Wander and Weave

Christmas in Japan vs Christmas in Zimbabwe: Two Worlds, One Festive Spirit Christmas is officially in the air, and lately I’ve been getting the same question over and over again: “So… what are your Christmas plans this year?” Being in Japan, far from home, that question always makes me pause, smile, and reflect. And just like that, I thought, why not turn this into a Wander and Weave story? Because if there’s one thing worth talking about, it’s how wildly different, yet beautifully meaningful, Christmas feels in Japan compared to my home country, Zimbabwe. Let’s start with Japan. Christmas here is festive, magical, and sparkly, but not in the way many of us Africans know it. Interestingly enough, Christmas is not a national holiday in Japan. With only about one percent of the population identifying as Christian, the day itself holds very little religious significance. Yet somehow, the country still manages to celebrate it with an enthusiasm that could easily fool a first-time visitor ...

“Whispers of the Women” — A Poem for 16 Days of Activism In the quiet corners of our villages, behind closed doors in our cities, there are women whose stories sit heavy on their tongues. They walk with straight backs but broken hearts, their courage wrapped in silence, their hope tucked beneath bruised ribs. AnaMai vedu, mothers of our land, taught to swallow pain like bitter herbs, to keep the home together no matter how their own spirits bend. “Tsungirira,” they were told, endure, as if endurance was a birthright, as if suffering was stitched into their skin like ancestral cloth. Every day, a sister becomes a shadow. Her laughter dims, her dreams wilt before they bloom. Somewhere in Harare, in Chitungwiza, in Bulawayo, a woman wipes tears before the children wake, whispering "Mwari pindirai" God, intervene, because the world has not heard her cry. She hides the truths that burn her throat: the slap that echoes louder at midnight, the words that wound deeper than fists, th...

A Taste of Home: Where to Find Authentic Zimbabwean Traditional Cuisine Today, I woke up with that sudden, dangerous kind of nostalgia, the one that starts in your stomach before it hits your heart. Out of nowhere, I found myself craving muboora, fish stew, mazondo, and of course, the one love that has never broken my heart: sadza. If you know me well, you already know this is not new information. My relationship with sadza is deeper than some people’s relationships. I’ve never pretended otherwise. Living far from home has its beautiful moments, but nothing humbles you faster than missing the taste of real Zimbabwean traditional cuisine. You can travel the world, eat sushi in Tokyo or pasta in Rome, but the first spoon of muboora from back home? Ah… that’s a hug for the soul. So today, I’m taking you on a little culinary tour, a guide to some of the best places serving Zimbabwe’s beloved traditional dishes. Some of these places I’ve personally visited, others I’ve admired from afar th...

  Cosy Winter, Cottage-Core Dreams: My Style Diary for the Cold Season Winter has officially arrived, and this year I promised myself one thing: I am choosing comfort. The soft, warm, “I could nap anywhere” kind of comfort. The kind of comfort that still looks cute, stylish, intentional, and just a tiny bit magical, you know, that cottage-core softness that makes you look like you own a little cabin in the woods even though you’re really just rushing for the last train in Tokyo. That’s the vibe I’m carrying into this season. Every winter, fashion lovers have to make that choice: do we want to be warm, or do we want to be stylish? This year, I’m refusing to choose. I am wrapping myself in thick textures, warm colours, knitted miracles, and fluffy coats that feel like hugs from heaven. Winter may try its best to humble me, but my outfits will be telling a different story. Let’s start with the oversized coat, my entire personality from December to March. There is something empowerin...

Voices That Stir the Soil: Zimbabwean Poets & Spoken Word Artists Making Waves If you’ve ever sat in a dim-lit room and felt a poem crawl under your skin, rearrange your emotions, then walk out like it owns the place… congratulations, you’ve met a Zimbabwean poet. Zimbabwe’s poetry scene is not just alive, it is loud, courageous, and fearlessly creative. It carries the weight of history, the rhythm of the streets, and the fire of a generation determined to be heard. These artists are traveling continents, winning prestigious awards, shifting narratives, and reminding the world that Zimbabwean storytelling is not only surviving, it is thriving. Today on Wander and Weave, we’re celebrating four powerful voices shaping the future of Zimbabwean poetry and spoken word. 1. Batsirai Chigama — The Trailblazer With a Thousand Candles Batsirai Chigama is one of those poets whose words feel like they found you before you found the book. An award-winning spoken word poet, short story writer, a...

  “The Weight Our Mothers Carried” They grew up in a world that taught them to swallow their words. “Sunga muromo.” Hold your tongue. Keep quiet. Good women do not speak. Good women do not question. Good women endure. Our African mothers walked through fire; barefoot, soft-spoken, but carrying mountains on their backs. A generation taught to suck it in, to bury bruises beneath church hats and hide heartbreak in the folds of their wrappers. They lived in homes where silence was survival, where a woman raising her voice was “too forward,” where crying out was rebellion, and rebellion was shame. They were told to stay. Stay because marriage is an altar you don’t walk away from. Stay because your children need both parents. Stay because “Murume ndiye musoro wemusha.” The man is the head of the home. Even when that head brought thunder. Our mothers carried the weight of expectations stitched into their skin like ancestral embroidery. They endured: Gender-based violence whispered away as...