In Zimbabwe, The Victoria Falls make for a breathtaking landscape, but their deafening roar seems to echo the anger of a wounded nation. Behind their spectacular beauty lies a harsh reality. After 37 years of unchallenged rule, dictator Robert Mugabe left behind an exhausted, ruined country, where hopes for freedom remain unfulfilled. In this locked-down nation, foreign cameras are seen as intruders.
Zimbabwe’s roads are more than just broken: mile after mile, they tell the story of a neglected people. At Bulawayo’s coach station, passengers jostle through the chaos for a spot on the overloaded “chicken buses”, rickety minibuses that run a dangerous lottery to escape stagnation. Behind the wheel of his old vehicle, Mutassa is not so lucky. Broken down in the middle of the wilderness, he faces the wild alone, with lions roaming nearby. Every moment is a threat.
And yet, the country is rich. Its soil is brimming with diamonds, gold and platinum, but this treasure fuels both greed and misery. Along the tracks, illegal miners dig with their bare hands under inhumane conditions for a few grams of fortune. At the edge of Victoria Falls, audacious fortune seekers risk their lives in the rapids – for them, survival is a race against death.
Despite everything, the Zimbabweans press on. With dignity, humour and unwavering energy, their courage lights the darkest paths.
In this acclaimed series, we journey on some of the world's most dangerous routes and explore the lengths people go to in order to change their destinies.
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