''Rhodie'' is a

colloquial Colloquialism (), also called colloquial language, everyday language or general parlance, is the style (sociolinguistics), linguistic style used for casual (informal) communication. It is the most common functional style of speech, the idiom norm ...

term typically applied to a white Zimbabwean or expatriate Rhodesian.

Origins of the term

The term ''Rhodie'' was first used by British Army and civil service personnel in Rhodesia (renamed Zimbabwe in 1980) during the period between the

Lancaster House Agreement The Lancaster House Agreement, signed on 21 December 1979, declared a ceasefire, ending the Rhodesian Bush War; and directly led to Rhodesia achieving internationally recognised independence as Zimbabwe. It required the full resumption of di ...

of December 1979 and the formal independence of Zimbabwe in April 1980. The term was initially applied to all

white Zimbabweans White Zimbabweans are people in Zimbabwe who are of European descent. In linguistic, cultural, and historical terms, these Zimbabweans of European ethnic origin are mostly English-speaking descendants of British settlers and a small minority ...

. After independence, the term began to be applied increasingly to those whites who were nostalgic for the past. The nostalgia a ''Rhodie'' feels relates particularly to the UDI era (1965 to 1979), during which the predominantly white government, headed by the Prime Minister

Ian Smith Ian Douglas Smith (8 April 1919 – 20 November 2007) was a Rhodesian politician, farmer, and fighter pilot who served as Prime Minister of Rhodesia (known as Southern Rhodesia until October 1964 and now known as Zimbabwe) from 1964 to 1 ...

, declared independence from Britain in an attempt to prevent any commitment to a set timetable regarding black majority rule. The UDI project ended in the Bush War of the 1970s, fought between the

Rhodesian Security Forces The Rhodesian Security Forces were the military forces of the Rhodesian government. The Rhodesian Security Forces consisted of a ground force (the Rhodesian Army), the Rhodesian Air Force, the British South Africa Police, and various personnel a ...

and the communist-backed black nationalist insurgents of the

Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA) was the military wing of the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU), a militant African nationalist organisation that participated in the Rhodesian Bush War against white minority rule of Rhode ...

(ZANLA) and the

Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA) was the military wing of the Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU), a Marxist–Leninist political party in Rhodesia. It participated in the Rhodesian Bush War against white minority rule of Rho ...

(ZIPRA). Review: ''Scribbling the Cat'' by

Alexandra Fuller Alexandra Fuller (born in 1969 in Glossop, England) is a British- Rhodesian author. Her articles and reviews have appeared in ''The New Yorker'', '' National Geographic'', ''Granta'', ''The New York Times'', ''The Guardian'' and ''The Financ ...

Current usage of the term

Implications of racism and violence

Usage of the term ''Rhodie'' changed further in post-independence Zimbabwe. It began to be applied to a white Zimbabwean regardless of ethnic descent or country of origin. An image published in ''

The Sunday Times Magazine ''The Sunday Times Magazine'' is a magazine included with ''The Sunday Times''. In 1962 it became the first colour supplement to be published as a supplement to a UK newspaper, and its arrival "broke the mould of weekend newspaper publishing". ...

'' in 1984 showed a poster near Harare reading "Private Party Invitation Only No Drugs No Rhodies No Racists No Troublemakers Allowed on These Premises".

Rhodie bar

A Rhodie bar is an establishment frequented by ''Rhodies'' and is often decorated with memorabilia of the UDI era and the

Rhodesian Bush War The Rhodesian Bush War, also called the Second as well as the Zimbabwe War of Liberation, was a civil conflict from July 1964 to December 1979 in the unrecognised country of Rhodesia (later Zimbabwe-Rhodesia). The conflict pitted three for ...

References

{{Rhodesian topics Class-related slurs Pejorative terms for white people Rhodesian diaspora South African English Stereotypes of the working class Zimbabwean culture

Origins of the term

Current usage of the term

Implications of racism and violence

Rhodie bar

See also

References