Benn’s African adventure (4 photos)

Wrapping up his summer employment at Parks Canada’s Sault Ste. Marie Canal National Historic Site and packing his bags as he prepares to head off to his first year at Queen’s University, the Sault’s Benn Fisher spoke to SooToday about his recent trip to Africa.  

Benn lived, volunteered and studied in Zimbabwe from Aug. 2017 to June 2018 with the Rotary Youth Exchange Program, through the Rotary Club of Sault Ste. Marie North and Rotary’s District 6290 (covering northern Ontario and western Michigan).

In all, there were 17 youth from the region who got the opportunity to experience other parts of the world, some in South America, Europe, India and Thailand, Benn being one of four who travelled to Zimbabwe (the others from the U.S., France and Brazil).

“Our mission from Rotary is to build goodwill and peace throughout the world through youth and bridge cultural barriers, to embrace a new culture and a new way of life,” Benn said.

“For me it was such a drastic change from Canada to Zimbabwe, it was really unique as opposed from Canada to Europe where there a lot of modern comforts.”

Benn, a White Pines Collegiate graduate, attended St. John's College near Harare, Zimbabwe’s capital, St. John’s College based on the British private school system.

“I stayed with three different host families,” said Benn, who also had the opportunity to tour key spots in South Africa (such as Durban and Table Mountain) and visit India for three weeks.

Benn had the opportunity to learn Shona (one of the country’s native languages) to an extent, and did ‘the Zimtour’ in Zimbabwe, visiting Victoria Falls.

“The really unique thing about going to a developing country with Rotary is the opportunity to take part in a lot of service projects,” Benn said.

“In Zimbabwe, what Rotary does is charity work and build, so I was able to, with a couple of different Rotary clubs, build and assemble wheelchairs for families with disabled children who need mobility, and they would be given the wheelchairs for free and then have a newfound sense of independence.”

“We also did a lot of tree planting and book and school supply donations at schools, and just generally helping out as much as we could in areas of Zimbabwe that are impoverished.”

Zimbabwe was an emerging African country when known as Rhodesia.

Rhodesia was a former British colony which unilaterally declared its independence in the 1960s, a controversial and diplomatically unrecognized state because of its white minority rule.

The country gained its true independence and was renamed Zimbabwe in 1980, but there is now no shortage of poverty in Zimbabwe, ranked by several agencies as one of the poorest countries in the world, due in large part to mismanagement and corruption under the rule of longtime, dictatorial President Robert Mugabe.

“The economic situation there is really messed up. Zimbabwe had a trillion dollar bill in 2008 because of hyperinflation. People were burning money to start fires, so since 2008 they’ve converted to the U.S. dollar but a lot of that is being held by senior government bureaucrats because the country is very corrupt,” Benn said.

“Robert Mugabe was president, a dictator of sorts since the 1980s, but when I was there in November there was that military coup (which saw Mugabe’s removal).”

“I think the Western news made it look worse than what it was. There were tanks in the streets but it was pretty peaceful, it’s just that there was a strong military presence in Harare, and for the first time ever, the people of Zimbabwe could peacefully protest in the city because the army and the people were on the same side for the first time,” Benn said.

“That was a really amazing experience for me. I was being watched very closely by the Canadian Embassy and Rotary just to make sure I was safe.”     

“Every day they called me and emailed me, really making sure I was okay, to make sure I had my food and water supply. There were a few days when they told me don’t go to school, just because things had the potential to go badly, but they didn’t. I was never in any immediate danger, and if anything had gone bad, Rotary had escape routes for the students to get out of the country. It was well structured,” Benn said.

Though adventurous, Benn said “I was relieved to be home in Canada. We’re lucky to be here.”

“In another sense, people in Zimbabwe are happy with so little. When we did the book donations at the schools the kids and the families were so overjoyed at getting a single book, where I think in Canada and most Western nations we’re very materialistic, always looking for more and the newest iPhone, things like that. It’s interesting to see the contrast, but I’m really happy to be home,” said Benn, his visit to Zimbabwe his first to a faraway country.

Benn said such travel to other countries and learning about other cultures and languages is something he plans to do again.

Looking forward to studying in a teacher education program at Queen’s beginning in September, Benn said he wants to learn more about global development and political science in his post secondary studies.

At 19, Benn is already a well-known local figure, having served the community as a cadet with the 155 Borden Gray Air Cadet Squadron, an historical reenactor at the Ermatinger-Clergue National Historic Site, an Algoma District School Board (ADSB) student trustee, the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council vice-chair and a Kiwanis Community Theatre Centre volunteer.

“I try to be as involved in Sault Ste. Marie as I can. It’s given me a lot so I try to give back to it.”

“Wherever I end up is where I’m supposed to be. I think everything happens for a reason, but if at some point life leads me back to the Sault I’d be very happy to come back and raise a family. It’s a great place place to grow up and live, hopefully there’ll be more opportunities for youth here in the future.”

Benn’s advice to other Sault youngsters is ‘get involved.’

“It’s a great way to meet new people and learn from other people as much as you can, learn from adults in the city. Right now there‘s this whole movement of youth empowerment, where adults really want to get the opinion of youth, what we have to say and how they can change systems to make the Sault a more welcoming place we enjoy to be in,” adding he would also encourage youth to get involved in the Rotary Youth Exchange Program.