Chakowa

Chakowa is a rural village in Zimbabwe. Zenzele’s grandmother on her father’s side lives there, and her grandparents on her mother’s side are buried there. Zenzele dislikes the family trips to Chakowa. Shiri herself admits that Chakowa, like so many of Zimbabwe’s rural areas, are “dilapidated and neglected” (9) in contrast to the sleek, air-conditioned high-rise office and apartment buildings in urban cities such as Harawe, Bulawayo and Mutare. During and following the colonial period, many Africans rejected rural spaces and pursued an urban life, which they viewed as a “sign of progress” (9). However, Shiri also defends Chakowa as a place of ancestral wisdom and family memories. To Shiri, Chakowa is the magical place of her childhood and an important reminder of African civilization before and beyond white colonialism. In times of confusion or turmoil, Shiri and her family return to Chakowa in search of...