1- THE GUIDE: How long have you been the Ambassador in charge here in Brazil?
Ambassador Thomas S. Bvuma: I have been in Brazil since December 2004, completing now 2 years and 3 months. Our Embassy was opened in September 2004 in Brazil. Before, it was covered from Washington D.C. I have the honor to be the first Ambassador at this new Mission.

2 - THE GUIDE: How is the government regime in Zimbabwe?
Ambassador Thomas S. Bvuma: Politics of Zimbabwe takes place in a framework of a presidential republic, whereby the President of Zimbabwe is both head of state and head of government. He is elected every 6 years, and there is also a Parliament elected every 5 years. Next year, we will have synchronized elections for president and parliament.

3- THE GUIDE: What is the size of Zimbabwe's population?
Ambassador Thomas S. Bvuma: Today we are in a total of 12 million people, being the most part of it formed by the youth.

4 – THE GUIDE: What is the official language of your country?
Ambassador Thomas S. Bvuma: English is the official language of Zimbabwe. The majority of the population speaks Bantu languages like Shona and Ndebele. Bantu is a general term for over 400 different ethnic groups in Africa, from Cameroon to South Africa, united by a common language family (the Bantu language) and in many cases common customs. English is spoken primarily in the cities, but less in rural areas. Radio and Television news are now broadcasted in three national languages: Shona, Ndebele and English.

5 – THE GUIDE: What is the predominant religion?
Ambassador Thomas S. Bvuma: The predominant religion is Christianity. However, Christianity is often mixed with enduring traditional beliefs.

6 – THE GUIDE- How is Zimbabwe politically divided?
Ambassador Thomas S. Bvuma: Our country is constituted by 10 provinces, and the capital city is Harare.

7- THE GUIDE: And the people, what can you say about the people of Zimbabwe? Are there any similarities with the Brazilians?
Ambassador Thomas S. Bvuma: The Zimbabwe citizens have a lot of similarities with the Brazilian people such as the variety of races. We have a population that includes European and Asian descendents.

8- THE GUIDE: How is the National Day of Zimbabwe celebrated there?
Ambassador Thomas S. Bvuma: On the National Day, we have the speech of our President and several gatherings and festivals throughout the whole country, which include musical and dance presentations.

9- THE GUIDE: Are there other national celebrations, festivals, etc?
Ambassador Thomas S. Bvuma: Yes, we have several levels for that, like family festivals, religious and also some traditional festivals. We have festivenesses related to the seasons of the year, like the celebration for the coming rain.

10 - THE GUIDE: What about the relations with Brazil? How are they?
Ambassador Thomas S. Bvuma: Our relationship with Brazil is increasing; this is why we opened this Embassy on 2004. Zimbabwe is striving to open new commercial markets and has already done so with China and India; Brazil is considered one of these new markets. We will, however, continue to develop our traditional markets while diversifying and cultivating new economic relations. We have two bilateral cooperation agreements already signed with Brazil and others about to be signed in the areas of science, education and agrarian development.

11 - THE GUIDE: Can you tell how many citizens of Zimbabwe are here in Brazil?
Ambassador Thomas S. Bvuma : At the moment, there are few Zimbabwe citizens living here in Brazil, consisting mainly of the Diplomatic staff and their family members.

12 - THE GUIDE: What can you say about your stay here in Brasilia?
Ambassador Thomas S. Bvuma: Brasília is a quiet and peaceful city, offering good conditions for living and working. There are some similarities between Zimbabwe and the Middle-West region of Brazil; the weather is similar and the landscape of Cerrado looks a lot like Africa’s Savanna.

13 - THE GUIDE: Are you and your family already adapted to the city of Brasilia?
Ambassador Thomas S. Bvuma: In the beginning, my sons found the adaptation a little bit difficult because they didn’t know the language and didn't have any friends. But now, they are fluent at the Portuguese language and have lots of friends. My younger son is studying at the American School of Brasilia and the older one is doing Medicine at UnB (Universidade de Brasília). Both have adapted well and my wife is also very happy here, mainly because she can now communicate well with Brazilians.

14- THE GUIDE: Have you been in other states in Brazil? Which ones?
Ambassador Thomas S. Bvuma: Yes, so far I have visited Goiânia, Capital of the State of Goias, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Angra dos Reis, Curitiba, in the State of Paraná, Porto Alegre and some towns of the State of Rio Grande do Sul such as Caxias do Sul, Santa Rosa and Passo Fundo. But the place I liked the most was Santa Catarina, which has pretty beaches.

THE GUIDE thanks the Ambassador Thomas S. Bvuma for the interview and congratulates all the people of Zimbabwe for its National Day.