Zimbabweans in Cyprus

Zimbabweans in Cyprus on Wednesday celebrated the country's 38th Independnece day with series of events around the island. Over time, Zimbabweans in Cyprus have been protrayed in a negative way but today, we have the opportunity to know more of the real Zim life in Cyprus.

In the wake of the deluge of negative news spread about student life for Zimbabweans in the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus, it is imperative to separate fact from fiction and set the record straight. In recent times, reports about the impossibility of a normal life for Zimbabwean nationals have circulated on social media, blogs and the press. Students (usually in the comfort of anonymity or providing first names only) stepped up to relate shocking experiences and urged parents not to send their children to North Cyprus to pursue their university studies. 

The cost of living was astronomical, they said. Female students were resorting to the world's oldest profession to make ends meet and the boys were peddling drugs, they also said. The authenticity of agencies offering scholarships on behalf of universities was questioned. Opinion was divided and parents/guardians reeled in shock and the head of the Ministry of Higher Education was inevitably turned. It all started to make sense, after all North Cyprus is a small nation on an island and Lord knows what occurs there.

However, such claims are largely unfounded and the fact that several people took them at face value is a harrowing reminder of the potency of misinformation. North Cyprus or Kibris, as the locals call it, is simply not the nightmare destination it was made out to be by keyboard warriors and media outlets who brought the profession of journalism into disrepute. 

Like any other foreign land, there will always be bumps in the process of settling down and the key thing is remembering one's purpose in the nation before anything else. Hyperbole can only birth overreaction and such was the case for several students who found themselves being told to return home by their indignant parents. To put it in context, it was back to square one for more than a few. Given the burden on Zimbabwean universities and the relatively higher tuition fees in other nations, the problems created were by no means small. And it all dates back to the time the negative news started circulating.

As for the claim that jobs are impossible to secure, it can be argued that there is no nation in the world where employment can be secured without overcoming some form of impediment. In North Cyprus, this happens to be the local language, Turkish. Few Zimbabweans take it upon themselves to learn how to communicate in Turkish and then expect to find a job with ease. Lorraine Mbewe, a lady who had been in North Cyprus as an accompanying spouse to her husband Adam Mbewe, weighed in on the question of employment and she said the following: “I enjoyed my time in North Cyprus and worked in restaurants as either a waiter or cleaner. 

Jobs can be found in Cyprus but the question is how much time one can dedicate to looking to a job and whether they are willing to work the hours or not. The problem comes when unqualified inexperienced students want to be selective when it comes to jobs. The allegations of prostitution are nonsense, I know girls who work so hard they pay their own tuition fees and accommodations costs from the income they get from." Knowing the local language can open doors for international students and Zimbabweans are no exception. 

The notion that securing employment is the only way out of the woods is another limitation for most Zimbabwean students. It is possible to be an entrepreneur and a student in North Cyprus and the presence of a sizable African community as a potential market shouldn't be lost on anyone. In fact, several Zimbabweans students have started income generating ventures which have proved to be sustainable over the years. An example is Sandra Mzenda who offers hairdressing services to the Zimbabwean populace and other African students as well. Opportunities can't come on a silver platter and students should be able to use their skills to generate income. The fact that someone studying for a degree to enter the job market is moaning about a lack of employment points to a sense of entitlement which should die a natural death if the youths are to progress and build a better Zimbabwe tomorrow.

Alleging that Zimbabwean girls are opening their legs to get by is nothing short of defamation of character and hyperbole. Firstly, such reports are normally circulated by either girls who assume higher moral ground than their fellow compatriots who are sexually active and boys frustrated they can't court girls from their motherland. In a country where not only Zimbabwean but Nigerian and Ghanaian international students reside, it is common for Zimbabwean female students to date gentlemen of other nationalities and this carries some stigma in the Zimbabwean community. West Africans are usually perceived to be richer than Zimbabweans and the immediate assumption that comes to mind is that Zimbabwean girls dating guys from that region are offering sexual favors for money. This meddling in the business of mature adults and making unfounded claims is counterproductive and is at the heart at the lack of unity in the Zimbabwean community in North Cyprus. Secondly, it is a given that in any group of students there are some who are more sexually adventurous than most. 

It is important to note that sexual activity is rampant at every university in any nation, Zimbabwean universities being far from squeaky clean in this respect as well. Stories about sexual escapades at a certain Midlands State University among others have grabbed headlines for a while. This double standard of expecting universities in Cyprus to be free of such happenings is unacceptable. Young adults have a right to make their own moral choices, good and bad. If it's some comfort to concerned parents, Pastors Hillary and Shamiso Mwale of Forward In Faith Ministries International are available to offer guidance in Kibris where they oversee the running of the church which has 3 branches across the nation.

Still, shining stars exist in the Zimbabwean community in North Cyprus. Distinguished academic high flyers break records at will with tantalizing GPAs. Entrepreneurs ply their trade. Writers, poets, thinkers, photographers, filmmakers, motivational speakers, and musicians keep the flag flying high and in 2016 the Miss Africa EMU beauty pageant was won by Nyasha Gwatidzo, a Zimbabwean student. Such news never sees the light of the day as cheap sensationalism is touted at the expense of objective reporting. 

North Cyprus isn't free of ills, but it's nothing like the hellish Sodom and Gomorrah it's made out to be in the exaggerated reports. It's time to stop looking a gift horse in the mouth and acknowledge that the North Cyprus experience will do the world of good to those who utilize the opportunities availed to them and dare to create more. Foresight and focus over complaining and contention.

REALISE MWASE