Thursday, July 25, 2013 – Hwange, Zimbabwe

yellow hornbill (banana bird)

wavy ruts through the thick sand at Hwange

baboon family group

white-backed vulture


old wind-powered pump for the animals, but the elephants kept pushing it over, and then, when that problem was solved, people came and stole the copper wiring

Southern Crowned Crane

Southern Crowned Cranes

fish eagle trying to catch his prey

black-backed jackal

black-backed jackals

guinea fowl

ostriches

ostrich

tiny crowned crane?

Ngamo village houses

skulls and horns of ruminants found in the park

Ngamo village houses

one of the living huts for teachers

Ngamo village children


Ngamo Primary School children


Ngamo school children sing us a welcoming song

Ngamo Primary School children
school welcome song

Sidumilise, Yolanda, Langelile, and Lumelihe

Lumelihe

Yolanda

Langelile

Sidumilise

3rd grade teacher and our hostess Miss Nvela Moyo

Ngano Primary School buildings

Martha & Arthur presenting school gifts to Miss Nvela Moyo

Scott & Monica presenting school gifts to Miss Nvela Moyo

Winston & Polly Anna presenting school gifts to Miss Nvela Moyo

Marilyn Herel presenting school gifts to Miss Nvela Moyo

June & Arthur Kay, and Marian Moran

Judith Blecha presenting school gifts to Miss Nvela Moyo

Laura & Ken Westray, and Janet Shi


Janet Shi and Marilyn Herel
3rd grade class

3rd grade class
3rd grade class? sings "BINGO Was His Name"



3rd grade class dancing
3rd grade class dancing


Sibusisiwe

older kids

boys show us a stomping dance
boys show us a stomping dance

Nomasonto

Miss Nvela Moyo shows us the school garden
Word in Ndele | Pronunciation | Meaning |
Icici | itzitzi | earring |
Umchilowanmakhosikazi | rainbow | |
Ixhegu | i*hegu | grandfather |
Ixhiba | i*hiba | bedroom |
Uxakuxaku | u*aku*aku | apple |
Uchago | ukagu | milk |
Salibonani | salibonani | hello |
Livukile | livukile | good morning |
Litshonile | litshonile | good afternoon |
Hamba kuhle | hamba kuhle | goodbye |
When someone in the village is ill, they go to the local traditional healer. The villagers feel that ill people are possessed. They do have some modern medicines, but will not go to the hospital. They will go to a nearby clinic set up by Spanish doctors.
One third of the children we saw in the school are orphans from AIDS. It was taboo to use condoms. Now there is better education and better health.
Voting booths for elections are put up in the primary school. You must be 18 years old to vote.
Four different villages (with about 1,500 people) use the school. Some children must walk 3 kilometres to school. They are thinking of making local kindergardens in each village so the youngest ones won’t have to walk.
This particular group of buildings is Chief Johnson’s homestead of 13 families. There are 70 homesteads in the entire village.
They grow maize, sorghum, millet, nuts, melons, cattle, goats, and donkeys.

teacher's quarters

outdoor produce at the grocery store

ladies of the Ngamo village

the Ngamo grocery store

Monica Shephard, Laura Westray, Marian Moran, Scott Shephard, and Winston Padgett listen to Ngamo village chief Johnson

more ladies of Ngamo village

Ngamo village chief Johnson

Mrs. Johnson

at the left is the general meeting hut

two ladies and Marian Moran in the communal meeting hut

Mrs. Johnson and her granddaughter

Chief Johnson, Mrs. Johnson, and their granddaughter

Chief Johnson and Abraham (Abi) Nyoni

cupboard ledges and walls are made from termite mound "cement"

outdoor communal cooking area

Themba, one of the sons of chief Johnson, shows a gourd in the kitchen and dining area of the communal hut to Laura Westray and Marilyn Herel

giraffe mural painted by another one of Chief Johnson's sons, Yusa
Martha will invite Themba and Saziso to come to the US for a visit. Themba (b 19790) is the oldest son of Chief and Mrs. Johnson, and Saziso is his wife.

antelope mural painted by another one of Chief Johnson's sons, Yusa

Chief Johnson's living room

Judith Blecha and Marilyn Herel admire the family photographs in Chief Johnson's living room

doorway to the master bedroom, with custom wooden cabinets on the right. The wall is made of termite mound cement, so it can be shaped to suit

master bedroom

master bedroom with crib for the new grandchild

Laura Westray at the village tourist market

village tourist market

lady showing off her wares at the village tourist market

gnu (wildebeest)

elephants

elephants sheltering the babies

two baby elephants rush to catch up


elephants sheltering the babies

black-backed jackal

secretary bird? or bustard?

hippos

giraffe

Kafue camp's communal deck

swimming pool on Kafue camp's communal deck with elephants coming to drink

Kafue camp's communal deck

elephants drinking at Kafue camp's swimming pool

mom put down some water so the baby could reach it and drink


drummers

chef Jerry

Winston Padgett, Scott Shephard, Polly Anna Randol, Monica Shephard, and Marian Moran at the goodbye bonfire

dancing

dancing

dancers, including Cynthia and Douglas

Martha Luehrmann and _

Arthur Luehrmann, Monica Shephard, Polly Anna Randol, chef Jerry, Ken & Laura Westray, Scott Shephard, June & Arthur Kay at the farewell dinner