Home is Where the Magic Lives
People often overlook the magic in their surroundings, becoming complacent and failing to appreciate the world around them. Sometimes it takes space to fully realise and understand what a place means to you. Familiarity breeds contempt, but distance makes the heart grow fonder. This is a realisation I’ve come to as I navigate life far from the place I call home. Distance can be painful, but it can open our eyes to a world that we might have overlooked prior to being apart.
A warm welcome to the blog. I’m happy and grateful to have you here :)
Here at A Pisces Psyche, I believe in alchemy which, to me, is the art of crafting beauty from the mundane. I’ve spent a good chunk of my life living in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. I was born in the UK, and I’m currently studying there, but I can say with the most heartfelt confidence that Bulawayo is my home. It’s the city that raised me and it's the intricacies of its culture and landscape that have gifted me with this understanding of alchemy. Life in Bulawayo can feel relatively monotonous and some might say boring, but it's this nature that encourages us to seek for small gems everyday.
Bulawayo is a place of rich history. Its buildings hold the memories of its journey. However, within its boundaries lingers a feeling of sadness. It’s disheartening to see how the hands of mismanagement have impacted the city. Across the nation, the struggles we are facing are taking a toll on our infrastructure and our people.
I am excited to share my love and appreciation for Bulawayo, but I don’t want to create the impression of glossing over a very real part of its reality. There’s a lot of work, repair and management needed to turn things around, but despite its challenges, we can still find home and beauty within the midst of adversity. With this, I’ve become more intentional about recognising, appreciating and above all sharing the city’s charms. There is so much that lies beneath the surface - it's a vibrant set full of life, stories, and wonder waiting to be celebrated.
Leopold Takawira Avenue
One of the most striking things about Bulawayo is its sense of space. With its wide roads, the city feels vast and open, offering a panoramic atmosphere. There is something about its openness that feels freeing. It subtly invites in the spirit of awareness. It can allow you to be present to soak in its charms and come into resonance with the buzz of its activities. With a curious set of eyes, you will see that Bulawayo is fully alive and possesses a bright, laid back, but driven essence.
Through my observations, I’ve grown to see that roads and streets aren’t just pathways to move from place to place, but they are also the gateway to get a feel of a place’s people, its vibe and its landscape - all of the things that cultivate the character of an area.
The details of the city’s imperfections create an endearing landscape. Cars in every colour -, blue, black, green, silver, red, white (and some with patchworks of mismatched tones) add an unpolished charm to the streets. I find it amusing. Sometimes it takes that one battered car with a terrible paint job, a biscuit wheel and a sheet of plastic in place of a window to bring in a good laugh or two… Not everything in life is to be taken too seriously and I’ve grown to be fond of how people back home just ‘get on with it.’ This can be interpreted in multiple ways, but to me it highlights our resourcefulness. We use what we have available to get the job sorted, rather than over complicating things, or allowing lack to hinder progress.
Moving from place to place will show you that the soundscape of Bulawayo is alive with music. It's a constant background that reminds you of the vibrant energy of its people. Melodies of amapiano, afrobeats, hiphop, gospel and many more, fill pockets of space across the city.
Music is a universal language, but what makes the experience of it special to me is how people interact with it. A constant motion of expression exists between a song and its listeners regardless of the environment. Whether it's people dancing at groove, or the lady at the hair salon singing along to the gospel playlist, a feeling of permission to be free can be felt. There is less of a concern about ‘ looking too good’ to enjoy the moment. When it's time to let loose and have fun, people in Bulawayo will seize the opportunity. This creates an atmosphere where music becomes a shared experience - and it doesn’t have to be overly aestheticised to be worthwhile.
Apart from the joy of music, life in Bulawayo is generally a collective experience. I appreciate how much the community spirit weaves itself through day-to-day activities. Community is such an ingrained part of our society, that there is no need to define, discuss or think about much. It's as natural as breathing. People really do life together. I noticed how much people run errands together. Friends will often tag along whilst you handle your business. Sometimes, you genuinely don't know what the day will bring and before you know it, you’re on the other end of town. Those are the joys of having a plus one - a small task becomes a shared adventure and memories are formed everyday.
It's this nature of the people that remind you that you’re never really alone when you’re at home. The level of support we can have for each other is a characteristic of the city I feel is greatly overlooked and overshadowed by the unpleasant experiences we can have as people. Forming and maintaining bonds is not always perfect and easy, but Bulawayo is where I have found and believed in true friendship. I'm deeply grateful for all the friendships I've experienced there.
Community within Bulawayo is expansive, reaching far into the creative heart of the city. As someone who is moved by expression, I really love how much artistry there is at home. Bulawayo is full of musicians, painters, photographers, writers, dancers, designers and so many more - it really has it all.
My admiration for the city’s artists and creative spirit has grown over the course of time. Almost like a puzzle. The pieces slowly appear one by one and align themselves to create a picture - that being the Bulawayo creative space. From day one, I always knew Bulawayo had TALENT. At school, many of my peers knew how to play the hell out of an instrument. I was surrounded by great singers and people with the hands to draw. I’m grateful that I attended schools that valued and nurtured the creative talents of students. A lot of my fondest memories from primary school trace back to choir and the experiences it gave us, like performing at the Drakensberg Boys Choir School in South Africa. As art students at my highschool, we were encouraged to reach out to local artists to understand their processes. It also served as a way to discover how Bulawayo has contributed towards their artistry and their overall views in life.
I was fortunate enough to have a formal introduction to the arts, but I understand that for many artists at home, that was not always the case. However, it's admirable how the love for creating has always kept a ‘hope is never lost’ attitude alive. Self-determination and teaching has been the catalyst for unique and captivating innovations. It creates a space that feels intimate, organic and down to earth. I feel lucky to be a witness to the cool stuff that comes out of this city.
Upcycling was something I overlooked, until I came back home, and was introduced to so many people doing their thing in the realm of fashion. There’s an element of edge and eccentricity where you can feel that a mood, a vibe - a caricature, even - was thought out and is expressed freely. Within this realm, friendship can be felt whereby appreciation, admiration, and suggestions are shared with one another, building up a community in the city. I’ve found a new respect for clothing because the act of styling oneself and/or others is an intimate one. A big part of it involves understanding. Understanding someone’s character, their interests, their stature and putting together the best pieces to bring out the best in them. The creatives of Bulawayo deserve their flowers.
Thank you for joining me on this journey through Bulawayo, the city that has shaped my understanding of community, creativity and finding special moments within the everyday. There is so much more to learn and discover and I’m excited to share more reflections and stories with you. It is so important and soul-nourishing to celebrate and honor the places that make us who we are and I hope you have felt inspired to do the same.
Until the next wave
- Miss A
