The Last Resort: A Memoir Of Zimbabwe (2009) - Plot & Excerpts
If you enjoyed Alexandra Fuller's memoirs of growing up in Africa, so too will you enjoy The Last Resort, which is in the same vein.I adored this portrait of life in a country where instability has been the norm and adaptation has been the key to survival. It was witty, frightening, and heartening.Incredibly well-written. This book is one of my favorite reads, and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in seeing what life is like in Zimbabwe. A great read. I was 'privileged' enough to have lived through most of the period encompassed by Roger's memoir in Zimbabwe, albeit mainly in Harare. Most of the narrative takes place in vicinity of Mutare which is quite some way off but the politics was national and the problems of hyperinflation and the attendant ills were unavoidable wherever one lived.One thing that will be evident to anyone who has read this book is that many people, white and black, were disenfranchised by the policies of the incumbent government. Taken as a purely racial demographic it has been black people of various tribal affinities who have suffered worse in terms of shear loss of life and physical displacement. Rogers alludes to this and gives an estimate of several hundred thousand or more farm labourers who were internally displaced, wandering the country like 'ghosts'. I remember seeing some of these poor souls in the countryside in the vicinity of the Selous farming district: threadbare and desperate.A few paragraphs are given over to those whites like the author's father, who feel an entitlement to be called African by virtue of their ancestors arriving on the shores of the continent several hundred years ago, viz-a-vis the Dutch-Afrikaans peoples. At that time the geopolitical landscape was nothing like it is today. European settlement in the Cape colony spread gradually further north and present day Zimbabwe was only settled by Europeans in the late 19th century. But what of it? It is this: the white tribes banded together and sought a land to call their own. Ian Smith's governement declared a Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the colonial motherland, Britain, and a great deal of effort and life was expended in a decade of civil war. Rogers does a good job of tying this all together. The inclusion of a black combatant in the narrative who survived an atrocious attack on his military training camp highlights the complexity of inter-racial politics. "One party won that war and only one party will ever rule this country" is how he put it and that pretty much sums up the state of affairs. Nothing short of another civil war to my mind will see a transition of power to another political party.One could argue that the somewhat arbitrary territorial designations of the colonial powers has had a self-reinforcing effect. However much the European powers may be denounced for doing so they did give a sense of identity to the inhabitants which preceding black leaders, Mugabe included, have sought to entrench and protect. All the same cultural affinities extend deeper than territorial ones. The former arch-enemies, the Boers and the English, were both complicit in the apartheid system of government in South Africa. It was mutually beneficial to do so. It will be interesting to see if these old allegiances are revived during future conflicts or political upheaval or if it really is the end-of-the-line for white settlement on the sub-continent. Just read the book and one will get a sense of the slow squeeze from north to south...
What do You think about The Last Resort: A Memoir Of Zimbabwe (2009)?
Interesting, sad and enjoyable read about part of the world that is a mystery to me.
—AnnaQueen
Great insight to a country I know nothing about. A courageous story.
—jestatyana
