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Inside/Out with Fay Chung Freedom Fighter
Kubatana.net
September 28, 2009

Describe yourself in five words?
I see myself as a Zimbabwean. I see myself as a Freedom Fighter. I see myself as a woman, most importantly.

What-s the best piece of advice you-ve ever received?
It was when I was in primary school, and our teacher encouraged us to go to university.

What is your most treasured possession?
I think friendship, family.

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
When you are rejected by everybody, rejected by your friends and family, when you feel totally isolated.

Do you have any strange hobbies?
I don-t think so.

What do you dislike most about your appearance?
I think one has to accept one-s appearance. You are born a certain way; you make the best of it. I think you have to accept yourself first of all before you can do anything.

What is your greatest extravagance?
Books. I do like reading and I have a wide taste.

What have you got in your fridge?
I-ve got yoghurt, soft drinks.

What is your greatest fear?
It-s that we destroy what we-ve built up. This is the danger that everybody has. You build up your country; you build up your family. You strengthen yourself, and if your work is destroyed it-s very tragic.

What have you got in your pockets right now?
Tissue paper.

What is your favourite journey?
I actually don-t like travelling a lot. I travel all the time, but it-s not my favourite pastime. You have to travel to get somewhere.

Who are your heroes in real life?
I think my heroes in real life are ordinary people who-ve sacrificed a lot to achieve their dreams. I don-t believe in the great hero. The great man. I think we must look at ordinary people and what they can achieve. I think the idea of greatness is quite a dangerous idea. We are all quite equal in many ways, and we should appreciate that people who achieve their potential who are honest and straightforward, are the people we must admire.

When and where were you happiest?
I was happiest as a university student, and university lecturer. I enjoy studying, I enjoy being with people. I enjoy research.

What-s your biggest vice?
Giving away everything. I think I-m too generous. I tend to find that everybody is worse off than me, so I-m in danger of giving away everything.

What were you like at school?
At primary school, I was very small, and there were a lot of big kids there. When we went to school it was the first time that schools were open to us. So when I went to school, I was six or seven, and there were fourteen or fifteen year olds who were bullying us. I learnt to be very fierce. I learnt to defend myself.

What are you doing next?
I-m doing research and I-m involved in Mavambo. Of course I-m involved in the education advisory board. I-m also involved in a couple of NGOs. We started an NGO called Envision Zimbabwe Women-s Trust. The idea of Envision is that we get an idea of the future of Zimbabwe. We want to get women, whatever their grouping to agree on things which are beneficial to all women.

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