Figure 1.--The photo was taken in an evangelical mission in Rhodesia during 1904. Missionaries founded the first schools. The British colonial administration did not at first fund schools for Adreicans. The photograph shows one of the first missionary schools. The lesson took place in open air and already there was a native teacher. Most of the children wore cloths wrapped around their waists, but someone still went naked.

Zimbanwe is one of the former British colonies in southern Africa. It was formerly known as Southern Rhodesia. The first schools were European mission schools. It was a relatively prosperous colony, but we have little information on schools during the colonial era. A white-diominated government declared independence leading to a black guerrila insurection. Eventualy a black majority government under Rober Mugabe gained power, but mismanagement and corruption has wrecked the economy. Zimbabwe is one of many African countries that are poorer than during the colonial era. The result has been a poorly funded educational system, even by African standards. A British reader writes, "A sad country. It was once the bread basket of Africa. There is still lots of money in the country - provided you are from the right tribe. It has a proud, noble past and Great Zimbabwe is a testament to that. I was there in 1995. It is very English in character and I felt at home. I could have lived there them. I traveled on the railway. The amazing thing was the carriage windows still had glass bearing Rhodesia Railways! There is a steam railway presevation society in Bulawayo. Its by the railway station. An observer noting the children involved in an agriculture project here writes, "When is the rest of the world going to wake up to the disaster that is Zimbabwe? Rhodesia used to be the breadbasket of Africa but Mugabe, who practices a kind of reverse apartheid, is allowed to get away with the starving of his own people and the murder of anyone who stands in his way. He is a monster that the South African government would do well to ostracise."

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Created: 5:52 AM 2/15/2011
Last updated: 5:53 AM 2/15/2011