Rebirth: (noun) the action of reappearing or starting to flourish or increase after a decline; revival.
The rainy season in Zimbabwe has always reminded me of The Lion King. In the second act of the
Disney flick, the Pride Lands fall into hard times, and everything is dry and barren. After Simba fights
his corrupt uncle, Scar, for his rightful place of king, there is a great fire that burns everything and
then a purifying rain that washes away the bitterness of Scar’s rule. In the final scene, a verdant
landscape is reborn.
Because Zimbabwe has a savanna climate, our lawns tend toward a dry, brown hue without constant
watering and most lawns are driest in October, the hottest month of the year. Then in November, the
heavens open and it rains. After two bouts of healthy thunderstorms, the landscape changes—lawns
once brown are verdant, birds chirp and insects buzz, for those on farms and in rural areas, fruit
trees burst with increase and maize plants flourish.
Thus, barring drought and famine, Zimbabwe always enters a new year with a feeling of physical and
seasonal rebirth. Rebirth can also apply to life situations—a first love after heartbreak, a first job after
years of searching, the shooting of a bamboo plant after five years of watering. The list goes on.
For our fourth issue, and the first of 2023, Ipikai invites Zimbabwean poets to submit their poems in English, Shona, and Ndebele, on the theme of rebirth, revival or renewal.
Click here for submission details.
Outgoing Editor
Tariro Ndoro