The Longing

Nobody from Bulawayo surfs. Indeed, it is an impossible task. But before I get ahead of myself: you may never have heard of Bulawayo, so I should probably state its genesis.

This hidden diamond lies tucked away in the south-west of Zimbabwe, and was founded in the early nineteenth century by Mzilikazi, the chief of the Ndebele. Mzilikazi was the only chief in history to defeat the great Shaka Zulu but, fearing retribution, the Ndebele nation turned their backs on the ocean, and ran. This odyssey took them 2000km into the interior, settling a landlocked capital they named Bulawayo. History chose the Ndebele as my ancestors, for reasons I only came to appreciate later in life.

Here I am, aged 12, surrounded by suburbs or bush, with no ocean in sight. My father