The Market
I became an entrepreneur, selling clothes out of the boot of my car and buying vegetables from the market women. Taking the produce home, I had my helper, Fungisai to help me sell them. For the first time in a very long time l had cash; l did not need to go to line up at the bank for hours, waiting for rationed money and l was fulfilled. The borehole got fixed and l had water running through my taps again. l also had lots of vegetables and fresh produce, and I was literally 25km away from the market. My life changed, and l was opened up to a different view to life, which was so fascinating to me. Those who felt that education provided the means for a better life were sort of wrong, because there was another way. These humble, happy, hardworking, smiling women taught me what real life was. Their day started as early as 3AM and by 9AM they had finished their work and were back to their golden domains. And here l was in the midst of this wealth of knowledge, and a tight knit circle where it served its industry well. The women from the city of Harare came early to buy this produce to resell. They would buy at a low cost and mark up at a higher cost, which was really unfair to the hard working small scale farmers.
The Domboshava produce was sold in the high density suburbs. What a well oiled machine the market business was. The market was a hub; men, women, children, cows, scotch carts, cow dung, vegetables and produce of all sorts were on display - A total buzz of activity. I was sucked in, l loved it, it was euphoric, mesmerizing, spiritual; it gave me a sense of community, friendship and business acumen. All these feelings in one dusty fenced spot in the open air. All kinds of cars, busses and trucks passed through this center. Shops, bottle stores and a home industry surrounded this hub of activity. I made lots of loyal customers who became good friends. l also got the trust of this community. Even though I was an outsider, l shared in their space and made some good money. My life improved in a split second, so to speak!
The most sacred time for me was the drive from my home, as early as 4 AM, and seeing the sunrise. It gave me a sense of hope and gratitude. It gave me peace and a time to appreciate and commune with the environment.