 Morning from the beautiful city of Zimbabwe, Bulawayo. The more I travel within Zimbabwe, the more I find out that Zimbabwe indeed is not what you think. There's so many hidden games in Zimbabwe that I think the people of Zimbabwe need to try their possible best to come out in their numbers to promote their country in a positive way. So I was in Harari and I thought Harari is Zimbabwe. But when I came to Bulawayo, seeing white roads in here, I've seen beautiful buildings, even though it's a bit colonial. But yeah, I mean, coming from Ghana, I never saw Zimbabwe this way until I stepped in here. So I'm just gonna tell you that if you ever have any thought about Zimbabwe, change it right now. Maybe after this video, a lot of people are gonna change your perception about Zimbabwe. It's a beautiful country. I wanna say this once again, God took his time to create Zimbabwe. For Zimbabwe, I'm here to talk about a retiree born and raised in Bulawayo, went to America, retired and came back to Bulawayo. I mean, moving to Africa is a movement. I've been telling you guys that it's time for Africans to make Africa home again. I know we've got our own problems. I know Africa is not perfect, but it's time for us to tell our own stories. And listen, I've not met this woman anywhere. I don't know her anyway. I just found out about her yesterday when a friend of mine came to visit me and said, do you know that this woman living in Bulawayo was actually inspired by you to the extent that she's actually helping you do your job, which is Africa to the world. She's trying in her own way to change the narrative about Africa by telling people to come back home, by showing you the beautiful stuffs that are happening in Zimbabwe. And I'm like, wow. I wanna give out a shout out to Wodemaya. Yay, young man, you've done, you've done as well. You've done as good. And because of you, I have felt motivated to say, hey, it's time I bring the narrative as well to let other folks my age, older, younger to see the African continent with a different lens. I am on my way to go meet her. And I just can't wait. He just give her a hug and say, thank you so much for supporting the initiative Africa to the World, changing the negative narrative about Africa and make it Africa home again. I mean, she's on retirement, but I would say that if you are living abroad, don't wait for retirement before you come back home. Come back now and let's build Africa together. Is this real? No, it's real. This is Wodemaya. I can't, I can't. No, I mean, that's how the universe works. Welcome home. Thank you. Thank you so much. Come on. Thank you. No, it's true. No, it's a dream. No, this is Wodemaya. It's not a dream. Come on. Oh my God, oh my goodness. I cannot believe it. I saw your video a year ago. Yeah. I saw that you're going back to Africa to change the narrative. Yeah. And you're inspired by Wodemaya. I was so touched. Even though I didn't see the video, I saw the video just last night. Yeah. And here we are. Here you are. I cannot believe it. I cannot believe it. No, I am so proud of you. I am proud of you. Ah! I am proud of you. We've raised you well. Salibonani, Makadi. Hello, and welcome to my channel, Kaya's Gogo. My name is Subongile. I'm sharing with you my journey back to the motherland. I have settled back in the city of Kings and Queens, Bulawayo, doing very well and loving it. I don't even know what to say, you know? I just don't know what to say, but... I am moved beyond words that you could actually come and see me. As soon as they told me that there is this woman who moved from US to Zimbabwe, I was like, you know, I need to meet her. Then I spoke to you and he said in the very end, I'm like, no way! No way! I was just... You know when you are out there, it's kind of... Everybody is telling you you're doing the wrong thing. And you start self-doubting. And you start thinking it might be wrong. But then I kept on telling myself, I was born there. I was born there. And what is the biggest fear of me going back? Missing the luxuries, maybe? Nah. But you've created a luxury in here. Well, I mean, I don't think in America you'd have had this house with the garden. Back to the garden? Live again, dad. Mom, what time? I don't think so. I don't think so. This is what they are missing. They don't even know. Yeah. Definitely, she's growing what she eats in here. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I have... I'm so proud of you. I am truly inspired by you. Truly inspired that you would pick up that mental and show positivity in this continent. It's heartwarming. It is heartwarming. Yeah. Yeah. We need more young people who embrace the continent as it is with its foes. The more of us that say, it's OK to be home. You know what I'm going to do? See, I have been seeing what you're doing. And I think, since Whatabai is here, I've seen that she has over 2,000 subscribers. And before I leave here, we are making it 10,000 subscribers. So let's do this. You know that me, I don't beg. I always tell you that it's by force because what she is doing, I think I'm here. I'm definitely going to change some few things before I leave. And I want us to do this. The channel link is in the description. Let's go. We're making sure she hits 10,000 subscribers today. All right. So go there, subscribe and be part of Kaia's Google. Yeah. Who is Kaia? It's my first grandchild. What? And I want to... Google means grandmother. So I wanted to take Kaia with me. I used to travel with them. But when I left, I knew it would be few and far between the traveling with her. So by carrying her name with me, she's right there. Yeah. That's beautiful. How long did you live in America? I was in America for 20... Combined. In Canada, in America, it was a total of, I think, 25 years? 27? Something like that? Why did you left in the first place? Why did I leave? Yeah. That gentleman over there is the adventurous one. Can you join me? I like to travel and I like to see new places. OK. And I easily get bored of my empire. After 25 years, it decided to come back. It was actually a total of 32 years out of the country. Yeah. We passed through Botswana and then went to Canada and then the US. But it totaled... Did you force him to come back? No. No. You know, we always knew we were going to come back. But you know, the longer you stay outside, the further that dream becomes. And you create a lot of fears for yourself. That's true. Yeah. And then when it's time to do it, there's always a reason why you can't do it. Well, let's say that, you know how it is when you're outside the country, you read a lot of negative things about Africa in general. What kind of negatives do they do here? No, I mean, they talk about things like... Mostly that, like how the economy is, like how the unsafe it is, crime and, you know, political issues. So you buy into that a lot. But when you visit and when you live outside, you quickly realize that all those problems that they amplify about Africa, they exist elsewhere too. Like, you know, in America they exist, in Canada they exist, in Britain they exist, in Australia they exist. It's just that our scenario is Africans, you know, he's been given by somebody else other than the Africans. So they tend to put a lot of emphasis on negativity. But when you're here, you see that, yes, you put the poverty as well. And those who have made it live well. And nobody talks about the good parts of Africa. So that's, so if you stay out there longer, you also join into that mindset and you never change your signal. I'm not going back home because all there is, all there is that, all there is that, you know. You know, when you guys were coming, it was coffee time. Yes, it was, yes. But you kept on pushing. I think it took you guys seven months. It took us almost eight months, maybe nine months. It was the worst time, it was scary. And there was every opportunity for us to stop and say, you know what, this is not going to work. It was scary. The time that I left, because I had been in San Diego. It's difficult to leave this beautiful city called San Diego, specifically Chula Vista. I've loved living here. The beautiful streets that are lined with palm trees. Just the beauty of the city. It is really tough to say goodbye. But I'm ready. I'm ready for the African continent. I'm ready to go and enjoy the long sunny days in the mild winters. I love San Diego. I love the state of California. And it is hard for me to say goodbye, but it is time. So I left, right? And I was going to see the kids in Michigan. I was the only person other than the employees in the area that I was sitting at, the lounge that I was sitting at, at the airport. I found myself sitting in an empty airport. It was eerie. It was scary. And I felt alone. And I'm sitting there thinking, where am I going? What am I doing? It was scary. And you know, your mind is telling you, don't do it. But your heart is telling you, do it now. Yeah. Something when we traveled from after seeing the kids went to Canada to see our other two kids, was two in Canada, two in the US. So we were three. Three passengers. Three passengers in the plane. With five crew. And five crew. All the way from Canada to the US. So it was a scary time. And all you could hear was about death here, death there. So you wonder, is it OK to go down there when the health system is poorer than what we're living? But guess what? God has other plans. More people died there than here. So, you know, it's unfortunate. But you know, those things happen. And as the plane is going up and up, I look through the window and see the beautiful city of San Diego slowly fade. It is hard to say goodbye. The lovely beaches, my workplace, where I've enjoyed the love and support of my team. I will forever cherish those memories. But my mind is set. I'm on my way to the motherland. Before stopping by, so we're finally in Zimbabwe in Bulawayo, a beautiful place, enjoying being outdoors in the sun and just listening to the sounds of nature. I want to know, after living in the West for that long, how is life in the West? Is it the way we from Africa see it to be? Yes, there's the glamorous part of it, but there's a lot of... You don't get to enjoy that that much because you're working. You're working most of the time. There is really work, work, work, work, especially if you have an agenda to come back. When you're there, it's work, work, work. Work, work, work to be able to get the money to do what you want here. Yes, unless you want to live there forever, then that's a different story. But at the end of the day, as you get older, there's all these things with home, your identity. It sinks in, it sinks in. You start feeling a sense of belonging to be somewhere else other than where you are. I know, for example, most of Africa, including Ghana, the respect we have for our elders, is different when you're out there. Out there. Are you trying to say that out there, no one restricts you? No, it's not the same though. It's not the same. I mean, for example, if you're in a village here in Africa, if you, let's say, a child is misbehaving, you, even as a stranger, can tell the child, don't do that. Out there, you can't do that. You've been in trouble. Out there, you're going to be in trouble. So, you know, you're not in jail harassing kids. Whereas here, we are used to collective upbringing. Like let's say, it takes a village to raise a child. It's very true here compared to out there. So, those things, I mean, they sink in as you grow older. You're like, oh, I remember my grandparents used to do that. And you don't find anybody that you can relate to with that same story, unless they're a bigger African community out there in the West. At what point, both of you decided that it's time to go back home? I have really, really, really hit the desire to put the African continent on a very different narrative. Because generally, what we hear or see is a continent that is poor, a continent full of wars, fighting tribes, hunger, poverty, and anything that disease, everything that is negative. However, there is a lot more to the African continent than that very, very, very negative narrative that we've all heard, seen. So this is why I would like to take this time in my retirement to invite you to come along with me. The conversation was happening. But around 2013, I remember talking to my friend. Her name is Rulu. Shout out to her. And Maria, I said, mark my words. 2020, I'm out. You always say that. You always say that. But I remember 2013, I said, girls, I'm out. 2020, that is it for me. And when 2020 came, I started having the jitters. Am I really serious? Am I going to do this? Did I mean it? And then COVID is happening. So it was harsh. It was scary. Was the move worth it? Absolutely. Yeah. Absolutely. And then I really want to know. Yeah, absolutely. Because I believe that this video will inspire others to also move back. It's really worth it. How has life been since you moved back to the continent? I love being here. I love being home. I feel grounded. I feel this is where we have a saying in Shona. And I've said it before. I wanted to go back to where my umbilical cord is. And it's buried here in this country. So despite, like today, we had a disaster. We don't have water right now because the pipe burst. And the city council water is not there. Thank goodness for my tanks. Otherwise, we wouldn't have no water. The electricity is gone. We can't even test if the repair is done right. But I am content. I'm at peace. Despite all the challenges. Despite those challenges. So when we came back, sorry, the first 10 days, we came with a disaster. It was a baptism with fire. You wanted to move back? No, no, no, no. Never. There was no water. No electricity. There was no electricity. For a good solid 12, maybe 10 to 12 days. Yeah. The first time we came here. Yeah. It was really rough. Yeah. It was as if it was a test. Yeah. To see if you can really handle it. Like it's almost like a test today. To see if I can still tell you that I'm going to stay here. The water pipe burst. Unbelievable. Unbelievable. So with the tank system, with the booster and solar that we have, none out of 10 we never know when there's no water. Yeah. Those are some of the things that when you say, wow, when you face arrived, how did you cope? And also, conveniences. Yeah, conveniences. Those who I think are what hits you the most. Like out there you're like, OK, it's 10 PM. I want to go and do my groceries because it's quiet in the shops. You're just getting your car going to your groceries. Out here, everything is closed by 10 PM. We have a lot of Africans living in the Diaspora who are not even ready to have this conversation of moving back to the continent. Right. If you have a message to Africans living in the Diaspora, what would that message be? I would say visit home more frequently. Yeah. Because then you won't get a cultural shock as I like to put it, a cultural shock. Well, it shouldn't be because you are from Africa. But if you visit more frequently, you get to adapt to the changes. I'll give you an example. When we left Zimbabwe's economy was doing great. It was one of the best economies in the region. In the region, you know, you had everything. But imagine somebody who left when we left. And never came back. Now they come back. They're like, what has happened? You know what I mean? Yeah. So if you visit home more frequently, get in touch with people at home more frequently. Not just, I know the Diasporians support the African economy. We send them money a lot. So don't just send money, go and see what your money is doing, especially with your family. If you visit more frequently, you will want to come back. Yeah, I also say the same thing. Come and visit. Come and stay longer than a two-week visit. Doesn't do justice. See how people live here. There are differences. You won't find the conveniences. But there is life here. People are happy. I'm content. I'm happy being here. So visit. You are here in Zimbabwe right now. If you had a chance to change one thing in Zimbabwe, what would it be? If anything would be to have Zimbabweans understand that only you can make the changes that you want. That's the only thing that we know what's out there. We want what's out there. But you can do it here. I would say for Zimbabweans, we can do better. We can work together to make this place the best it can be. The best is yet to come for this country. And we can do it ourselves. The way you said only Zimbabweans can solve Zimbabwe's problem, that's what you mean. But I was also doing research about the number of Zimbabweans living in the diaspora. There's a lot of Zimbabweans living there. Way too many. Way too many. Way too many. What is the problem? The problem is, like we always say, one thing which I see in most, especially in this region, compared to West Africa, for instance, West Africans have learned to work together. When they're out there as diasporians, they do work together. We appear to be very individualistic in Zimbabwe. And also the honest fact is we also need to fix the politics so that it makes it comfortable for all Zimbabweans of different beliefs to be here. We shouldn't be killing each other or fighting each other. We should look at different ideas from different backgrounds in thinking, put it together so we can grow something better. Our differences make us stronger. Our differences make us stronger. Now that you all have lived in different parts of the world, do you think the system in African countries is discouraging the diaspora from moving back to the continent? Partly, yes. Partly, yes. To be honest, partly, yes. I think you do get a little resistance from the status that those who are making it want things to remain the same. When I look at it, I say, OK, it's fine. OK, I can have this, right? I have this. But am I comfortable? Am I happy when I step out of my comfort zone? I go to the market and I see other people suffering. Obviously not. Obviously not. So that's the kind of thing that I would like to see change. And I think most diasporians also might want to want that change. And I think also, if the diaspora is seen as part of this continent, we are children of this continent. We are not only there to, in Shona, we say, jager-jager, you know, supporting our families. But we are children of this continent. So our ideas matter. Our input should matter. So if that would be embraced by the continent at large, that the diaspora, the people in this continent, we work together to bring something bigger and better. I think African leaders should be ready for these conversations because I lived in China before. And China was built by the diasporians. Yeah. They just went out there, learned new things, came back to their country and applied it. Yeah. That's the key thing, applying it here. If you see what the fast-speed train in China, they got the idea from Japan. And even they have better trades than Japan now. So I think African leaders need to come and understand that people living in the diaspora, I suppose, and they can come in here and work together to contribute. Then build the continent that we're all looking for. Exactly. And also, you know, letting young minds like you guys... Yes, yes, yes. You know, take the reins and keep the continent moving forward. I think the older generation don't believe in us. We should. No, but... We should. But I think that that's the downfall of our society, not embracing our young people. Yeah. I mean, he's a good example of what a young person and their idea can do to an older person. You moved me to have the courage to say, I can do it. That's my kid. That's my son. That's my grandson. He's pushing the continent forward by telling the good stories. Get up and do your part. I got out because of a young mind. That's what we should be embracing, young minds. And all the person who's, let's say, 70, 70 years old, doesn't even know how to handle a digital camera. No, they don't. So why should that person be a minister of technology? So this is what... So this is what we... What am I just left? Minister for sports cannot kick a ball. Kick a ball. Exactly that. So we should let young people start taking over, start taking over. We'll never make it if we keep the status quo. We will never make it. It's plain clear. We will never make it. We need to embrace our children. By not embracing our children, it's because it says one thing. We failed to bring up our children to do what they should be. We have no confidence in you. Because we failed to build it up. We should have confidence. I should be able to say, my son can do ABCD because I taught him. If I didn't teach him, then it's my fault. If I don't trust... If I don't have confidence in him, it's because I didn't teach him. So I'm the one that's failed. So that's how these leaders should be looking at these things. If we can't get our child to... Here you are. If we can say, okay, let him go and set up a broadcasting station. Then what does that say? It means we failed you. So we, as the older generation, we should be able to have confidence in our children. If we don't have that confidence, it's because we are the failures. We are the ones failing this system. So here's what I was trying to put across to the world at large. Diaspora, people here at home, different cultures. I am African. I am Zimbabwean. I am comfortable going back home because I can. And when I'm there, I'm able to have a life. I'm able to be comfortable. I'm able to make it work in the worst of circumstances. I just told you about our water wars and the electricity. But I'm still here. I have a firewood. We have dying trees here that are not helping me. Neither are they doing anything to the environment. So we use those when the electricity is not there. I have a kitchen there which is an old, what is called a dover stove that I can use and I can cook. I would love to see the hospitals a little bit better, but that fear of there's no healthcare would not deter me from coming here. The public transportation can be a little bit better, but I have no problem jumping into the back of a car to get to where I want to go. It is possible. It is doable. So whenever I travel, like I go to different places, I try and show especially the people that have left. This is the place you left. It's still there. It still looks beautiful. Also to attract other people who might want to come to the continent to visit it or even to settle. So that's what I'm doing. The new tourism ambassador for Zimbabwe. I want to say thank you so much for having me. I really appreciate your time. Thank you for coming to see us. Listen, I'm not a big fan. I have subscribed and I will make sure that each and everyone watching us today will subscribe to this channel. This is my new channel. This is my new channel. Subscribe. I'll be so happy to see the comments saying that what am I brought to me here. 10,000 new subscribers. Don't fail me. I love you all. Take care of yourselves and each other. I'll see you on the next video. Bye for now.