This collection of memoirs, dedicated to my father, is based on specific historical events and tells his story. It also tells the story of my family and many others like us, who had to choose the difficult path of (exile) immigration, from the land of our birth, to survive. Inspired by the events of the present, to recall and revive those of the past, the entire narrative covers almost the span of a century: From the beginning of white settlement in Rhodesia until after the elections that brought Mugabe to power. Taking the country from: - “The Federation of Rhodesia & Nyasaland” to Rhodesia culminating in the country that has now become Zimbabwe. My father had a very long life and therefore witnessed many events and changes which perhaps are not well understood in the West, but through these pages I hope the readers will get in a very different insight and understanding of nearly a century of the history of my country. Along with anecdotes from the lives of millions of people who have been deeply affected; we have witnessed the initial exuberance and wealth of a country once treasured in Southern Africa “as the bread basket” descend in to total chaos with the decline of the economy and social structure. Transformed from a country rich in natural resources and opportunity: to one of the poorest with possibly the most exploited masses in Africa. Episodes of tribal life overlap, from great hunting stories of old, told by the elders sitting in front of the fires in the villages to meet and co-exist with those of modern living in beautiful and well-organized cities. Overall, it reverberates with nostalgic regret for a past far better than the present, especially on the part of those who, born of white fathers and indigenous mothers are slowly being marginalized by society during and after colonisation. Ultimately it can be described as a cross generational synopsis in that it shows the true elements, and events which are almost ignored in the rest of the world, but are responsible for having launched the Diaspora of many families who felt, in all and for all, they too belong to that beautiful land.
Rosie Granger
