THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, June 25, 1995 TAG: 9506230044
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEPHEN HARRIMAN, TRAVEL EDITOR
LENGTH: Short : 46 lines
WOULD YOU LIKE a Zimbabwean pen pal? Or three?
You'll have to send ball-point pens first. I expect they'll write.
I met these three wonderfully polite young men - about 12 to 14 years old I'd guess - in the little town of Chivhu in east-central Zimbabwe. We had stopped for refreshments, and they were ostensibly selling bananas. For about 5 cents apiece, U.S. money, near as I could figure.
But mostly they wanted to talk. They wanted to know where we lived and what it was like there.
They also wanted to know if we had any extra ball-point pens. They needed them for school.
I promised I'd send some. Each gave me his name, carefully printed on a piece of scrap paper.
And was there anything else?
``Books or magazines,'' they replied.
What were they interested in reading about?
``Sports . . . football . . . and wrestling.''
You know, I said, our football is different then your football. We call your football soccer.
``Yes, we know. We want to read about American football. You know, with the heads, where the helmet would be.
If you have any spare pens, or any magazines that boys would like to read, here are the addresses of three who would be most grateful:
Mudzingwa Mhuruda
16 Lords Road
Chivhu, Zimbabwe
Israel Makamure
Stand No. I.84
Chivhu, Zimbabwe
Mexico Dongo
Plot F 70
Commandant Street
Chivhu, Zimbabwe by CNB