The landlocked country of Zimbabwe has a population of over 16 million people, and because of the previous colonial rule of Britain over the nation, the official language spoken is English, alongside local Shona and Sindebele.
Following the independence of the country in 1980, veteran former president Robert Mugabe ran a 37-year rule until he was toppled over by the military in November 2017. Then vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa was elected as president by the ruling Zanu-PF party and was later officially elected as president in 2018.
While the fall of Mugabe freed the press from his control and promised a new era for the nation, the country still remains largely in poverty, with its economy heavily depending on mining and agriculture sectors.
In 2019, millions of people in Zimbabwe face hardship, hunger and chaos as the economy comes close to meltdown and drought worsens.
The new government is struggling to overcome the legacy of the dictator’s 30 years of repressive rule and the consequences of its own failure to undertake meaningful political reform.
