WINZ Newsletter, Issue No 33

Editorial

Welcome you all to this delicious dish brimful of ambrosia for the mind. Read and enjoy the motivation that lies in the two articles below and make a difference. You are not alone.  Our congratulations to Patrick Hwande for his debut poetry anthology 'Echoes of Blunt Voices' published by the ever growing Veriest Solutions International, Harare. It's a fresh from the garden fruit. Like the title of James Nyamajiwa's book, I say "Go Higher!", my children!

Josephine Muganiwa - Board Chairperson

Some Pictures From the 2011 Book Fair

(courtesy of Amabooks, Batsirai Chigama and Fungai Machirori)

Hosea Tokwe and Jane Morris at the Amabooks exhibition stand

Jane Morris, Hosea Tokwe, Beaven Tapureta, Clever Simbarashe Kavenga, Ignatius Mabasa, Fungai Machirori

Beaven Tapureta and other participants at the 2011 ZIBF Writers' Workshop

 Meeting point: Writers buy books from ama'Books 

Positive Thinking and Success

By Hosea Tokwe

Dear writer, poet, journalist, comedian, dramatist and filmmaker, have you stopped to think why things, sometimes or always, do not work the way you would like them to? If you have tried to find an answer to this question and failed or found an unsatisfactory one, I advise you to read on through this article and you will find it.

The first thing I would like you to understand is that, under normal circumstances, whenever one door to a desired goal shuts, another one automatically opens. This is just as true in human life as I have put it. It often happens that in this world we are living a person finds himself continually failing to achieve something he or she  has desired for a long time, and eventually  despairs and begins to find faults with other people. Such a person will have failed to realize that there should be another way, and probably a better one, through which one can achieve one's ambition. This brings us to the point that a person should never despair in life. Perseverance can lead a person to tremendous success, perhaps greater than what one have ever dreamt of while laying down foundations of one's life. A person needs only to be positive in his/her thinking efforts so as to lead a successful life, and become successful.

Perhaps some people might wonder what is meant by a “successful person”. By this I mean a person who contributes solutions to the problems of his/her own people, and not the one who causes trouble. This is what every individual should aim at. Nevertheless, every person should always bear in mind that “success” is governed by one's mode of thinking. If you think positively, things will always  work the way you want, but if you are rather pessimistic and doubtful about what you think you can achieve, you will NEVER, whatsoever, be successful.

Great men or women in world history are those who never doubted what they thought they should do, they were people who had a great determination, people who felt a great responsibility towards their fellow countrymen, and above all, people who did not easily give up although their attempts might have appeared to be futile. You my dear friend, I am talking to you, can also take the same point of view and become one of the most successful people of our generation. Do not think that if you fail in one way of life you have failed in all. Definitely not. Try other ways and you will certainly discover one that would lead you where you want to go. John Masefield said, in one of his poems:

“Therefore go forth companion: when you find no highway more, no track, all being blind... The way to go shall glimmer in the mind.”

Honestly, from your determined efforts, you could lead yourself and the whole world to the uttermost and uppermost limits of success.

However, do not be disillusioned and think that I am talking about material success or success in a single aspect of life, but success in general, social, spiritual, intellectual, as well as economic. When you have succeeded in any of these, maintain your success earnestly and learn to share it with others, otherwise it would be worthless.

Therefore, if you have been doubting yourself always, and have been finding life rather difficult and almost a failure, start now to be positive in your thinking, and determined in your efforts. This brings the success you desire. Extensive thoughts achieve successful results and small ones just the opposite. Be positive and optimistic, for “life is what you make it.”

THE REGULAR WRITER

With

Tinashe “Mutumwapavi” Muchuri

A Brief Book Review

Title:                            Echoes of Blunt Voices

Author:                       Patrick Hwande

Year Published:          2011

Publisher:                   Veriest Solutions International

ISBN:                          079744430-0

Pages:                                     76

Echoes of Blunt Voices is Patrick’s debut poetry anthology. The book opens with the title poem. In this poem you hear of echoes of whispering children, whimpering women, the ill, the disabled, the poor, the marginalised, the displaced, the silent majority, and the beleaguered minority. This introductory poem sums up all that is in this collection of poetry.

Hwande’s pen doesn’t care about the status of people who commit evil things in the society. He just calls a spade a spade. He too doesn’t go in circles in order to say what ever he wants to say. He blankly says it on the face. His pen paints every evil in its deserving mood.

In the poem, ‘Snakes of Africa’, he writes,

In spite of age

They never leave the stage

Dare them and enjoy their rage,

Snakes of Africa

With everyday newspaper headlines pointing to man who abuse girls as little as three months, Hwande‘s pen in ‘Mothers’ Anxiety’ paints the agony of a mother whose daughter is ever vulnerable to the vultures. She asks,

Would you safely reach the school?

Would you reach the shops?

Hawks hover with untamed appetite.

The issues that Hwande write about are not only confined to Zimbabwe. They also affect other countries of the world. The issue of rape saw a South African citizen inventing what was then called an anti-rape condom that had spikes like things that would spike the man’s organ as a way of preventing women from being raped. Though, the condom was later banned for being cruel to men.

In this book you see the whole society and its troubles, fears, shortcomings and evils. The poet notes all things he view as stumbling blocks to having peace and harmony in the society.

The book closes with the poem ‘Lesson Notes’ in which Hwande urges the reader not to forget what lessons has been picked through the book in every verse. ‘Now that you know, toxic deeds sow, Blunt voices and hot tears, SO! Read and revise these notes.’

The poet Hwande, an active member of Writers International Network Zimbabwe, was born in Kadoma West in 1975. He grew up in Gokwe at his father’s farm. A teacher by profession, Patrick performs at various forums. His poem ‘Some of Us’ came third in the top 15 of the 2010 Intwasa Competition (Poetry category). Hwande is inspired by Chenjerai Hove, Dambudzo Marechera and Ngugi wa Thiongo whom he says ‘boldly expose the evils of society’.  Some of Hwande’s non-fiction articles about the plight of teachers in Zimbabwe have appeared in the Newsday, a local paper.

Hwande’s courage to say things as they are and to publish a book in a genre that is said to bring low turnover, must be hailed.

Forthcoming:   About the June/July Online Poetry Workshop!!!!!!!!! 

  

   

Poet Georgia Ann Banks-Martin who facilitated the workshop