December 1966. A baby girl is born in the forests of central Zimbabwe. Seventeen years on, on a cold concrete floor at Gatwick arrivals, she sits alone, afraid, abandoned by the country she fought for.

Child of Zimbabwe is the heart-rending story of Debra Mina Chidakwa, her early life of abuse, slavery, war and betrayal.
Set during the years of Zimbabwe’s long and bloody struggle for independence, Debra’s journey shines a harrowing light on life in her country, how conflict and power corrupt, and what horror the human spirit can somehow endure.

“In recording these memories and re-opening wounds, I hope to prove how crucial it is that we learn to love and live our lives without harming each other. However terrible my experiences, it is only through living this life that I have learnt how to grow, and how to summon the courage to conquer despair and raise up my head to the sky.”

Debra Mina Chidakwa