nileflow network

My own column on Nileflow.com! What a way to start 2010! Very exciting news that I couldn’t turn down when the powers behind this promising website invited me to be part of great things to come. I am a strong believer in nileflow’s dreams.
No-one wants to be associated with something heading for failure. We naturally want to be part of success and success is definitely knocking on the door of nileflow. There is no better way of starting a long journey by bus than jumping into it before it’s full. It means I don’t have to be a standing passenger. I can find my own seat, make myself comfortable knowing that I am going. When you believe in something you don’t have to think twice to be part of it. Many thanks to you guys at Nileflow.

The African community in New Zealand needs initiative youngsters like you. Hope others can follow suit. I hope my weekly contribution to this vibrant website shall be of a positive value to all Nileflow readers, especially the young ones. I mention the young ones because they are my main concern, the future of Africa in New Zealand. I remember when I was growing up in the villages back in Africa we had businessmen who ran grocery stores. They were so successful that all the kids of my age dreamt of being like them one day, running grocery stores selling sugar and salt to villagers, driving a Mazda B2500 full of goods for sale. In fact, you didn’t have to buy sugar those days. It was for free. Can you believe it? Your mother would send you to the store to buy a few items and you would walk out with a handful of sugar, licking it from your hand! At times you would be given a handful of unwrapped sweets that we called “niggers.” Don’t ask me why they were called niggers because I have no idea. They came in different colours- red, white, green, blue, yellow. In Shona we called them zviwhitsi zvisina kupfeka, meaning naked sweets. The storekeeper would scoop with his/her unwashed hand from a bottle and hand them to you. It felt so good to be sent to the grocery store those days. There was only one store and one grinding mill at our township- Ganyani store and Gwatsvaira’s grinding mill. The war against the British had just ended. A few years later the township grew three times bigger when Bobbie, Dendere, Mhoya and Chadzamira opened their own grocery stores too. Bhera tried a welding shop but it wasn’t very successful.

Anyway, I know I have lost you a bit by telling you about our village township. Most of those grocery stores are now ruins on this very day. Why? Because the businessmen like Ganyani never groomed their children to run a successful store. The children lived on their parents’ sweat and fame and when the parents died the stores died with them. The point I am trying to make is, I wouldn’t want to see Nileflow closing because Nuridine or Brook are no longer part of it. I wouldn’t want to see Zoh-Zoh band falling apart because Yao or Francois are no longer part of it. Our youths should inherit such great works and take them to higher levels rather than seeing them turning into ruins like Ganyani’s grocery store or Gwatsvaira’s grinding mill. And for them to inherit these foundations we have to make sure they are active participants right now. This is why I am very concerned about the youths because they are the future of the foundations being laid today. There are times in life that we live for “me” then a time comes when “me” is gone and you start living for those who matter most, and I feel I no longer do things for myself but for the young ones growing up in New Zealand today. Let’s lead them by example so that they can take over from us in years to come. I prefer being called an Africanist than being called an African. That’s how close to my heart Africa is and I want that inherited by an African Kiwi child.

My grandmother used to say, “if you start borrowing money from your friends in January you will get to December still borrowing money.” This to me meant if you start the year on a bad note you end it on a bad note. So guys let’s start the year on a high note so this carries us right through to December. New Year, new beginnings for us all! Some clever friend of mine said, “2010 is the year for turns.” This year is the year of our turn to shine.

Let’s keep flowing down the year together. Now that I have introduced my column to you all it’s time for serious talk from next week onwards and I look forward to travelling the journey together with you.  We will be discussing issues related to Africa with Africans living in New Zealand in mind. Please feel free to send your emails to:


This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .