A new wave of Irish emigrants to Zimbabwe has helped breathe life into the country’s expatriate community, which had dwindled because of the country’s ongoing political and economic turmoil.
Zimbabwe’s Irish diaspora, which dates back to the 1900s, peaked between the 1960s and 1980s. Aside from the representatives of Catholic orders who travelled to Rhodesia, as Zimbabwe was known before its independence in 1980, many of the earlier generations of Irish were enticed by the promise of economic opportunities and adventure.
Postcolonial Zimbabwe has faced numerous challenges since 2000, and the Irish community has shrunk as a result, according to Garrett Killilea, Ireland’s Honorary Consul. “Unfortunately, the Zimbabwean economy has gone through a period of change from which it has not yet recovered,” he told researchers from the UCD Clinton Institute for American Studies. “This resulted in a migration of Irish people to greener pastures and a reduction in the numbers” to about 1,200 Irish people.
Zimbabwe’s economic collapse in 2009 led to hyperinflation, wiping out many people’s savings and pensions. A lot of the older Irish people who stayed in their adopted homeland have been left destitute, says Killilea, who puts their number at about 200.
The Clinton Institute researchers, who published their work last year as Supporting the Next Generation of the Irish Diaspora, concluded that this vulnerable Irish generation could be the last, given the unpredictability of the Zimbabwean economy.
New influx
But despite the question marks that hang over the country’s political and economic future, the southern African nation has stabilised somewhat in the past five years. This has led to a small but noticeable influx of Irish, many of whom work in the development sector or are partners of people who do.
At the heart of Zimbabwe's Irish community is Mashonaland Irish Association. Emma McCluskey is the Lurgan-born president of the organisation, which is one of the oldest Irish expatriate groups in the world, dating back to 1891. She says it has more than 400 Irish passport holders on its database. The society has become an important meeting place for companionship, cultural interaction and help for those in need.
“We do our best to bring as many sections of the community together for our events, and, in particular, we reach out to the elderly, vulnerable and the religious,” says McCluskey, whose husband works for an NGO. The association’s efforts include delivering food hampers twice a year to its over-70s.
Una Breathnach moved to Zimbabwe from Co Louth in the early 1980s to teach in rural communities. She says those early years were exhilarating. “It was an exciting time to teach in Zimbabwe. Our students, many of whom were ex-freedom fighters, and as old as we were, viewed education as the gateway to a better, more secure future.”
She says Zimbabwe has been kind to her and her family. Despite the “changing economic and social circumstances, the day-to-day battle over the lack of power and running water, the deteriorating infrastructure, high inflation and unemployment”, she says, “we have loved living here. The bush, the wildlife, the sunshine, the friends we have made, and the slower pace of life are all very important to us. Our children, Seán, Clare and Dáire, have all left over the years to attend university in Ireland and the UK. Clare returned to Zimbabwe last year and has very comfortably fitted back into life here.”
Breathnach and her husband, Tony Cullen, aren’t sure if they’ll return to Ireland. “We like to think we will,” she says, “but for now Zimbabwe is home.”
Galway to Harare
A more recent arrival is Suzie Rhodes, from Dunmore, Co Galway. She moved to the country in 2010 with her Zimbabwean boyfriend, Michael, after first visiting the country on holiday with him, in 2008. Last year they married in true African style, with three elephants following Suzie down the aisle.
Zimbabwe could be overwhelming at the start, when she was faced with power cuts, water shortages, and empty supermarket shelves. But the 30-year-old says that life has improved since then – once her visa was sorted out she got a job at a preschool in Harare – and she now has a large circle of friends. Indeed, the country has changed her for the better, she believes.
“I was never really an adventurous type of person. If you’d told me nine years ago I’d be living in Zimbabwe now I would have looked at you funny. But living here has brought me out of my shell a fair bit,” she says.
“If we get a week off we often head out of town. Even though we do this a lot I’m still seeing new parts of Zimbabwe. We go to a houseboat on Lake Kariba to fish or we go to places along the Zambezi river to stay. Groups of 10 to 15 of us go, and we bring everything with us.
“If we stay in Harare we get together for barbecues and have a few beers,” she says. “It’s a very similar social scene as you have in Ireland, having a few drinks and a laugh with your friends. There isn’t a huge music scene, but there are a few festivals each year, like the Harare International Festival of the Arts, that are great fun.”
Although there are concerns about the economy and politics, Rhodes says, their day-to-day lives have not been adversely affected. “If you overthink it you’d get very stressed out,” she says. “But, saying that, you do watch what is happening. Zimbabwe has a very interesting political history. We all watch and discuss what is going on.”
