Italian Zimbabweans

Last updated
Italian Zimbabwean
Italo-zimbabwesi (Italian)
Total population
9,000 (2012)
30,000 - 40,000 people of Italian descent abroad, mostly the UK, South Africa and Australia
Regions with significant populations
Harare, Bulawayo, Kariba, historically Chinhoyi and Masvingo
Languages
English, minority Italian
Religion
Predominately Roman Catholicism
Related ethnic groups
Italians, Italian Algerians, Italian Angolans, Italian Egyptians, Italian Eritreans, Italian Ethiopians, Italian Libyans, Italian Moroccans, Italian Mozambicans, Italian Somalis, Italian South Africans, Italian Tunisians

Italian Zimbabweans (Italian : Italo-zimbabwesi) are citizens or residents of Zimbabwe of Italian heritage. The phrase may refer to someone born in the Zimbabwe of Italian descent, someone who has emigrated from Italy to Zimbabwe, a person with Italo-Zimbabwean heritage or someone born elsewhere (e.g. the UK, South Africa or Eritrea), who is of Italian descent and has migrated to Zimbabwe. Italian Zimbabweans form one of the younger communities of the Italian diaspora, largely a product of wartime and post-war immigration. [1]

Contents

History

The oldest area of Italian settlement in Zimbabwe was established as Sinoia - today's Chinhoyi - in 1906, as a group settlement scheme by a wealthy Italian lieutenant, Margherito Guidotti, who encouraged several Italian families to settle in the area. The name Sinoria derives from Tjinoyi, a Lozwi/Rozwi Chief who is believed to have been a son of Lukuluba (corrupted to Mukuruva by the Zezuru), who was the third son of Emperor Netjasike. The Kalanga (Lozwi/Rozwi name) was changed to Sinoia by the white settlers and later Chinhoyi by the Zezuru. [2] In this period the majority of Italian arrivals were either Cape born or assimilated British Italians such as the Molteno family. [1]

Early society in Southern Rhodesia was dominated by British settlers, many of whom displayed a hostile attitude towards non-British immigrants, particularly Afrikaners, who were often faced with discrimination, thus the number of European arrivals remained much lower than similar British territories such as Australia and New Zealand. The reluctance stemmed from the Rhodesian authorities’ focus on maintaining what were referred to as “European standards” by admitting only the “right type” of immigrant. [3]

This class of immigrant was conceived of as possessing a large amount of capital and, more importantly, being of British stock. Evidence shows that the latter, rather than the former, was the more important criterion, and several financially well-endowed individuals and groups were denied entry into the country, mainly because they were non-British. Therefore, all official pronouncements about the need for more immigration notwithstanding, what mattered in deciding whether an applicant would be admitted into the country or not was where his father was born rather than the individual's skills or income. [3]

As a result, besides Italians, Poles, Portuguese people, Jews, and especially Afrikaners faced difficulty entering the country, a policy which remained in place until World War Two. The next wave of migration to Southern Rhodesia occurred during World War II, when the British set up five camps in the colony to hold thousands of Axis prisoners of war and internees. [4] Three of these camps, set up in 1941–42 in Gatooma, Umvuma, and Fort Victoria, accommodated roughly 5,000 Italians, mostly from Somaliland and Ethiopia. [4] After Italy's surrender in September 1943, the British began repatriating Italian internees and POWs, sending them to Port Elizabeth, South Africa, where they were taken home by ship. [5] [6] Many Italians refused to return home, and were simply let out of the camps, and many of whom chose to remain or move to Southern Rhodesia. [7]

Postwar migration

After the war, a wave of liberalism ushered in by postwar politics and the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland led to a loosening of restrictions that led to a boom in immigration from Britain, Southern Africa, and Southern Europe. [8] The most prominent wave of Italian immigrants in this period was the hundreds of Southern Italian workers from The Kariba Lake Development Company and its French and Italian partners, who were hired to build Kariba Dam and Kariba. Most of these workers decided to settle in the nascent town once construction was finished. [9] The Chapel of Santa Barbara in Kariba Heights is a notable landmark from this period. [10]

Other migrants arrived directly from Italy, settling most prominently in Avenues, Milton Park, and Eastlea in Harare, with smaller groups moving to Bulawayo, Fort Victoria, and Umtali. A smaller wave of Italian immigrants arrived from South Africa and newly independent Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somaliland. [9]

The rapid growth of Salisbury in the postwar era that had attracted Italian immigrants created a strong demand for manufacturing work, and by the 1960s, most Italian and Greek migrants worked in Salisbury's retail, textile and manufacturing industries. Others started small businesses such as cafes, restaurants, barber shops, grocery stores, and bakeries in central areas such as Eastlea, Willowvale, and Milton Park. Italian women who entered the workforce often worked in the garment and clothing industry. [7]

Demographics

Italian Zimbabweans have often been lumped in with or confused for other immigrants from Southern Europe, particularly, Greek Zimbabweans and Portuguese people due to their Catholic faith and Mediterranean origins. [11] Additionally, a minority of Coloured Zimbabweans have Italian heritage, mostly descended from Cape immigrants or immigrants who settled in coloured areas such as Arcadia, Braeside and parts of central-southern Harare during the 1950s and 1960s. [7] [11]

Along with other Zimbabweans, a disproportionate number of people of Italian descent now reside abroad, many of whom hold dual Italian or British citizenship. Regardless of the country's economic challenges, there is still a sizable Italian population in Zimbabwe. Though never comprising more than a fraction of the white Zimbabwean population, Italo-Zimbabweans are well represented in the hospitality, real estate, tourism and food and beverage industries. The majority live in Harare, with over 9,000 in 2012, (less than one percent of the city's population), while over 30,000 live abroad mostly in the UK, South Africa, Canada, Italy and Australia. [12] [13]

Notable people

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harare</span> Capital and largest city of Zimbabwe

Harare, originally known as Salisbury, is the capital city of Zimbabwe.The parliamentary wing was removed from Harare upon completion of the New Parliament of Zimbabwe in April 2022, meaning that Zimbabwe has two capital cities at the moment, Mount Hampden and Harare. It is the most populous city of Zimbabwe. The city proper has an area of 981km2 (378.7 mi2) a population of 1,849,600 as of 2022 census and an estimated 2,487,209 in its metropolitan province according to 2022 Census as well. Situated in north-eastern Zimbabwe in the country's Mashonaland region, Harare is a metropolitan province, which also incorporates the municipalities of Chitungwiza and Epworth. The city sits on a plateau at an elevation of 1,483 metres above sea level, and its climate falls into the subtropical highland category.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chinhoyi Caves</span> Group of caves in north central Zimbabwe

The Chinhoyi Caves are a group of limestone and dolomite caves in north central Zimbabwe. Designated a National Park in 1955, and managed by the Zimbabwe Parks & Wildlife Management Authority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zimbabwe National Army</span> Military unit

The Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) is the primary branch of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces responsible for land-oriented military operations. It is the largest service branch under the Zimbabwean Joint Operations Command (JOC). The modern army has its roots in the Rhodesian Army, which was raised between 1963 and 1964 after the breakup of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. A ''Joint High Command created in March 1980 to oversee integration of the formerly belligerent Rhodesian Security Forces, Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA), and the Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA) officially established the Zimbabwe National Army in late 1980, nearly a year after the end of the Rhodesian Bush War.

Articles related to Zimbabwe include:

Chinhoyi, previously known as Sinoia during the colonial era, is a city in central northern Zimbabwe in the Makonde District. It has a population of 90,800 and is primarily a college town, although it was originally founded as an Italian group settlement scheme. The nearby Chinhoyi Caves and national park are a popular attraction.

Chinhoyi High School is a Government high school located in Chinhoyi, Mashonaland West province, Zimbabwe. The school was established in 1960. The school is located 2 km north of Chinhoyi town centre on the A1 road to Karoi and Kariba. The school is about 122 km north-west of Harare.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Languages of Zimbabwe</span> Languages of Zimbabwe

Many languages are spoken, or historically have been spoken, in Zimbabwe. Since the adoption of its 2013 Constitution, Zimbabwe has 16 official languages, namely Chewa, Chibarwe, English, Kalanga, Koisan, Nambya, Ndau, Ndebele, Shona, The country's main languages are Shona, spoken by over 70% of the population, and Ndebele, spoken by roughly 20%. English is the country's lingua franca, used in government and business and as the main medium of instruction in schools. English is the first language of most white Zimbabweans, and is the second language of a majority of black Zimbabweans. Historically, a minority of white Zimbabweans spoke Afrikaans, Greek, Italian, Polish, and Portuguese, among other languages, while Gujarati and Hindi could be found amongst the country's Indian population. Deaf Zimbabweans commonly use one of several varieties of Zimbabwean Sign Language, with some using American Sign Language. Zimbabwean language data is based on estimates, as Zimbabwe has never conducted a census that enumerated people by language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greeks in Zimbabwe</span>

The Greeks in Zimbabwe comprise about 2,200 people of Greek origin, with over half of them from the island of Cyprus. The Holy Archdiocese of Zimbabwe and Southern Africa is under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Alexandria. Hellenic Academy, an independent Greek high school was established in Harare in 2008 and continues to operate. Zimbabwe also hosts several Greek Orthodox churches as well as Greek associations and humanitarian organizations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Avenues, Harare</span> Neighborhood in Harare, Harare, Zimbabwe

The Avenues is an inner city suburb in Harare, Zimbabwe. Known for its diversity and mixed use activities, the Avenues contains together residential, commercial and entertainment areas, and has a vibrant nightlife with numerous cafes, bars and restaurants. It also holds a busy stretch of shops, retail businesses and office space. As a distinct, named area, the Avenues came into being in the late 1950s, during the Federation, when it drew together several smaller neighbourhoods that were first developed in the early 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the Jews in Zimbabwe</span> Aspect of history

The history of the Jews in Zimbabwe reaches back over one century. Present-day Zimbabwe was formerly known as Southern Rhodesia and later as Rhodesia.


The Rhodesian Railway Workers' Union (R.R.W.U.) was a trade union in Rhodesia which represented European railway workers employed by the Rhodesian Railways.

The Battle of Chnihoyi, also known as the Battle of Sinoia was a small military engagement fought near Sinoia between a small unit of Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA) guerrillas and the Rhodesian police force on 28 April 1966. The skirmish is generally considered the opening engagement of the Second Chimurenga. A team of seven ZANLA cadres engaged with British South Africa Police forces near the northern town of Sinoia. The seven guerrillas all eventually died in the battle, the police killing all seven.

Sergeant Frank Eric Lloyd was a member of the British South Africa Police in Southern Rhodesia from 1932 to 1955. He is best known as author of Rhodesian Patrol, an autobiographical account of his time in the BSAP.

R3 Highway is a primary road in Zimbabwe from the capital city Harare to the Chirundu Border Post with Zambia. It is also known as the A1 Highway. It is part of both the Beira–Lobito Highway and the Cape to Cairo Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beira–Bulawayo railway</span> Railway line in southern Africa

Beira-Bulawayo railway, also called Machipanda railway, Beira-Harare-Bulawayo railway and Beira railway, is a railway that connects the city of Beira, Mozambique, to the city of Bulawayo, in Zimbabwe. It is 850 km long, in a 1067 mm gauge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Kingdom–Zimbabwe relations</span> Bilateral relations

Relations between the UK and Zimbabwe have been complex since the latter's independence in 1980. The territory of modern Zimbabwe had been colonised by the British South Africa Company in 1890, with the Pioneer Column raising the Union Jack over Fort Salisbury and formally establishing company, and by extension, British, rule over the territory. In 1920 Rhodesia, as the land had been called by the company in honour of their founder, Cecil Rhodes, was brought under jurisdiction of the Crown as the colony of Southern Rhodesia. Southern Rhodesia over the decades following its establishment would slowly be populated by large numbers of Europeans emigrants who came to form a considerable diaspora, largely consisting of Britons but also smaller groups of Italians, Greeks and Afrikaners. A settler culture that had already existed since the time of company would come to cement fully and the white population began to identify as Rhodesians, often in conjunction with British/Afrikaner/Southern European identities of their ancestors. Southern Rhodesia would go on to participate heavily in both the First and Second wars, providing soldiers and military equipment to the British war effort. During the years after the war, the relationship between Britain and Southern Rhodesia became increasingly strained. The UK had opted to decolonise Africa and had adopted a firm policy of no independence before majority rule, which deeply upset the white establishment of the colony, in particular the radical Rhodesian Front party led by Winston Field and later, Ian Smith. Relations between the British Government and the colonial Southern Rhodesian government deteriorated for much of the early 1960s and negotiations between the two dragged on with little to no success. Eventually, relations broke down entirely and Southern Rhodesia unilaterally declared independence from Britain. The move was met with zero recognition from the international community and the UK government and the illegitimate state was still formally considered under British sovereignty for its roughly 15-year span of existence. For the first 5 years of its proclaimed independence, Rhodesia still declared loyalty to the Queen Elizabeth II as a would-be Commonwealth realm, but this was never recognised by the British monarch who continued to encourage Smith's illegal government to resign. Given her refusal to appoint a Governor-general, from 1965 to 1970 an "Officer Administering the Government" served as the de facto head of state. Rhodesia eventually moved to sever all links with Britain and became a republic with a president in 1970. Throughout the subsequent Rhodesian Bush War between white Rhodesians and black paramilitaries such as ZANU and ZAPU, the UK continued to remain staunchly opposed to the rogue state and extensively sanctioned it, even enforcing blockades using the Royal Navy to cut off Rhodesian oil imports via Portuguese Mozambique. When Rhodesia failed to hold out after 15 years of fighting and came to the negotiating table with the black resistance groups and moderate African nationalist parties, the UK again became directly involved in Rhodesia's affairs. After a brief stint as the nation of Zimbabwe Rhodesia following an Internal Settlement that was denounced by the international community for not being satisfactory enough, the nation transiently reverted to its status as a self-governing British colony before being granted full independence and majority rule as Zimbabwe in 1980 under the landmark Lancaster House Agreement.

Zimbabwean English is a regional variety of English found in Zimbabwe. While the majority of Zimbabweans speak Shona (75%) and Ndebele (18%) as a first language, standard English is the primary language used in education, government, commerce and media in Zimbabwe, giving it an important role in society. Just under 5 percent of Zimbabweans are native English speakers and 89 percent of the population can speak English fluently or at a high level, second only to the Seychelles amongst African nations.

Milton Park is a densely populated, inner city, mixed use suburb just west of central Harare, Zimbabwe. Due to its density, diversity and character it is often compared to The Avenues, Belgravia, Greendale, Eastlea and Highlands. Separated from the CBD by the A1 highway east, is it is usually considered to be bounded to the south by Princes Road, to the north by Cork Road, to the west by Warren Hills Golf Club.

Newlands is a low density, residential suburb located in eastern Harare, Zimbabwe.

Eastlea, is a central-east, mixed use, medium density suburb of Harare, Zimbabwe, in its east end. Historically lower middle class, it has long been among the city's most diverse areas, attracting British, Greek and Portuguese immigrants in the post war era. This was followed by an influx of black and coloured Zimbabweans and immigrants from Mozambique, Malawi and the DRC after 1980. By 2012, its white population had shrunk to less than 15% from 63% in the early 1980s. The neighbourhood is located just east of the CBD, across from the neighbourhoods of Newlands and Highlands, and just north of Braeside and Hillside. To the east of Eastlea are the suburbs of Greendale and Msasa Park. Eastlea is relatively small area with a high population density.

References

  1. 1 2 Tischler, Julia (2013). "Building the Kariba Dam". Light and Power for a Multiracial Nation. pp. 153–213. doi:10.1057/9781137268778_5. ISBN   978-1-349-44361-1.
  2. ↑ Parliament of Zimbabwe (3 December 2013). "Names Alteration Act 10/14: Part II: Municipalities And Municipal Councils: Old–Municipality of Sinoia; New–Municipality of Chinhoyi" (PDF). Harare: Parliament of Zimbabwe. Archived from the original (Archived from the original on 3 December 2013) on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  3. 1 2 Mlambo, Alois S. (2013). "Becoming Zimbabwe or Becoming Zimbabwean: Identity, Nationalism and State-building". Africa Spectrum. 48: 49–70. doi: 10.1177/000203971304800103 . hdl: 2263/41913 . S2CID   127302759.
  4. 1 2 MacDonald, J. F. (1950). The War History of Southern Rhodesia 1939–1945. Vol. 2. Bulawayo: Books of Rhodesia. pp. 380–383. ISBN   9780869201404.
  5. ↑ "Italian Chapel of St Francis of Assisi". Zimbabwe Field Guide. Retrieved 2018-11-16.
  6. ↑ Delport, Anri (January 2013). "Changing attitudes of South Africans towards Italy and its people during the Second World War, 1939 to 1945". Historia. 58– via The Historical Association of South Africa.
  7. 1 2 3 ""Some Are More White Than Others": Racial Chauvinism As A Factor of Rhodesian Immigration Policy, 1890-1963". ResearchGate.
  8. ↑ Mlambo, Alois S. (2013). "Becoming Zimbabwe or Becoming Zimbabwean: Identity, Nationalism and State-building". Africa Spectrum. 48: 49–70. doi: 10.1177/000203971304800103 . hdl: 2263/41913 . S2CID   127302759.
  9. 1 2 Serpell, Namwali (July 22, 2020). "Learning From the Kariba Dam". The New York Times.
  10. ↑ "Santa Barbara Chapel, Kariba | Zimbabwe Field Guide". zimfieldguide.com.
  11. 1 2 "Uncovering 'undesirable whites' in the colonial archive". africasacountry.com.
  12. ↑ "History of Zimbabwean Migration".
  13. ↑ Norman, Andrew (2004-02-08). Robert Mugabe and the Betrayal of Zimbabwe. McFarland. p. 130. ISBN   9780786416868.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.