Zimbabwe Local Customs

  Traditional Dancing
by PierreZA
 
  • Traditional Dancing
      Traditional Dancing
    by PierreZA
  • Bargain for local crafts
      Bargain for local crafts
    by PierreZA
  • Golden Pilsner
      Golden Pilsner
    by PierreZA
  • Traditional Music
      Traditional Music
    by PierreZA
  •   Local Customs
    by elpariente
 
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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Listen to mbira, a special...

by anaiis

Listen to mbira, a special musical instrument. Dont buy cheap mbira at the market, they are useless for playing. The real mbira sounds very nice. But you probably wont resist buying a drum or two. I can tell you - its difficult to bring it on the plain (dont send it by post! - it will get mouldy), but my friend has made it. She is taking drumming lessions now in Slovenia. Thomas Mapfuno is the best known music artist outside Zimambwe. Here you can listen to clips of mbira playing:http://www.ultranet.com/~nmwar/mbira.htmlhttp://www2.kenyon.edu/projects/ottenhoff/

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Buying African batik is...

by anaiis

Buying African batik is definitely a must. I made friends with one woman and we became pen pals. I send her parcels of my used clothes and shoes. She has two daughters and she is a widow now. Her husband died of TBC. She is trying to make the ends meet. I believe in personal help, thats why I am doing this. I know who she is and we can share our grief and hapiness. I just wish I could do more for her. So - when being in 3rd world country - dont look at these people as something strange, exhibited in the zoo. They are people, just as you. They deserve something better. Make friends with them. Chat with them. Give what you can. On the picture: african batik (hand painted sheet) and the rest of goods you cant resist.

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When buying, negotiate. I was...

by anaiis

When buying, negotiate. I was a bit embarassed to negotiate because price was already very low. Zimbabwean handcrafts are amazing. You will get the lowest price around lunch time. But if you are white, the price is higher... it comes with your skin. Dont be upset.

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Be friendly and respectful....

by anaiis

Be friendly and respectful. When ending your journey, dont throw away your things - like toothpaste or half of your shower liquid soap. Those things - even sun tanning cream! - are very very valuable. Even old T shirts and worn out sneakers. You should exchange those at the market, when buying other things - like statues and batik. Dont buy statues the first day, because they are heavy. If you have exceeded the allowed weight for the plane, try the following tactics: send some things in the parcel to your home (not statues - they will brake!) or: cry truthfully at the airport (risky, but efficient in my case). I exchanged my used sneakers with the statue on the picture. Unfortunatelly I throw away most of other things (to European its just garbage). But I had to walk barefoot for this statue... :) They even wanted my sweaty smelly socks! We laughed a lot at the market about that. I was...

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Try and see a village and/or...

by janiac

Try and see a village and/or school. We visited a school near Vic Falls. The picture is of some of the kids. At the village, we saw how far the villagers had to go to get water. We were very charmed by their house, which is actually a collection of separate huts enclosed in a fence

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DIARY OF THE TRIPI made an...

by SirRichard

DIARY OF THE TRIPI made an 'on the road' diary, with watercolor drawings and some personal impressions. It's written in spanish, of course, but you can take a look at the drawings at my travelogue

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Be polite to everyone and...

by 9taylor7

Be polite to everyone and they'll be polite to you. If your a woman respect their view of women when it comes to appropraite dress. Wearing a dress instead of shorts at certain times and in certain places is a good idea.

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Oh my God! RUUUUUUN!!!!

by RblWthACoz

Robots!! Killer robots!! Oh wait...that's just what they call stoplights. Nevermind. False alarm.

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No bright lights please

by RblWthACoz

For some reason drivers in Zimbabwe HATE bright lights in their face. It doesn't take them long to flash you a quick warning to turn yours off before they turn theirs on to blind you as well.

Dirty hands? Shake...

by RblWthACoz

my wrist please. If someone has wet or dirty hands they will not offer their hand for you to shake. They will offer their wrist. Just take their wrist like you would their hand and that is that.

Local traditions and culture in Zimbabwe

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Reviews and photos of Zimbabwe attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Zimbabwe sightseeing.

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Local Customs: Cities in Zimbabwe
  1. Victoria Falls Local Customs
  2. Macheke Local Customs

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Popular Regions in Zimbabwe

Matabeleland North Province Local Customs  Masvingo Province Local Customs 

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Questions and Answers

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Q:  What would you recommend for this forthcoming trip? I aim to spend a clubbing and fun period between Harare (28 to 30 Dec) and... 

IndianPacific profile photo

A: I haven't been to Harare but I have by accident ("The Blue Train" derailed there) stayed overnight in Bulawayo. It isn't a place I would go back to. As for the Victoria... 

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