Lelo Nxumalo

The last time I fought back tears at an airport was when I first left my home country, Zimbabwe, a decade ago. In a very short space of time (2 months), Vietnam had become a home away from home (away from home) for me. As such, it was difficult bidding farewell to the many friendly people I had met. In this post I pay tribute to them as well as reflect on what I learned while doing my internship at the Fulbright Economics Teaching Program in Saigon. My first days were difficult as I was not only fighting jet-lag but also wondered what I had just thrown myself into. (An international internship is a requirement for graduation in my program at the Harvard Kennedy School). I have  already blogged about why I chose Vietnam. It became apparent to me that I would stand out the day I arrived in Saigon. Outside Tan Son Nhat International Airport I was greeted by curious faces, many of whom probably had never seen a black man before. I shuffled through the inquisitive crowd to find ...

After presiding over economic decline marked by hyperinflation which brought Zimbabwe to its knees, president Mugabe and his Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) party have emerged as victors in the recent harmonized elections in Zimbabwe. Mugabe got 61% of the vote and his ZANU-PF party won 158 of the 210 parliament seats, giving it a two-thirds majority in the legislature. In order to understand what this means for Zimbabwe’s future, the Harvard Africa Policy Journal has obtained an exclusive telephone interview with the outgoing member of parliament of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) from Bulawayo, Mr. David Coltart. Read more here