I knew Sam before Independence. I worked with him on land, energy and forestry issues. My abiding memory of him is his open, radical, good natured approach to life. He was a true geographer, driven by the empirical evidence that landscape meant lifescape and that lifescape was built by bias in race, class and gender.

Not my judgement, but one of his doctoral examiners left the room after questioning Sam about his doctoral thesis, obviously on land in Zimbabwe. “It was like asking Bismark about his foreign policy” was the judgement. What a loss felt around the world!

Phil O’Keefe. Newcastle, UK.

The first heavy snow in the winter of Beijing,
With the heartbreaking chill,
Came the message of the sudden death of my old friend, Sam Moyo.
He seemed to be quietly leaving amidst the fleeting snowflakes…

Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong -- his traces were everywhere,
Conference halls, villages, classrooms -- his voices echoed around,
In my mind, I see his image active in different places in China,
In my heart, I cherish his warm smiles and sharp views.

Sam Moyo has departed. Yet, he is still among us.

* Prof Wen Tiejun is with Rural Reconstruction Movement, Beijing, China.