Harare, Zimbabwe 2019

My fifth trip Zimbabwe coincided with the death of Robert Mugabe, whose presidency had loomed over each of my previous visits. I first heard the news via a radio host’s report on the car radio as our driver transported us from our hotel to the African Regional Intellectual Property Office (ARIPO) on the morning of 6 September 2019. In announcing the death of Robert Mugabe, she wished that he rest in peace and indicated that they would play the music of Bob Marley throughout the day, as Marley was his favorite musician. She diplomatically explained that it was Zimbabwean culture to never speak ill of the dead no matter what wrongs they may have committed and that respect dictated that all honor the decedent upon their passing. She finished by noting that he was a man of principle who stuck to his convictions before launching into Marley's "One Love." On the streets around us in the central business direct, the people of Zimbabwe, most nattily dressed as always, carried peacefully about their early morning business.

Our patent-drafting workshop also carried on as usual with another batch of bright and eager participants from across ARIPO member states, and I enjoyed reuniting with old friends.