Between this year and last year, I think this is the first time I’ve ever been a little worried about our travels. In so many ways the things going on here greatly resemble Zimbabwe, yet I don’t feel as safe here. I’ve read so many books and articles about the Civil Rights Movement in the United States and in Harare, but I have never been in the midst of one while it was occurring. The students here are protesting in opposition to the government and their efforts to re-write the Constitution and re-shape the quality of life here. As the students have been showing their solidarity, the government has had it’s own set of supporters that have tended to always show up and act as aggressors towards the students. We were out trying to see the town on our rest day and some students got together and started an impromptu rally in the city center. The Embassy official with us immediately began to rush us away so that we would not be misconstrued as opponents to the government’s rule and potentially treated harshly.

If the word spreads that a protest against the government is imminent, it is highly likely that the President here will shut down the streets and halt all transportation so that people cannot travel to the protest sites. It’s a bit unsettling for me because I’m in a foreign land and I can’t effectively speak the language. In addition to all of that, I don’t get the feeling that they like Americans. I have stories that support my belief, but I’ll save that for another time.

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