
After travelling to Zambia a couple of weeks ago, it seemed fitting when I came to Zimbabwe, to see the grave of the man who (for a while) gave his name to both countries - Northern Rhodesia and Rhodesia. Cecil John Rhodes is buried at the top of a gently rising rock dome in Matopos, less than an hour's drive from Bulawayo. (My sister will tell you "gently rising" is a relative term). Rhodes' tomb is sunk into the stone and guarded by enormous boulders with only a simple brass plaque bearing his name. Whatever you may think of the man, his resting place is truly majestic.
Then Thando's dad showed us a large cave, large enough for several pre-historic families. There were rock paintings on the walls. I last saw one of those in Mrs. Sawyer's Class 4 history class. Imagine how much poorer we'd be if the artist's mother had yelled at him and said, "The next time I catch you drawing on the walls you'll be sleeping outside!"
Then Thando's dad showed us a large cave, large enough for several pre-historic families. There were rock paintings on the walls. I last saw one of those in Mrs. Sawyer's Class 4 history class. Imagine how much poorer we'd be if the artist's mother had yelled at him and said, "The next time I catch you drawing on the walls you'll be sleeping outside!"