TRIBUTE TO JULIUS CHINGONO: SYMPATHY SIBANDA

In life, Julius Chingono was an enigmatic, yet vibrant man. You would not help loving him as a fatherly poet. He was a source of knowledge. So approachable and down-to-earth was he that at a certain literary discussion in Harare I drew near to him to ask what poetry has done in his life.

“Muzukuru you should never ever give up. The money I used to build my house in Norton came from my writing…,” he said to me.

From then on, I knew I would also make it in the arts fraternity. To me, even in death, he continues to be an inspiration. An artist never dies and though we bade farewell to a ‘pen-master’ his voice lives on and will transcend from this generation to the next. His works are timeless and his word will continue to inspire us all.

Rest in peace, Sekuru, your words still ring in my mind. “You should never give up, muzukuru!”

Sympathy Sibanda is the author of the anthology ‘Matters of Life’, (Veriest Solutions International, 2010)


Chingono (kneeling) with young poets at a literary discussion in 2009 in Harare