Ordinary Zimbabweans

I have written many stories over the last few years. With hindsight, I realise that many of them are centred around the lives of ordinary people, mostly Zimbabweans, whether at home or abroad.

I have written about Tarisai, the young girl in rural Zimbabwe whose fate rests on the decisions of big men negotiating at a plush hotel in Harare, big men who do not seem to appreciate the anguish and anticipation of the ordinary people they purport to represent. In another piece, I have asked why these big men do not negotiate in a run-down high density suburb of Harare, so that they can perhaps appreciate the urgency of the situation.

I have also written about Mdhara Chimowa, the old man who lost $US50 to a con-man when Zimbabwe embraced the US dollar after ditching the hyper-inflated Zimbabwe dollar. I have recorded my observations of the life of a Harare taxi-driver and the street vendor who sits by the corner each day, from dawn to dusk, selling telephone sim-cards.

I have travelled to South Africa and written about the waiter of Rosebank, a Zuimbabwean who works at a Johannesburg hotel. Some readers have written and asked, 'why don't you put these pieces together, maybe in the form of a book or something". I have been sufficiently encouraged because the stories represent narratives of ordinary people at a critical historical moment. Many of my friends on Facebook have read these stories. Others have been published on Newzimbabwe.com and others in various newspapers at home including The Standard, a weekly paper published on Sunday. I have made many friends through these stories and I thank them and other fans for their support and encouragement. I'm just an ordinary boy who enjoys writing and if some people enjoy it, then I am humbled.

Perhaps one day the collection will appear in print but for now I thought as part of the project, I should collect and put them in one place, to be updated from time to time. The title of the blog, 'ordinaryzimbabweans' reflects the central character in all of the stories, the common man, woman and child of Zimbabwe. For older stories, I will add a brief note to give context to the time and events during which each story was written.

I hope you find some value in these stories of ordinary men, women and children of Zimbabwe.

waMagaisa