Harare as a city is now a century old. Before colonial settlement at the end of the last century, the area was believed to have been the domain of the Shona chief Haarari, "the one who never sleeps," whose influence extended over much of the area now occupied by the present-day city. Although after independence there was a "free for all" policy in terms of housing and social amenities, evidence of past racial segregation is still evident: The city's expensive northern suburbs continue to house the wealthier, mostly white section of the population, while the densely populated former townships are almost 100% black-populated. The city landmark is a picturesque point from which to view the city. A hill in the southwest of the city, reached from Robert Mugabe road or Rotten Row, from the summit of which there are fine views of Harare and the surrounding countryside. A toposcope indicates the direction and distances of various points of interest. The Kopje, originally a landmark that was made a memorial to the pioneers of the city at the end of the last century, has been well maintained by the present City
Council, and features on many guided tours of Harare. The Eternal Flame of Independence was lit at the summit on April 18th 1980 to commemorate the birth of Zimbabwe. South of the city centre lies the Civic Centre, which is still being developed. It includes the Magistrate's Court, the Rowan Martin Building, which contains municipal offices, the City Library and Museum. The Harare Sheraton Hotel and Conference Centre and the Polytechnic are near by, and so are the Agricultural Showgrounds, the National Sports Centre and the Courtauld Concert Hall.
Exploring Mbare, where the famous Musika (market) is found, is probably an extreme example of this, but it does reflect the housing conditions of a majority of Harare's urban population. Apart from Mbare, with its appeal for the adventurous, these areas don't feature on any tourist itinerary yet, but will be of interest to anyone wanting to see more than just the pretty face of Zimbabwe. Besides nightclubs and restaurants, nightlife in Harare is somewhat limited-but by African standards it beats all other centers above South Africa. By day, you can visit shops and markets, art and sculpture galleries, and walk around the business district to check the pulse of this African city.
The government of Zimbabwe faces a wide variety of difficult economic problems as it struggles to consolidate earlier progress in developing a market-oriented economy. Its involvement in the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, for example, has already drained hundreds of millions of dollars from the economy. Badly needed support from the IMF suffers delays in part because of the country's failure to meet budgetary goals. Inflation rose from an annual rate of 25% in January 1998 to 47% in December and will almost certainly continue to increase in 1999. The economy is being steadily weakened by AIDS; Zimbabwe has one of the highest rates of infection in the world. Per capita GDP, which is twice the average of the poorer sub-Saharan nations, will increase little if any in the near-term, and Zimbabwe will suffer continued frustrations in developing its agricultural and mineral resources.
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