WIN-ZIMBABWE will hold its monthly writers’ meeting on Saturday, 2 October 2010 at its traditional venue Theatre in The Park (Harare Gardens). The meeting will be running from 12 to 3:30 pm. WIN-ZIMBABWE’s meetings are open to all those who wish to be part of the writing gusto gathering momentum in Zimbabwe. Later on in our issues, we will publish an exclusive interview with one of our Board Members highlighting the history, cause, activities, among other issues, of the organisation. In this issue, we publish a poem by our late hero Dambudzo Charles Marechera as we pledge our homage to him and other great literary voices ever to emerge from our country.
JAMAICAN DUB POET MUTABARUKA COMES TO HARARE!
Accomplished Jamaican dub poet Mutabaruka, real name Allan Hope, will be one of the poets set to thrill poetry lovers at the Poetry Africa in Zimbabwe 2010 festival on 28 -29 September at the Book Cafe and Mannenberg in Harare.
Many people will recall Mutabaruka’s echoing, powerful Jamaican voice when he put up a shining performance at the ZIBF some few years ago. This time the dreadlocked dub poet comes to Harare to bless Zimbabwe with the enduring spirit and positive cultural influence of poetry.
Other enchanting ‘voice throwers’ drawn from the African continent who will perform at the two-day function are Frank Chipasula (Malawi), Lebo Mashile (S Africa), Barolong Seboni (Botswana), Concord Nkabinde (South Africa), Erik Paliani (Malawi), Pikita Ntuli (S Africa), Ngwatilo Mawiyoo (Kenya) and Mama C from Tanzania.
Poetry Africa in Zimbabwe 2010 has come up with an assorted bag of young and old poets from Zimbabwe such as Batsirai Chigama, Julius Chingono, Chirikure Chirikure, Freedom Nyamubaya, Musaemura Zimunya, Outspoken and Comrade Fatso and his group Chabvondoka.
“It is a wonderful lifetime opportunity for poetry lovers to be part of this dynamic get-together of poets. The festival is coming to Harare for the first time and therefore poetry lovers should come in large numbers,” said Pamberi Trust Arts Administrator Penny Yon.
She also said there will be a small and friendly cover charge but the whole excitement is in experiencing the influence of poetry from different parts of the world.
On 28 September at 8pm, Mannenberg will host music and poetry by Conrad Nkabinde, Erik Paliani, and Comrade Fatso and his group Chabvondoka, followed by a special appearance by Poetry Africa poets.
A panel discussion dealing with the topic ‘Poetry and Social Transformation’ follows on the next day 29 September at 5:30pm at the Book Cafe. On the same day in the morning at 10am there will be House Hunger Poetry Slam and the Magamba Youth Group Workshop. The 5pm discussion leads to a music and poetry slot starting at 8pm with Nkabinde and Paliani again dishing out different musical flavours before leaving the stage to poetry performance by Zimbabwean and the visiting poets.
The event (Poetry Africa in Zimbabwe 2010), a satellite programme of the Poetry Africa festival, aims to promote development of dialogue and exchange between countries and cultures with particular emphasis on Africa. It is being presented by the Centre for Creative Arts (University of KwaZulu-Natal) in partnership with Pamberi Trust, Book Cafe, African Synergy, ProHeveltia Arts Council of Switzerland, Mimeta, HIVOS, and the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund who are the principal funder.
Poetry Africa will tour Cape Town and Malawi, building up to the main festival to be held in Durban from 4 to 9 October 2010.
IN JAIL THE ONLY TELEPHONE
IS THEWASHBASIN HOLE
BLOW AND WE’LL HEAR
Write the poem not from classroom lectures
But from the barricade’s shrieking defiance
From the mortuary’s brightly frozen monocle
From day’s gunburst to night’s screaming human torch
From bleeding teeth that informed to underground
Perception of black fire
Write the poem not from the rhyme and reason of England
Nor the Israeli chant that stutters bullets against
Palestinians
Nor (for f*’s sake) from the negritude that negroed us
Write the poem, the song, the anthem, from what within you
Fused goals with guns and created citizens instead of slaves
Do not scream quietly
We want to hear, to know
And forge the breastplate a poet needs against THEM!
By Dambudzo Marechera
(Adapted from the book Dambudzo Marechera 1952 -1987, compiled and edited by Flora Veit-Wild and Ernst Schade, Baobab Books, 2008)
