Finally made it back here after 30 years.

Feel under no threat and people are all very friendly -the blacks that is .The whites - well to use an Australian expression they're a weird mob but most are pretty good too.

Th country is still spectacular although the Game has thinned as people ate it to survive in the dark days of 20008.

Harare still physically a lovely city but infrastructure totally rooted potholes everywhere and no water or power most of the time. Insulated ( pardon pun) by staying with a friend with a bore hole and a generator.

Off to seek out some bands including Mtukudzi and Aleck Macheso. Anyone thinking of coming to southern africa should at least consider Zim.

Here's a few interesting points
* when inflation was 17 trillion percent ( no exaggeration) people would be charged for bus rides at the end as the price will have gone up over the duration of th trip

* nurses would take the medicines and when a patient was prescribed a medicine they would say we have none but I know where to get it

* it costs teachers more to go to work than they were paid so they would teach say for an hour and then say if you want to lean more come to my private tuition classes for a fee

* a white dairy farmer had his herd behind high fences floodlights and armed guards

* most white and black zims prefer the chaos of Zim to sth african as they think racial relatios are still very hostile and the place is unpleasant

* all the businesses are moving out of harare to business parks outside the city

* as is often the case in hard times, religion is on the rise and churches are the growth industry including church music. Good jit ,chimurenga and sungura stuff is hard to find

* tenth rate rap and hip hip is popular

* Ethiopia's Mengistu still lives here with a his own security .He lives well as he raided the treasury on exit. He ended in Zim under pressure from the US who wanted to facilitate an "orderly change" in Ethiopia

* Mugabe cant last much longer due to prostate cancer but he seen as more likely to be a moderating influence by insiders. ZANU factions will fight it out for power but no obvious man in the wings.

* China has stepped in with the vacuum created by the boycott by the west.Build everything use own labour and materials.If locals are employed treated like slaves. Shipping out valuable resources at a great rate and providing regime with weapons using circuitous routes to avoid embargoes. The locals dont like them.

*the Marange diamond field is a massive source of wealth for the army generals ZANU heavies and various chinese,indian traders and assorted carpet baggers. De beers in the thick of it and accused of gouging out minerals during a period classified as exploration only. Zim govt court cases has stalled as all documents related to the period have just gone missing

*there is another likely diamond pipe which is an extension of the botswana pipe which potentially has many more diamonds. The prospect of resource wealth is feeding into ever present discontent in oppressed Matabeleland and fueeling secessionist calls. If this increases it will be very ugly.

* you can buy medicines to make your bum bigger

* Despite all this the general view is things are improving and will continue to do so

this is Junior Wells signing off