Full name

Matipa Mukondiwa

Department where you did your PhD

Geography

PhD supervisor

Adam Branch and Sarah Radcliffe

Title of PhD thesis

What makes the house of stone? The pasts, presents and futures of Zimbabwe from the vantage point of a secondary school in Harare.

Year of completion

 2024

Current place of employment

NIANRO Consulting

Position at place of employment

Consultant

Where are you at the moment? 

I work remotely for a public intellectual in the UK (Professor Nicola Rollock). The current project my team is working on was commissioned by UCU and is about documenting the experiences of Black Prison Educators in the UK.

Tell us about your time at the University

I had come from Oxford where I did my master’s in African Studies, so I did not experience too much culture shock at Cambridge. What I am most proud of was starting Black in Geography, a seminar series in my department that foregrounded the work and thinking of Black Geographers in a historically white discipline.

Tell us about your experiences since leaving the University 

As I mentioned earlier, I am currently a consultant working remotely. I am really happy to be done with the PhD as it was a challenging time in my life. More than the degree, what I cherish and take pride in is the friendships Cambridge gave me.

Alumni wisdom 

If you could offer a piece of advice, a tip or simply some words of encouragement to those who have travelled from their home countries in Africa to undertake their PhD at the University of Cambridge, what would it be?

 By making it to Cambridge, I know you will work hard and go the extra mile – so please make a note to just enjoy yourself and have fun!!!