or should I say, were, the best significant makers of such produce in Zimbabwe but due to the recent cut-pricing policy of the government can only afford to replace the bottle tops of the bottles that they use, never mind the contents. So, they are closing down and moving to the Cape. The owner is not selling his house here just yet, so like a lot of Zimbabweans he is an optimist.

The other attempt at normality is in the form of the Zimbabwe International Film Festival which is on this week. There’s quite a selection of movies from quite a number of countries, and some pretty good ones to boot. I saw an Israeli independent film yesterday entitled “Melanoma My Love” about an actor whose wife dies of melanoma and he and his doctor try and hide the truth from her. It was not entered into any competition but took the form of a pseudo documentary (it is a true story and the actor plays himself) and was shot in “amateur” style with a hand held camera. It was well done but not a “feel good” movie! So this coming week I’m taking a bit of time off to see (amongst others) a Japanese movie, South African, a Swiss, a Mozambican, a German etc. Of course I won’t be able to totally escape the dismal reality of life in Zimbabwe but I’ll have to try for a few hours of relief at least.