“The night has gone and with the morning,

Come rays of hope that lead us on,

So we will strive to give our children,

A brighter day where they belong

Now flies the flag our nations glory,

We’ll live with pride, inside our heart,

As we all stand to build our nation,

This our land, our Zimbabwe”

-Henry Olonga, Our Zimbabwe

I was going to refrain from posting about Mugabe resigning because it seemed a little foreign to me. It felt fraudulent… after all I left the country in 2004 when I was 12.

But this evening, I remembered this song. I remember singing it with my Gran on the way to Highlands school. I remember saying that I wanted it to be our national anthem one day. I remember being in awe that my favourite cricketer was also a singer, and that he had made this song.

I also remember how sad I was when we decided to leave Zim. I remember how difficult it was to adjust to life in South Africa. I remember having to say bye to my friends, my school and my home. And I know this is the case for millions of Zimbabweans across the world.

It’s been a long time since I was back in Zim. But I know that one day I will return. One of the reasons I decided to study development economics was because one day I would go back and help rebuild. It’s going to be a long and difficult road from here, but I know that there are many people who will join on this journey.

We might all be in foreign lands, but we know that Zimbabwe is where our heart will always lie. And nothing captures that more perfectly than this verse from the song:

“Though I may go to distant borders,

My soul will yearn for this my home,

For time and space may separate us

And yet she holds my heart alone”

Mugabe might have scattered us across the world, but one day soon we will all return home.

Image is the Zimbabwe flag