I do not feel at home in a hut.
I have never lived outside Africa either.
I do have a Shona name. No middle name. And I insist on being called by it.
English is my strongest written and spoken language yet there are certain things deep in me that i can only express in Shona.
I do not feel safe in the bush.
But I do like the idea of doing a ‘safe’ safari.
I use kombis daily.
My first tourist experience was not in my own country.
I love maheu, mazhanje and maputi.
I have bathed in rivers and buckets, bathtubs and showers.
I often re-discover how “black” I am when I am around white people and how “white” I am around some black people.
I am a pretty good dancer depending on who is watching.
I find foreign politics way more interesting.
I proudly recognize as Zimbabwean. Except at visa offices where it is treated like a bad credit record.
I can more easily name American and European celebrities than African ones.
I love authors from Nigeria, Zimbabwe and South Africa.
I love Black Panther. And Thor. And Captain America.
I really enjoyed my first Zimbabwean movie; Yellow Card.
I do not enjoy most Nigerian movies.
I feel strongly about Africa being exploited by the West. And the East.
I can proudly explain to you my thoughts about decolonization
But I would probably get lost on the way to my rural home.

I am all these things.
I am more than a product of colonization
And I may never be the poster child of an African ideology.

But I am African.