Harare is the capital of Zimbabwe.
Understand
Its name is a derivative of a Shona tale. A King was seriously ill and his subjects thought that he was not going to 'sleep' and live another day. In Shona 'Ha a rare' literally means He will not sleep. And the place where the sick king lived became to be known as 'Chikomo che HA A RARE' meaning the mountain where he won't sleep.
Harare is home to some two million people, with most in central Harare but some 500,000 in the surrounding districts of Rural Harare, Chintungwiza and Epworth. Once a city of modern buildings, wide thoroughfares, numerous parks and gardens, it is now in increasing disrepair thanks to Zimbabwe's economic downward spiral.
Get in
By plane
Harare's airport is the major gateway for flights into the country. Air Zimbabwe also operates a small network of domestic flights. International flights are easily available, with Air Zimbabwe with flights direct to London and Johannesburg. In recent times Air Zimbabwe flights often had to be cancelled due to a lack of spare parts and fuel. Flights are however more frequent now foreign airliners include South African Airways and low-fare Kulula.com , both flying from South Africa's Johannesburg International Airport.
By car
A National Road from Johannesburg allows easy access. Buses are easily available ranging from greyhound to the local ones for those saving
Get around
Although the best option to get around is by car, it can become difficult, as there are fuel shortages in Zimbabwe.
Since Zimbabwe redistributed farms, there have been limited exports, meaning there is no foreign currency available to import fuel into Zimbabwe. All gas stations in the country have been closed since about 2004, and the only way to buy fuel is on the black market from someone who has brought it in bottles in the back of his or her car from a neighbouring country. Buying and selling fuel is illegal in Zimbabwe, so be discreet. Prices are about 30-40% higher than those in South Africa (where the bulk of smuggled fuel comes from)
Roads: The condition of the roads in Zimbabwe has deteriorated dramatically in recent years since the government has failed to maintain them. Most of the country is now without street lights. The main highways are still in a good state of repair outside of the cities - traffic is so light now that damage from trucks is minimal. You should be OK without a 4x4 unless you head into rural areas and game parks. If you enter from South Africa, be sure that your insurance waiver is valid for travel in Zimbabwe.
See
There is a strong appreciation for the city's cultural and historical heritage and a number of the older buildings have been preserved. The Mining Pension Fund Building at Central Avenue and Second Street is one example and many more are to be found along Robert Mugabe Road between Second Street and Julius Nyerere Way.
Buy
If you want to experience shopping the way it is traditionally done in many African countries, you need to stroll around at the open flea-market at Mbare. Here tourists can feast their eyes on a colourful array of baskets, food, clothing and other items.
Update: In September 2005, the government bulldozed Mbare flea market along with every other informal market in the country. Tens of thousands of people have been left homeless and without an income. The government's policy to try and cut down on informal trading has been disasterous in a country with one of the highest unemployment rates in the world.
Update no.2: By October 2006 many markets have sprung up again - includin in Mbare - although this area isn't particularly pleasant for the visitor.
Eat
Zimbabwe's Staple food is Sadza: a thick white porridge (a bit like mashed potato), that's made from corn meal. It's eaten at every meal, accompanied by vegetables or meat in some form.
In Harare there are many westernised restaurants serving European or American style food - but far more exciting are the (surprisingly cosmopolitan) outdoor cafes:
-40 Cork Road, Avondale, Harare is an outdoor cafe, art gallery, and sculpture garden. Very much the place to be seen.
-167 Enterprise Road, Chisipite, Harare - an old house converted into a restaurant with a huge garden with a pool, an art shop, gallery etc...
Drink
Try Chibuku, a popular local beer. It comes in "scuds" - large 2litre brown plastic containers. The beer is lumpy and opaque beige, but is surprisingly good, and painfully cheap.
Sleep
Try Small World Lodge in Avondale - clean and pleasant - It was still operating in October 2006 and should still be going. http://www.backpackerslodge.com/
Harare (IPA: həˈrɑreɪ] or [həˈrɑri, formerly Salisbury) is the capital of Zimbabwe. It has an estimated population 1,600,000, with 2,800,000 in its metropolitan area (2006). It is Zimbabwe's largest city and its administrative, commercial, and communications centre. It is a trade centre for tobacco, maize, cotton, and citrus fruits. Manufactures include textiles, steel, and chemicals, and gold is mined in the area. Harare is situated at an elevation of 4,865 feet (1,483 metres) and has a temperate climate.
Harare is the site of the University of Zimbabwe, the largest and most complete institution of higher learning in Zimbabwe. Despite the renaming of the city, some suburbs have retained their European names, such as Warren Park 'D', Borrowdale, Mount Pleasant, Marlborough, Tynwald and Avondale.
History
The city was founded in 1890 as a fort by the Pioneer Column, a mercenary force organized by Cecil Rhodes. The city was originally named Fort Salisbury after the 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, then British prime minister and it subsequently became known simply as Salisbury. It was declared to be a municipality in 1897 and it became a city in 1935. Salisbury was the capital of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland from 1953 to 1963.
The name of the city was changed to Harare on April 18, 1982, the second anniversary of Zimbabwean independence, taking its name from the Shona chieftain Neharawa. It is also said the name derived from the European corruption of "Haarari" ("He does not sleep"), the epithet of the chief whose citadel was located in the area known today as the Koppie. It was said that no enemy could ever launch a sneak attack on him. Prior to independence, "Harari" was the name of the Black residential area now known as Mbare.
Harare has been the location of several international summits such as the 8th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement(6 September 1986) and Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (1991). In 1995, Harare hosted most of the 6th All-Africa Games, sharing the event with other Zimbabwean cities such as Bulawayo and Chitungwiza.
In the early 21st century Harare has been adversely affected by the political and economic crisis that is currently plaguing Zimbabwe, after the contested 2002 presidential election and 2005 parliamentary elections. The elected council was replaced by a government-appointed commission for alleged inefficiency, but essential services such as rubbish collection and street repairs have rapidly worsened, and are now virtually non-existent. In May 2006 the Zimbabwean newspaper the Financial Gazette, described the city in an editorial as a "sunshine city-turned-sewage farm."
In May 2005 the Zimbabwean government demolished shantytowns in Harare and the other cities in the country in Operation Murambatsvina (Operation "Drive Out Trash"). This caused a sharp reaction in the international community because it took place without prior warning and no advance plans were made to provide alternative housing. It was widely alleged that the true purpose of the campaign was to punish the urban poor for supporting the opposition Movement for Democratic Change and to reduce the likelihood of mass action against the government by driving people out of the cities. The government claimed it was necessitated by a rise of criminality and disease.
This was followed by Operation Chikerema (Operation "Better Living") a year later which consisted of building inadequate concrete shacks with no electricity, plumbing or other infrastructure in inaccessible areas.
Sister cities
Image gallery
Image:Harare secondst.jpg|Sam Nujoma Street, view south
Image:Harare anglicanchurch.JPG|Anglican cathedral
Image:Harare.jpg|Downtown Harare
Image:Harare Africa Unity.jpg|African Unity Square (formerly Cecil Square)
See also
External links
