Bulawayo, Zimbabwe's second city. Born as the royal capital of the 19th-century Ndebele kingdom, it is known as the 'City of Kings and Queens'. Avenues broad enough to turn an ox-wagon and Victorian buildings form its frame — the heart of Matabeleland.
Here it is night. In Tokyo, a new morning will soon come round again.
On the same channel are the participants of the Tokyo festival. Bulawayo's now and Tokyo's now overlap.
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Formerly known as Gibixhegu, Bulawayo was founded as the kraal of King Mzilikazi in 1840. He was succeeded by his son Lobengula, who ruled from the 1860s until 1893. When King Lobengula disappeared, Queen Lozikeyi served for a time as de facto regent of the kingdom.
The city has 155 ancient buildings and these represent the highest standards of Victorian architecture. The streets were built extraordinarily wide, enough for a 16 oxen wagon to make a complete, single U-turn without reversing or hitting the curb.
A landscape of ancient granite domes and sacred caves, where Ndebele heritage and San rock art meet the vast Zimbabwean bush. It is the final resting place of Cecil Rhodes at World’s View, and home to balancing rocks, baobabs, and vibrant hut paintings by local women artisans. More than scenery, Matobo is spirit — a place of history, healing, and living culture rooted in Matabeleland.
The city is historically known as a massive, bustling industrial and manufacturing powerhouse with heavy factory chimneys and power station cooling towers, powered by its strategic position on the National Railways of Zimbabwe network.
The suburb was the first black African township in the city. Named after the actions of Mr Fallon, the Native Commissioner, the name comes from the word "ukukhokhoba" which means "bending and walking with a stick". The city suburb names embrace a rich historic culture and nature, with some suburbs named after princes like Njube and Nkulumane.
The city of Bulawayo has a rich history with guitar-driven folk music, tracing back to legendary pioneers like George Sibanda in the 1940s — whose acoustic style helped shape what people call maskandi (umasiganda) and township guitar styles today. Other famous music genres in the city include Tshibilika, Imbube, Amapiano and Gospel.
Matched to the real altitude of the moon over Tokyo, hold your phone up toward the eastern sky. Tokyo's night floats into Bulawayo's daytime sky.
🗺 Location: The heart of Matabeleland
👥 Population: 665,940
🏷 Nicknames: Ntuthu Ziyathunqa (smoke rises), Skies, Blues, koMfazi ushayindoda (where the wife beats the husband), Bulliesberg
⛰ Nearby: Matobo National Park (World Heritage), Ntabazinduna
🪘 Tribes: Mostly Ndebele, other groups include Kalanga, Tonga, Xhosa, Shona
🎨 Culture: Ndebele beadwork, poetry, theatre, different genres of music
🙏 Religion: Christianity, ATR (African Traditional Religion)