Alfonso enjoys cooking, playing guitar, and playing rugby — all things that he says bring him closer to family, friends, and his community.
Back home, family, community, and friendship is very important. I got into cooking mainly because I knew that the food was going to be shared with people close to me. Food gives us a reason to come together and I think that is invaluable.
Similarly, I really enjoy rugby and playing the guitar. I used to play guitar as a kid but I stopped for a long time and have recently started up again. My friends started getting into guitar playing recently too, and that made learning the instrument much more bearable. Learning alone can sometimes be burdensome because you get tired of practicing. However when it is done in the company of friends, its something you actually look forward to.
Rugby teaches great sportsmanship, which is something I believe is important. At a glance, the sport can appear very violent, but honestly you need so much connection and trust to be able to do well in the sport. Your teammates lift you up on the pitch and you have got to trust that they will not drop you.
Anything that brings people together is of interest to me, and that is a lot of things. I am always aware when I am doing something, that I can take much more from it than meets the eye. I tend to like very different things and that sometimes confuses people, but I always tell them that wherever they go, whatever they do, there is something of value to be taken away in order to help you live a better life.
Marie-Simone Kadurira