Personal Statement – Miss Rosalind Vimbanashe Chibwana

The study of conflicts, international relations and politics could essentially be seen as understanding
the way different actors relate to each other. It therefore holds the potential to polarise but also to
include and encourage co-operation, which summarises my ideas, thoughts and hopes as to why I
wish to pursue this interest.
I have always had a genuine fascination of global politics, conflicts and the way organisations, states
and cultures interact and relate to each other. As a young girl I was fascinated by the movies and
stories that portrayed a picture of the good and evil in an often dramatic clash, particularly the
movies of James Bond. 

I believe these movies sparked an interest and curiosity as to how global actors connect through
conflict, diplomatic and financial relations, for example. 

Needless to say, my understanding of global issues has developed since the highly simplified stories
of secret agents saving the world. Through volunteering and studying to get my degree I have
further explored this interest in matters of international relations. By doing so a foundation for
further exploration was built. 

However, it was during my last four years of studying Political Science that I realised that my actual
deep-rooted interest was rather in political and international security in an ever-changing modern
political climate. For example, throughout different modules I visited subjects such as political
ideologies, international organizations, international relations and international politics, to mention
a few. 

Together with accessibility to great sources through libraries, professors and public lectures in the
vibrant Midlands State University, I slowly but steady realised that my true interest rather lied within
international matters on security, conflict and relations.

While, as mentioned, the honours in Politics and Public management may have some features that
links it with international relations, I would argue that the true strength of having such a masters is
the emphasis on seeing the ‘big picture’. 

In order to understand any geopolitical issue, political science likewise, it is crucial to analyse a wide
selection of factors that might make an impact, for example political, ideological, economical,
military, law, history, culture and so forth. My political science degree saw a great emphasis on just
this, namely to understand the complexity of different social issues, thus equipping me with the
appropriate tools to undertake a Masters in International Relations.

Per now, my aspiration is to pursue this interest in an academic environment and thus gain the skills,
tools and knowledge necessary in a wide range of future options. My desire is that a Masters at
Durham University of Government and International Affairs combined with the opportunity to build
networks would equip me with the necessary tools to build a career within international
organisations that targets matters of international security or state and humanitarian development. 

In particular I would seek a career in for example UN, NATO or other NGOs such as UNICEF and or
any of the humanitarian organizations. I firmly believe that these mentioned organizations would
accept only the highest grade of skills and knowledge on the relevant subjects, and Durham
University with its expert professors and great network of scholars could be the ideal institution for
me to collaborate up with in the pursuit of the mentioned demanded expertise.

Despite little direct academic or professional experience in both the fields of International Relations,
I believe that my Political Science degree in partnership with a genuine interest and high ambitions is
a recipe of success. To be supervised by the highly qualified staff at Durham University with your
reputation of excellence on political issues could prove to be inspiring. 

Such a reputation attracts international students from all corners of the globe to United Kingdom
which I think is a key aspect in the study of international relations due to the facilitation of different
perspectives and ideas. Coming from Zimbabwe myself, I believe I can contribute with the
perspective from a small but significant country when it comes to diplomatic and peacekeeping
activity in conflict zones.

During my undergraduate degree I wrote my dissertation on the nexus between the socio-politico
economic and the fast track land reform program in Zimbabwe, and during my research I sourced
documents that reinforced my idea of pursuing a masters and a career in international relations. I
touched upon topics such as colonialism, foreign policies and religion, and I do believe that Durham
University not only covers these mentioned topics but also could introduce me to other relevant
areas. 

I am truly confident that this course will broaden my knowledge and understanding of global issues
as a whole. Moreover, my strong work ethics and academic ability to study and contribute at a
Masters level could be evident by my Second Upper Class classification on both my dissertation and
degree as a whole.

For my master’s thesis I have yet to conclude on a specific subject. However, I have a greater interest
in themes such as political and religious radicalisation, post-conflict state building and globalisation
with particular focus on the Middle East as a region. I am especially interested in how a state’s
failures and successes have the potential to influence the use of violence, particularly in non-nation-
states, which is frequently seen in the Middle East.

My interest and passion for these subjects are not limited to academic point of view. I enjoy reading
books on world politics, Middle Eastern culture and just now I am reading a book about ISIL and their
extensive use of media as a source of ‘propaganda’ and just the same as what my country's
government does. 

Aside from academia, I enjoy several hobbies and activities. I like traveling in various regions of the
world and I still enjoy the meeting of new cultures and people. Really wish I could travel around the
world visiting different continents, however I dare to say visiting Britain would be my dream
witnessing the BREXIT. Here I intend to start on taking serious English lessons, with the intention of
getting a wide connection with other people easily to widen my network by knowing their culture
and language for my future career 

In addition, as mentioned earlier, I am quite so interested in Middle Eastern culture, and I hope to
get the opportunity to move there in the future, preferably in professional context. I also appreciate
sports, particularly football but also hiking, climbing and swimming, all of which I have enjoyed both
at home and whilst travelling. 

In addition, I was a member of Midlands State University in which I attended several debates and
lectures on global political issues, which only adds to several other public seminars and debates I
have attended. I intend to put these interests of use when engaging in the campus activities and
student culture in United Kingdom. I highly value a vibrant student culture in which different
personalities can unfold and express themselves through social, intellectual and sports societies.

In conclusion, I look forward to the challenges and opportunities that Durham University can
provide, and the idea of being a part of such a recognized institution is truly inspiring. On the risk of
sounding pretentious, I do hope to be able to make a difference in our world, and I believe that the
next step of achieving so is by starting my Master’s in International Relations at Durham University