A reflection on exile, gratitude, and the enduring power of solidarity.
I am in Norway completing my studies through the Students at Risk programme. It is an initiative run by the Students and Academics International Fund (SAIH), together with Norwegian public institutions and the higher education department.
My path here began when I was expelled from the University of Zimbabwe by an authoritarian regime that criminalises free thought, expression, and association. My only crime was believing that young people and citizens deserve a voice in their own country’s future.
I was first suspended in 2012. When I was readmitted in 2014, the persecution continued, this time through bureaucracy. My transcript and degree certificate were withheld by the then Vice Chancellor, Levy Nyagura. I fought the decision in court, but the system was designed to silence me, not to provide justice. In the end, my dreams were shattered.
Yet, even in despair, solidarity finds a way. My late brother, Dewa Mavhinga, a towering human rights defender, supported my distance learning in law at the University of South Africa. When he passed away in December 2021, I was stranded once again, my education unfinished and my hope dimmed.
Then, a new path opened. I became a beneficiary of the Students at Risk programme, a testament to Norwegian generosity and its enduring belief in justice and human dignity. I enrolled at one of Norway’s leading institutions, where I have learned more than just theory. I have experienced what it means to live in a society built on solidarity, equality, and freedom, the values that anchor the Nordic model.
Norway is a small country with a big heart. From supporting the anti-apartheid struggle to championing global peace. It has consistently chosen to stand with the oppressed and the hopeful. The Students at Risk programme is a continuation of that proud tradition, a quiet act of resistance against tyranny everywhere.
As I finish my studies, I look toward returning to Zimbabwe. I know the road will not be easy. I will be going back to a country still struggling with repression, poverty, and inequality. But I will return with conviction, guided by the values I have seen in Norway: solidarity, freedom, and equality.
These are not just ideals. They are tools for rebuilding nations and restoring dignity. I want to be part of the generation that reimagines Zimbabwe, that builds a society where education liberates instead of punishes, where leadership serves instead of exploits, and where every young person can dream without fear.
I believe that, just as Norway stood with the people of South Africa against apartheid, it will continue to stand with dreamers like me, those committed to the struggle for social democracy, justice, and human rights in Zimbabwe and beyond.
For that, I am forever grateful. Not only for the opportunity to learn, but for the proof that ordinary people, guided by conscience and solidarity, can indeed change the world.
