By Dr Masimba Mavaza and Suzana Mpofu

THE Diaspora is returning home to enjoy the sunshine, eating out and readily available childcare, a benefit of the extended family.
Quality of life is actually higher in Zimbabwe, considering the circumstances many are living in here in the UK.
There are numerous difficulties we face in our adopted countries.
These include the unaffordability of Western cities, cold climes, the lack of recognition or professional opportunity and the racism – increasingly implicit but occasionally overt, all of which make life in the adopted country unbearable.
Then comes the epiphany, after recent vacations/conversations with friends and family; the Diaspora member decides to hop back home to opportunity, sunshine, eating out a lot and recognition of their genius.
The move is of course much more than simply economic migration – albeit back home; it is in reality a patriotic move. An assertion of identity and pride in Africa’s progress; the Diaspora is going back, to build and even lead.
There are other variants of this fine tale.
You may have also come across other popular versions which speak more to the fact that everyone, yes everyone (so why not you too?) is thriving in Zimbabwe.
One very popular tale is the one in which poverty; raging inequalities are all being wiped out ‘with just a mobile phone’.
With just a mobile phone, even the most humble pastoralist is able to partake in the world of e-finance, zinging his dollars across the country to relatives wherever they may be.
In the ‘new rising Zimbabwe’, no one is hungry.
The girl on the rubbish heap is actually a budding entrepreneur searching for plastic bags to sell which in less than a generation will transform her ‘business’ into a recycling plant.
She is not unique, as in the new Zimbabwe, everyone can succeed.
She is on her way to becoming one of the richest women in the world. Just you wait!
She is rising with no capital, education, equality measures, wealth distribution policies or useless aid. The sister is doing it for herself.
The story goes on.
Zimbabwe is rising. It is no dark country. Home is on the up. Entrepreneurship is on the rise, malls are on the rise, forget Azonto! Go Afrobeat!
There is also a ‘Zimbabwean green revolution’ happening.
Voila Zimbabwe can feed herself and easily the world too!
The country has abundant fertile land which has become highly productive with the various support being extended to farmers.
Everyone wants a piece of our land — the West, Brazil, India, China.
With all this action; it is no surprise the Diaspora is now getting involved.
Growth in Africa and Zimbabwe is a reality and those left behind have none but themselves to blame.
We must all return home to help build our nation.
African leaders have done the Diaspora ‘come home’ tour circuit in New York, London, Paris and other Western capitals urging us to return home and it is time we pay heed to these calls.
Well, for some of us, back home it is.
It is the place to be for those of us who have had enough of this cold place and have a little money to invest.
So we are starting to return and to reclaim our proper place in the development matrix.
Africa is rising and we must be part of that process, we should not lag behind.
With our expertise and experiences, indeed we can leapfrog where others walked.
Most of the Diaspora are not anti-poverty fighters but Africa’s rich and upper middle class, with capital to invest.
For views and comments, E-mail: vazet2000@yahoo.co.uk