When you make your living as a rugby player, sometimes there are hardships to go alongside the wage you get for playing a sport you love. This can be particularly true for those who have moved a significant distance from home in order to do so. That much becomes apparent in talking to a mostly chirpy Tafadzwa Chitokwindo. The Zimbabwean is quick. In fact, he’s very quick. It’s one of the reasons why  German side TV Pforzheim agreed to give him a trial – they had seen his wheels in action during the 2013 Sevens World Cup. And after three months, Chitokwindo had done enough to be invited back on a full-time basis. The money he earns in central Europe has afforded him a lifestyle he could only fleetingly enjoy back in Zimbabwe, but there is also a harshness that comes with that. Asked if he would stay in Germany long-term, Chitokwindo sighs before he says: “That’s a very tricky question because Germany is not the friendliest of places to be, social-wise. So in as much as everything is okay financially, the social side is a bit of a low. It’s a 50-50. I could go home but I know there are not many opportunities for me to explore, but I know my social life is going to be better and I’m always going to be happy. Here there are things like racism, people don’t appreciate you because they don’t want you here.” How bad has the racism been for you in the country? “Now I think they’re getting used to us, because of all the refugees coming through. But just when I first came through, if I’d gone into a shop a security guard would follow me around. If I did anything, everybody would be watching me. So you endure the pressure, but then you know why you are here. There are always challenges to every new adventure. You just have to dig deep and move forward.” This sounds like a harsh low away from rugby, to go along with the financial highs and true enjoyment on the field. Germans have a complicated relationship with incomers and although he is not a refugee, you can understand how the African athlete may feel isolated in a country where a constant national discussion revolves around the vast intake of displaced foreign nationals. SEE OUR INVESTIGATION IN THE NEW ISSUE Chitokwindo studied in South Africa’s Rhodes University, but after moving back to Zimbabwe a job he took “moved sideways” nine months later and he looked elsewhere. He laughs about the fact it was rugby that took him to Europe. Explaining the differences in lifestyle in greater detail, he says: “Back home I wouldn’t get anything out of rugby, I’d just play for the sake of playing. But coming here to Germany, I feel like I’m more independent because if I play I get my money and if I get my money then I can choose whatever I want to do with it. … Continue reading The Great Migration: The Zimbabwean in Germany