Bulawayo

The name Bulawayo means, in Ndebele, “Place of Slaughter”, a reference, it is thought, to the fierce succession battles that took place in the late nineteenth century. These culminated in the accession of one of Zimbabwe’s key figures of pre-colonial history, King Lobengula in 1870. His reign, peppered with heavy doses of heroism, lying, betrayal and death, reads like mythology or grand opera: an era which came to a close in 1894, with Lobengula’s death, and Ndebele collapse before the relentless northward advance of the British South Africa Company.
Set apart by language and history from the rest of the country, Bulawayo is often bypassed by travellers. Which is a pity, for Zimbabwe’s second city is unquestionably more interesting than the capital: whereas Harare has gone for Western symbolism to make its mark as an international capital, Bulawayo’s character comes from a history of going its own way and developing its own style. Although Bulawayo’s citizens have long felt their city has suffered unjust neglect at the expense of Harare, the upside is that there has been little demolition or hasty redevelopment, and the wide, regularly gridded streets remain studded with gracious colonial-era buildings. Overall, in fact, the city has something of a sepia-toned feel, compounded by rather conservative dress and aging cars – a slow, laid-back ambience that makes a thoroughly pleasant place to explore.