Henry Olonga is a Christian who came to public attention as a test cricketer playing for Zimbabwe and through his protests against the regime of Robert Mugabe. He kindly agreed to talk to EN.
EN: Could you tell us briefly about your background and about playing cricket for Zimbabwe?
HO: I was actually born in Zambia, but, in 1981 when I was five years old, we moved from Kenya to Zimbabwe because it had just gained independence and there was a lot of optimism about the country. I went to a very good boarding school called Plumtree where I fell in love with sport, art and singing. It was here that I discovered cricket. I was groomed as a fast bowler. However, early on in my career I went through a tough time because my bowling action was questioned for throwing. Although that was a tough time, I had been taught never to give up. So I was sent to India, Australia and South Africa where fast-bowling coaches such as Denis Lillee helped me to remodel my action.
