United States Department of State - Travel Warning - Zimbabwe
Went to school with some Rhodesians...err..Zimbabweans. The Rhodesians had this incredible accent. They sounded similar to QEII speaking to Parliament. They were not the same as the other Commonwealth British students in disposition, with the exception of the Kiwis. As I recall they possessed an aristocratic aire to the point that you questioned if they were farmers.
They recalled the day The Benevolent One took over. They literally woke up to all the street signs changed in the cities, especially the capital of Salsbury...err...Harare. My friends that lived on the farms were unaffected but knew their time was coming. They frequently talked of black bigotry that went unreported in the western press. Recently, I've heard of raping and pillaging by the revolutionary guard. I pray they got out and are safe. The farms that were once most productive in Africa have gone to pieces. Socialism and state-sponsored racism has ruined the economy.
Zimbabwe is JimCrow In Reverse and has a sign that says "Don't let the sun set on your white *ss in this country."
I have many Rhodesian friends, and a few Zimbabwean friends who are white and coloured. You're right about the accent thing. Sometimes what comes out of their mouth will make the PC crowd's hairs stand on end. Then some are just outright hostile and racist. If they ever give a black man a compliment it is well earned by that man. Mugabe gets away with murder in the press unless I happen to turn on the BBC and see something being covered. Otherwise, Mugabe goes unnoticed and that is the Zimbabweans' chief complaint black,white and otherwise. Now the white farmers of Zimbabwe will just have to get in line behind the Sudanese christians in terms of how much the media cares about them, which is zero.