There is a meme circulating on Facebook giving reasons as to why one should date a British Boy, chief amongst these 7 reasons is their amazing accent. I think I should repeat this. The British have “amazeballs” accents as most Brits would say. I of course immediately shared the meme onto my own wall because yes Brits really have what I personally think is the most to die for accent ever!
Growing up one of my favourite actors was Hugh Grant whose charm and charisma coupled with his distinct English accent enable him to transform any wanton plot into a memorable romantic movie.
But then I realised that although British men like Hugh Grant, David Beckham do indeed have a killer accent, charm and well grooming, our boys down here in Zimbabwe also have a lot to offer. That realisation led me to compile my own 7 reasons why one should date our Zim brothers which I posted on another one of my blogs. In this article I will include my original reasons but include more reasons which I have not written about.
His looks
I belong to the small fraction of the darker community who wears her skin with pride. The pressure to bow down to modern ideologies which emphasize the goodness of lighter skin tones over darker ones is definitely real, but I have made a conscious effort to not succumb to this pressure. Having said that I am very much sweet toothed. I love all types of sweets and I’ve always been a fan of dark chocolate – I can’t seem to get enough of it. Having said that I don’t think I need to say much… unless maybe you would prefer I post one or two pics of this dark chocolate that I speak of?
His work ethic
It’s an open secret that Zim men and women take the lead when it comes to great work ethic. Zimbos pride themselves in their ability to never shy away from hardwork and as a result of this we are very enterprising. Those who survived the economic recession of years past can gladly attest to this.
In most cases, Zimbos tend to be at the frontlines of any workforce, a trait which though good caused some South Africans to habour resentment towards our fellow countrymen whom they blamed for taking their jobs.
He calls you using your totem
Ini ndiri muyera Moyo (My totem is Moyo). I might be a modern woman who is up to date with the latest trends but believe me you I still know my culture and value it immensely. Yes, call me sweetheart, pumpkin, babe and any other similar name but the man truly after my own heart would call me MaMoyo 😉
On the surface one might think this to be a very shallow reason. A pet name is just but too petty to be a reason why one would date from a certain nationality, right? Wrong! Well this goes beyond just the name someone calls you by. Allow me to explain:
In as much as we are becoming more modern, adopting Western culture at a faster rate than previous generations and generally becoming more tolerant to other cultural norms, we still do have our roots firmly cemented to some stubborn traditions. No matter how tolerant we become as we interact with and adopt other ways of doing things, certain things will not be as easily eradicated. Hence the need to have a partner who will resonate with you on the same wavelength.
This also could lead to future decisions such as how to raise your kids, which religion to believe in and even how to relate to each other as a couple.
His ambition
Work ethic without ambition would only make one the perfect employee. Actually not perfect but just an employee.
Ambition, I believe is:
1. The desire to better oneself (desire for emancipation).
2. The determination to not be satisfied with the mediocre
As a result, ambition becomes the driving force which fuels ones creativity leading to the recognition and eventual exploitation of opportunities. Since ambitious men are game changers by default, it is only natural for them to refuse to live ordinary lives.
Prominent examples include telecomms tycoon Strive Masiyiwa the founder of Zimbabwe’s popular cellular network Econet which has an enviable network coverage and customer base that is distributed in both the rural and urban areas of Zimbabwe. Audius Mutawarira and Decibel the Zimbabwean born musicians currently based oversees whose names have become synonymous with memorable audio treats and Oliver Mtukudzi who makes amazing musical sentences and melodies.
His comic side
Chief amongst the attractive traits that I look for in a man is his ability to make me laugh. Laughter is in most cases the best medicine. Women love a man who is able to dissolve the tension in a situation through comic relief.
Zimbabweans are a nation of comedians. Honestly. A quick survey of the whatsapp messages sent amongst most Zimbabweans will reveal our love for laughter. Living in these tough economic times really does need a cheaper panacea to life’s ills than the conventional medicine which is beyond most people’s financial reach.
We also have comedians who have taken up comedy as a profession regardless of the harsh conditions which Zimbabwean artists have to work under. Some of these comedians include Baba Tencen (Kuripwa kugara) and Q the Boss who earlier this week during Zimbabwe’s comedy night, shared the stage with Kansiime Anne one of Africas’ most notable female comedians. Other comedians who ensure that we always take our prescribed dosage of laughter include Simba the Comic King, Doc Vikela, Carl Joshua Ncube, Long John and the all time favourite Gringo.
His faith
Women are considered to be the more religious than men in most societies. This could be the case with Zimbabwean too, however, over the past years, Zimbabwean men have shown themselves to be men of faith. A lot of male leaders have arisen to lead the masses on the spiritual forefront. This has resulted in the founding of many denominations such as Harvest House International led by Apostle Nyathi, New Life Convenant founded by Pastor Tudor Bismark and Prophet Walter Magaya of Prophetic Healing and Deliverance Ministries.
His close proximity
Last but not least,his proximity is what could actually make a Zim man even more eligible to me.If you are like me, living in Zimbabwe or living in the diaspora within close proximity of Zimbabwean communities, it would make a lot of sense to choose a partner from among our Zim brothers. Unless of course you would rather sing along to the song Long Distance by Brandy which laments the negatives of being in a long distance relationship.
These are my reasons why Zim men are men to date. There are many more reasons that I could have included in my list, but for now I will stop here and maybe one-day comeback with a follow up to this opinion article.