Catherine Buckle
’Can you Hear the Drums’ is a collection of eyewitness accounts reported in letters from Zimbabwe. The letters document the country’s journey into lawlessness, turmoil and economic mayhem. Written by an ordinary mum living in a small town, the letters describe the reality of life for ordinary Zimbabweans at the start of the 21st century. This is not about propaganda, rhetoric or revolution but about how real people survived, endured, adapted and kept hope alive. Sometimes sad or frightening and often touching the letters are interspersed with news clips, humour and the absurdities that became the coping mechanisms for everyday survival in a country in meltdown.