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Two Sisters Serving Two Worlds
by Mee Vang
Click photos to enlarge
Thulie (top) & Cece Mangena
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Thulie and Cece Mangena still remember the day at the Harare airport when their cousins, aunts, and uncles came to say good-bye as they prepared to leave for the United States.
"It was a sad moment leaving home…we all cried," says Thulie.
It was January 12, 2004, and the sisters were leaving Zimbabwe, the country in southern Africa where they were born. Their family had to leave for political reasons, and they didn't know if they would ever be able to return.
Thulie's full name is Sithulisiwe, meaning "we are comforted." Cece's full name is Siphoesihle, meaning "a beautiful gift."
Today the two sisters are roommates at Mars Hill College, where Thulie, now 21, is a sophomore. Cece, who will be 19 at the end of October, joined her this year as a freshman.
The girls and a younger sister and brother arrived in the U.S. after seven years apart from their dad, who fled Zimbabwe in 1997 after his life was threatened by political opponents. Their mother was not able to join the family until June, 2004. Thulie and Cece have three sisters and one brother. Unfortunately, their two older sisters, Gugulethu and Patience, are unable to live in the U.S. because of visa problems and are now in Canada. The family has not seen the sisters for four years now. The Mangena family lives in Asheville.
Politically Incorrect
Sabelo Mangena
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The girls' father, Sabelo Mangena, works as a landscaper in Asheville, but he was a politician and trade union leader back in Zimbabwe. He moved to the states because his life was threatened back home by supporters of Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe's first president and only ruler since the country's independence on April 18, 1980.
Although the country is supposed to be a democracy, Thulie says that Mugabe has run it like a dictatorship. He has changed the constitution, and under his rule the economy has deteriorated, resulting in widespread famine and shortages. Many opposition groups have tried to pressure Mugabe to resign his position. One of those groups is called The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). Thulie's father was politically involved with the MDC.
Mugabe and his security forces have tried to destroy opposition groups, and Thulie's and Cece's dad was a "target." Zimbabwe was unsafe for him and his family. If you're a member of MDC, "You're not allowed to say anything," says Thule. "Most of the powerful men have gone into exile."
A Different Kind of Schooling
During the time Mr. Mangena was apart from his family, he was sending money back home for his children to go to school. Under the British school system, Zimbabwe has one of the highest literacy rates in Africa. Even so, many still don't have access to an education because they cannot afford it. "(Zimbabwe's) education is not poor, it's the facility that is poor," Cece says.
In boarding school
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With the money sent by their father, Thulie and Cece were able to attend boarding school in Zimbabwe where they lived on campus and were required to wear school uniforms. Boarding school was like a family," Cece says. Fences separated the girls and boys dorms, and it was forbidden for the boys to enter the girls' room and vice versa.
Cece explains that the school system starts with primary, and then divides into two levels: ordinary (form 1 to 4) and advanced (form 5 to 6). There are usually 35 to 40 students in a classroom. Students attend 12 classes a day that last 35 minutes each.
Classes at boarding school started at 7:30 in the morning and went until 3:30 in the afternoon. From 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., students participated in sports such as soccer, which was fairly popular. Dinner started at 5:00 p.m. and lasted until 6:00 p.m., when it was time to return back to study from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
"Saturdays were cleaning days," says Cece. Cleaning was also a punishment for misbehaving or breaking rules. "I got in trouble all the time," Cece jokes. All the students were assigned to clean a specific location on campus since there were no custodians hired to do the job.
On Sundays, students were required to attend church on campus.
When the sisters arrived in the United States, Cece finished high school in Asheville. She graduated last May from Ashville High. She did well academically, but she struggled to bridge two cultures. "It was hard to fit in," she says.
Concerns in the Economy
A $1,000 Bill
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In 1995, one U.S. dollar equaled 16 Zimbabwe dollars. Today, one dollar is equal to 75,000 Zimbabwe dollars. In the last few years Zimbabwe's economy has gone down, inflation has soared, and there is less employment. Seventy percent of Zimbabweans are unemployed, say the sisters.
Zimbabwe is also one of the leading countries in the world affected by AIDS. Roughly a quarter of the population ages 15-49 have HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, according to a 2003 World Health Organization study. Thulie says local newspapers in Zimbabwe report that as many as 2,000 people die every week from AIDS-related causes. She says people can't afford to buy condoms because one condom will cost up to 250,000 Zimbabwe dollars. There is limited access to health care because there are very few nurses and doctors.
Cece is concerned because food is expensive and people "can't afford a good diet." That makes them even more vulnerable to diseases, including AIDS. "A lot of people need my help. I don't need a lot of stuff to help…I want to be able to give to society." She hopes to write a book about how people are affected by disease and poverty.
Natural Wonders of the World
Zimbabwe is divided into eight provinces. Thulie and Cece are from Matabeleland province and grew up in the second largest city, Bulawayo, which means "place of slaughter." They are from the Ndbele tribe and can speak four different languages including Zimbabwe's official language, English.
Home far away
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The climate is hot throughout the year, with a rainy season from November to February. Zimbabwe possesses one of the world's largest waterfalls, Victoria Falls, often called "mosi aua tunya" which means "smoke that thunders."
Thulie misses her favorite dish, a white maize porridge called isitshwala. Weddings in Zimbabwe are major community events, says Thulie. A tradition called lobala, under which the groom pays for the bride, is still practiced today. Thulie clarifies that the custom is not a "purchase," but a "form of saying thank you for giving birth to her (the bride)." The price depends on how well the bride is educated or even her beauty. A wedding usually lasts a whole week, and everybody in town will be invited. Gifts are given, ranging from something small like a cow to a something great like a house.
Everybody knows each other and is like a big family. "If your neighbor cooks something nice, they will pass it on," smiles Cece. The sisters are comfortable calling women and men in their community "mom" and "dad." One thing that she loves about her country is that, "Most people still know who they are…they know their roots even though they don't practice it everyday." But the downside to a big community family, she says, is "everyone is watching you."
A Heart of Goals
From a Memory Book Kept in Carolina
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Cece is a biology major and would like to work as a dentist for the United Nations. "I appreciate what I have and who I am," she says. "Always appreciate the things you have now. Even if it's small, you should value it."
Thulie is a business major with a concentration in international studies. Her goal in life is "to make a difference everywhere I go…to change people's lives." She is comforted when she thinks, "As long as I have a roof on top of my head, I'm not complaining."
Useful links to Zimbabwe:
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/zi.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zimbabwe
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