OTD in 1976, Mozambique closed its border with Rhodesia. Samora Machel ordered all Rhodesian property seized & his fiery speech on the situation was initially interpreted as a declaration of war!
Until the Portuguese coup in 1974, 80% of Rhodesian exports moved through Mozambique, shifting to SA
Given the recent news, for which I hope justice is done, I am reminded that on this day in 2012, Robert Mugabe stated in one of a series of interviews granted to state controlled Herald & ZBC that his 15-year old son Bellarmine Chatunga harboured presidential ambitions.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Wonderful news. Wish we could host you here in Zimbabwe, especially with such an amazing topic.
Hope it's a fantastic tour.
@drspacejunk.bsky.social
Thank you very much. All of that is so helpful and wonderful to know. I feel like I cannot thank you enough for your time and help. (I've been trying to access FamilySearch to look at the death notice but its so difficult down here in Zimbabwe. Everything wants a paid subscription! 😀)
Thank you so much. We went back today with some tools to carefully clean up around the grave since it was overgrown and covered with termite debris.
His parents are listed on the lower tombstone as Lt-Col H. West and Mrs Mary M. West of Hermitage, Newbury, England
Thank you so much!
Hoping for some help with a research question: was shown this lonely grave today in southern Zimbabwe. Charles Theodore West, Hermitage, Newbury England, died 22 February 1919.
How could I find out more about him and his family?
Thank you
Bones, bones and more bones. Happily brushing up on my zoology this week, part of a training course in Zimbabwe.
Church.
OTD in 2009, illegal forex dealers at Ximex Mall, Harare were buying US$1 for a Z$10 trln note or Z$2 trln in Z$50 bln notes. Some were willing to exchange Z$2 trln in $50 bln notes for a $10 trln note. Shops in the CBD pegged most of their goods at a $10 trln or $20 trln to avoid change problems.
Delighted that this article on one of my favourite places-the Bulawayo Public Library-has been accepted for publication.
I take the story to 2025. Two crucial themes are a constant lack of funds & the the dedication & hard work of the incredible staff who serve "The Castle" every day.
Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge and expertise. I have been looking for exactly this sort of learning opportunity. Three videos in and just loving it!
Awesome news. Well done. Will aim to buy a copy soon!
My original source work on Edson Sithole, coupled with analysis and biographical narrative is apparently now out!
@drspacejunk.bsky.social
Writing a new article and got so annoyed, and then resigned, when I realised the truth of this comic!
This is a defining image of our times. Aside from its neat encapsulation of vice & virtue (L: pride, greed, envy; R: humility, selflessness), it’ll be used by historians to illustrate the disproportionate effects on geopolitics of one man’s narcissism during the 2020s.
Saw your comment mentioned on YouTube news show today from @philipdefranco.bsky.social !
A crashing procession.
A rare sight anywhere in Zimbabwe nowadays.
Taken last year.
So very happy to have put this article to bed
At 15,000 words it's a big 'un but based on a recent awful article on the same topic, no one else has done the legwork in the archives & on the ground to delve into the myriad histories of a single obelisk on a blood-soaked patch of the Matabeleland bush
Cheers for heads up. I need to get this book. Been working on histories of the various companies on the Byo Stock Exchange in the 1890s, many of which were ostensibly based on gold mining. Looking at surviving share records & transactions, I'd say the main goal was selling shares, not digging gold!
Safe travels and hope it's a full house every talk!
Quite the fetching craft, named for his father:
afsa.org/finding-pava...
Bronze Mannikins at the bird bath. A gorgeous visitor, especially in-between the storms
Miss the days when our newspapers used to cover fun little stories. Meaningful at the time and still, years later, and never part of the official "big picture" record.
New life in the Matobo Hills.
