Matopo est un parc National ou de curieuses formations geologiques de granite donnent un caractere sacre au site. Parseme d'etangs, de cavernes et de plusieurs animaux, toute une histoire s'y cache. C'est ici que les sorciers et villageois de la region de Bulawayo se rassemblaient afin d'implorer les Dieux/Deesses de la pluie. C'est egalement en cet endroit que le premier colon anglais du Zimbabwe s'est vu enterre; Cecil Rhodes.

Matopo, National Park is a very unique geological site made of granite. Walking through its magic brings one through prehistorical caves, ponds and a variety of flora and fauna that explains its popularity amongst many civilizations. It is here that traditional healers would imlore the gods and godesses of rain. You can even find Cecil Rhodes tumb stone, for the romantics.

Marcher et grimper au travers des diverses formations geologiques, on est tente de s'assoir, de mediter. Tout se reveille, les lezards sortent de centre des rochers et les "wildabeest" s'approchent de l'eau risquant une attaque des crocodiles.

Hiking around, sitting, just contemplating, embracing the music of this place, I was surprised by the visit of a few creatures. Small reptiles crawling out of the rocks and wildabeests approaching the water for a drink, being wary of the crocodile's presence.

La preuve que les Bushmen y ont bel et bien vecu sont ces reliques artistiques qu'ils ont laisse derriere. Ces pauvres ont du quittere les terres fertiles qu'ils habitaient un peu partout, chasses par des civilisations plus developpees. Aujourd'hui, on ne retrouve les Bushmen que dans le desert du Kulahari ou ils ont conserve leur culture et tradition de nomade.

The intangible proof of the Bushmen's presence in the area are their artistic "fresco" left behind. These guys were chased from just about any fertile land that they could get a hand on by more developed civilizations. We can still find Bushmen in the Kulahari Desert where they have maintained their traditional ways of nomads. Henry, our friend from Cape Town, had a chance to get glimpse at them just a few hundred km on the coastline north of Cape Town. they are well known to have no interest in mixing with people of ohter traditions.

A la suite d'un colonialisme sans merci, le Zimbabwe est fier de pouvoir introduire ce cote de son histoire aux visiteurs. On dit meme que ce sont les ruines les plus imposantes decouvertes aud sud du Sahara.

Following a harsh colonialism, it is easy to feel how proud Zimbabweens are to guide visitores throufh this exciting period of their history. THese ruins are known to be the most impressive ones south of the Sahara.

Zimbabwe signifie "Great Stone House" et derive des evidences archeoligiques decouvertes attestant la presence d'une grande civilisation ayant pris place entre le 12eme et le 15eme siecle. Une cite de plus de dix milles habitants faisait le commerce avec le Zaire et meme la Chine en echange de son or. Le totem de l'aigle aurait guide cette population sur ce site.

The word Zimbabwe means "Great Stone Buildings" from archeological discovery of the evidence of a highly developed civilization that had taken place on its soil in between the 12th and 15th century. A city of over ten thousands people tradin with Zaire and as far as china in exchange of their gold. The Eagle Totem of its people would have had guided them to this site located just 25 km outside of Masvingo.

Il est difficile de ne pas remarquer la pauvrete de cette societe moderne. Mugabe, veteran de la guerre d'independance et actuel president a tranquillement mene son peuple vers la pauvrete au cours des vingt dernieres annees. Le dollar Zim est passe du status de devise forte a presque rien. Il semble que la popularite de Mugabe ait en consequence considerablement chutee. Il s'occupe donc en ce moment a retarder les elections en creant une crise politique interne. Il n'y epagne rien: perte de vies civiles, militaires et instabilite economique. L'inflation des derniers mois a atteint plus de 70% alors que les salaires restent les memes et que la devise n'est pas devaluee. Merci a l'expertise economique de Mugabe. Plusieurs disent qu'il est devenu senile et qu'il etait un vrai hero pour eux. Le Zimbabwe a une population a majorite noire avec une faible minorite de blancs(5%) et d'asiatiques(?). Il est vrai que la minorite blanche se retrouve en possession des meilleurs fermes du pays, mais une cooperation en vue du transfert de ces terres avec compensations smeblerait plus raisonnalbe qu'une guerre civile. Une jeune anglaise dont le pere es decedee, a la suite des recents evenements s'est retrouvee heritiaires d'une devise inexportable et sans valeur; d'une ferme pillee et occupee. Tous les noirs auxquels j'ai parle deplorent la situation actuelle ayant des interets dans le domaine touristique. En lisant les journaux locaux par contre on se rend compte que ce n'est pas l'avis de tous et Mugabe continue de faire sensation dans certains milieux ruraux.

Poverty is omnipresent in Zimbabwe. Its President and veteran of its war for independance, Mugabe, has slowly conducted this modern society towards a third world status. Indeed its currency, the Zim dollar has plunged and loses its value avery hour, as they like to say. A totaly artifical exhange rate is maintained at the moment. These economical difficulties are affecting Mugabe's popularity and he is keeping busy at reversing this phenomenon. So far he has only come up with the idea of creating a political crises in which he could come out of as a hero, while reporting the elections. Military and civil lives are being lost as a result and the economy is falling further into the abyss of a no man's land. Inflation has reached 70% in the past few months, while salaries have remained the same. Only the civil servants have seen their salary increase. Since Mugabe didn't have money to pay them, he decided to print more money. The value of the Zim Dollar is impossible to track down at the moment. Thanks to Mugabe's advance senility, as some like to think. He used to be hero for its people, what has happened? Zimbabwe's population comprise a majority of Blacks, an Asian(?) and White(5%) minority. While it is true that the best land is owned by Whites, it sure seems that a cooperation including some form of compensation would be preferable to any civil war. A young british woman whose father was killed in the recent days, found herself inheriting of a very weak and inexportable currency as well as a fertile piece of land, destroyed and occupied by the war veterans.