Thread by @Wamagaisa

Thread

1. This year I had a profound encounter with a fellow Zimbabwean. She’s an avid reader of the #BSR She insisted we meet. We had tea. She was kind & I was humbled by her admiration. She said, Alex, I want to thank you. Why, I asked?

2. She said the #BSR her opened her universe to things she was not aware of. She loved my village stories. And everything else. She is a Zimbabwean but there are things she had never known because of her background. Then she told me a proud story which touched me.

3. For years, she had been very bitter because of a tragic experience. Her brother was a pilot in one of the viscount planes that were downed during the war. He died. He was not a soldier. Just civilian. He died in that crash. He was a young man, doing his job.

4. From that day, I understood that when we talk about the struggle, there are normal people out there who suffered greatly. They were not fighting any war. They were white yes but they were victims of a war. I know many black Zimbabweans who suffered in the same way.

5. It was a profound moment for both of us. Such is life. I feel sorry for her & understand why she was bitter. But she said to me, I am old now, thank you for helping me come to terms. I don’t know how because nothing can make that better. But I’m humbled. She remains nameless.