My Personal Childhood Web

In my attempt to Create a space on my blog dedicated especially to the people who nurtured and cared about when I was a child. I found that as an African you can almost include everyone. In the African culture you have so many  father so many mothers and brothers all who nurture and care for you. The lady in the market, my mum’s sisters her friends all played the role of mother. I then realised I had to narrow this down and focus on at least five people that stood out for me. However as you read this blog you will realise I failed to stick to the intended five as some of them came in pairs.                             

My parents definitely fall into the group of people who nurtured and loved, a lot of them is in me. I could never tell them apart they were always of one mind, hence why I will talk about them as one. Although I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth my parents empowered me with an imagination to live like I was born with one. Hard work and perseverance where the principals my father would always remind me of. At an early age I learnt to dream I believed with hard work I could get what I dreamt of.  I was daddies little girl I remember going to his office and he would always introduce my sister and I as his princesses. He would back this up with stories about our ancestors who where royalty. My daddy is an amazing man and my mum was his greatest supporter. As a child they gave me a picture of the family  I wanted when I grew up.

Tonderai Mazhude, I would label him as the world’s number one baby sitter he was one of the few people I interacted with outside of my family . He would baby sit my sister and I without fail in august, the time I would return the holiday from boarding school. This was the one time we would get to go to the big city to attend the Harare agriculture exhibition show. I remember Looking forward to watching the gold fish in the pond by my dad’s office and Tonderai would wait until we were done. Tonderai would then walk around with us I would look up and feel so proud I wanted to be just as tall as he was and be just like him. I have always wondered why Tonderai stood out for me as a child. I guess Tonderai gave us his time and he was attached to an event I looked forward to each year.  Tonderai would let us talk and talk it was always my agenda I would tell him where I wanted to go which exhibitions we wanted to attend and he would take us.

My baby brother Alexander is interestingly part of my web. Although he is nine years younger than me he had a lot to offer me as a child. My mother allowed me to be a part of the process in raising him up. The most significant thing or me was that the name my sister and I had chosen was the one they gave him, that sealed the deal I was family it showed me what I said mattered. He also gave me something to look forward to when I came back from boarding school. I was able to play my role as the helper in my family changing his nappy, feeding, him. And when he would smile back at me I knew my baby brother loved me back he made me feel special.  

My big brother Tonderai, also gave me something to look forward to when he came back home from boarding school, the package usually came with my Uncle Cletus. He always had a joke for us. I knew the moment I saw them walk through the gate he was going to make me laugh and the best part was he laughed with us. He was the cool uncle he still is.