Olonga — the conscience-keeper who stood up for what was right

Henry Olonga: former Zimbabwean cricketer turned artist, musician, author, and rebel with a heart, now thriving in Australia.

Speedster, painter, musician, author and rebel. These diverse labels sit easy with Henry Olonga. However, the former Zimbabwean seamer and current Australian citizen, would rather be known as a man with a heart.

His fingers smudged with paint, Olonga, was busy drawing a picture of a stadium at the Adelaide Oval’s Village Green area here on Saturday. Next to him a lone vocalist and a musician belted out songs. Olonga is comfortable in this universe of arts.

He also stays in touch with cricket, a game he played at the international level from 1995 to 2003. Twenty one years ago, Olonga and Andy Flower wore a black armband to protest the atrocities committed by the then Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe.

Their careers ended and Olonga moved to England, and later to Australia.

This tale of exile is a constant: “I was born in Zambia and had a Kenyan father and I felt even when I played for Zimbabwe I was considered an outsider.” He now feels at home Down Under: “I love Australia. I am married to an Australian wife and I have got two children.”

He does multiple things, cuts music albums, delivers speeches, paints for causes, is a casual coach with the South Australia Cricket Association and is an umpire at weekend games. “A lot of Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis play and much later they get to know who I am,” he said.

A fast bowler with soft-skills may seem an anachronism but Olonga insisted that he was always into aesthetics: “I always had that soft side and I never saw it as different or odd. I always liked variety. I get bored doing one thing.”