Zororo/ Rest

By Ashley Simango

Shona, one of the many Zimbabwean languages 

 

A Pre-colonial language free from any bias 

 

It screams diversity, it shouts culture 

 

But more than anything, 

 

It is pregnant with meaning 

 

Meaning that took form in one simple word for me, ‘zororo’ 

 

 

 

Zororo, a word that is a world on its own 

 

The most direct translation being ‘rest’ 

 

Rest, peace, quiet, tranquility, that sums up ‘zororo’  

 

22 February 2023,

 

The most ironic day 

 

The sun had not even come out of hiding 

 

yet my tears were already flowing. 

 

With an unbelieving mind and shaky heart

 

 felt without peace, tranquility, l was restless,

 

 l was without zororo!

 

A day with and without this word 

 

A day with and without ‘zororo’ 

 

 

 

A day with and without ‘zororo’? 

 

A restless day it was indeed 

 

But he rested in peace! 

 

A day that was void of any peace 

 

But still, he rested in peace! 

 

The irony lay in that he who took the peace, rested in peace 

 

It is during days like the 22nd of February that l needed a word of courage 

 

I needed a word of motivation, l needed advice. 

 

As the southern Sotho speakers of Africa would have it, l needed Moeletsi, an advisor. 

 

An advisor to maybe bring back a bit of the peace 

 

An advisor to maybe bring back a bit of the tranquility 

 

Moeletsi, to bring back the ‘zororo’! 

 

22 March, 2023