This is very interesting. I honestly have mixed feelings about it. I want her to grow up with an understanding of different cultures. But I also want her to have an appreciation of how lucky she is to live where she does. I want her to have a fair picture of these places, that represents the truth of life in these countries, not a Disney-fied soft focus picture of them.
And that?s what worries me about this. Any of the hideous reality of life in Zimbabwe will be swept under the carpet, of course it will ? they?re 3 years old. They will certainly not go anywhere near the current political situation, and the nursery would be horrified at the suggestion that they might - it is about food, music, culture and geography. Of course they aren?t going to be telling 3 year olds about vote rigging, intimidation and torture. I'm uncomfortable with the idea of her learning about traditional food in Zimbabwe when children there are starving. And I don't imagine the typical 3 year old in Zimbabwe is having many laughs right now.
My strong initial reaction when I heard was that it was a strange choice, and everyone I've spoken to has shared that first reaction. I think she?s too young to have any lasting memory of the fact that they ?celebrated? Zimbabwe when she?s older, so the argument about making it a real place for her when she learns more when she?s older doesn?t apply, I don?t think ? she?ll have forgotten all about it in a few weeks apart from a vague impression. In which case, why Zimbabwe? Why not, as someone said, Botswana? Or Mauritius?
Any country in Africa, or anywhere else for that matter, has social issues ? of course it does, there?s nowhere in the world that is perfect. But the current regime in Zimbabwe is so very very horrible that I really think that it casts a huge shadow over anything else they might choose to say about it. I can absolutely sign up to the idea that there is more to a country than its government, and that Zimbabwe is more than Mugabe and his henchman. But I?d be equally taken aback if they?d chosen North Korea. It doesn?t HAVE to be Zimbabwe, there are plenty of other countries to choose from.
I don?t know if there is a member of staff there with connections ? not that I?m aware of but that doesn?t mean there isn?t someone. I can see that might explain why they chose it. I?ll certainly enquire next week, and will also find out which other countries have been selected ? we just got sent a letter home so I haven?t had a chance to question it yet.