I felt pity, I was hurt and I boycotted

By Elias Mambo

“When you come back bring a picture of the water falls,” he said as he went to sit back on his stool, holding cell-phone recharge cards in his hands, and it was business as usual.

Being in Victoria Falls for the last four days opened my eyes to something I have always questioned. Why is it that the local people residing in an international resort destination are not even given the opportunity to enjoy facilities within their vicinity?

The old man (name supplied) has lived all his life in Victoria Falls, but never visited the falls themselves, never had a boat cruise in the cool Zambezi River, and never had an opportunity to get an eye’s view of his locality from one of the helicopters that lie unutilised during the off season.

“Whom do you think will ever allow you to board on those planes for free?” he quizzed me with suspicion.

“I have never had that boat cruise in my whole 55 years I have lived in this land, they want money and we cannot afford to pay,” he said.

“Imagine paying US$150 for a helicopter adventure when that money can buy groceries for my family for two months,” he said.

“They charge $7 to visit the falls and we cannot afford that.” “You should just bring new pictures then we can see the falls.”

Shocking as it may sound but that is how unfairly life has treated them. Residing in an area which attracts tourists from the world over but never had an opportunity to see the wonder that is amidst them.

I felt pity. I was hurt and decided to boycott my intended tour.

Elias Mambo is a journalist with the Zimbabwe Independent and this was an entry on his http://eliasmambo.blogspot.co.uk/