On Tuesday, March 15, a Zimbabwean human rights lawyer & General Secretary, World YWCA, Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda was at a hotel reception in the U.S when a man asked her the ignorant questions. For over twenty years, Mrs Gumbonzvanda (pictured with Hollywood actress, Ashley Judd) has been working on issues of women and children’s human rights with a special focus on crisis countries. Below is what she shared on her Facebook page
“Okay, I was taken aback and am kind of angry and sad at ignorance, but more so at the perception of Africa. I was collecting my keys at the hotel reception and this guys said, aaah, you are from Africa, from Zimbabwe right? I said yes. He was holding my passport. Then he went on to say with true conviction “wow, how do you live with giraffes and the lions? Are you not afraid to just kind of wake up and see a lion staring at you?” I looked at him, and said no am not afraid. we are all part of nature. I am still nursing some sad feeling about how many people in this United States of America do not really know about Africa and have warped ideas. Or its maybe only this single guy. Ummm”