Writers International Network Zimbabwe: WIN Newsletter, Issue No 66

EDITORIAL

Some of the Bilaal Young Writers Club members, Epworth

Welcome to our 66^th issue. We hope you had enjoyable Easter holidays. WIN’s first ordinary meeting held last week set the pace for our 2013 programs which are designed to realistically benefit our membership. Although we are still touched by the death of African legendary writer Professor Chinua Achebe, we have moved from mourning to celebrating a life well lived, for only Almighty authors our lives. Meanwhile, we thank everyone for remembering WIN when thinking about writing. ZIBF is holding its provincial book fairs. Mark the dates and attend. Let us join hands in celebrating OUR BOOK FAIR's 30^th anniversary this year. Enjoy the newsletter!

WIN HOLDS FIRST MEETING FOR 2013

By WIN Staff Writer

The group that attended the meeting

Multi-talented artist Wizzy Mangoma who was Guest of Honor

Writers International Network Zimbabwe conducted its ordinary meeting at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe, Harare, on Saturday March 23 to update members and discuss this
year's major activities.

Wizzy Mangoma, who apart from being a published author, wears various artistic hats, was the Guest of Honor.

Soon after introductions, a moment of silence was observed in honour of Africa’s great literary prophet Chinua Achebe who passed on on March 21 in Boston at the age of 82. Achebe is known worldwide for launching African literature in English in 1958 with his timeless page-turner Things Fall Apart. Achebe also wrote and published other books such as A Man of the People, Anthills of the Savannah, No Longer at Ease, Arrow of God and his latest memoir There Was a Country (an account of the Nigerian civil war of 1967-1970).

Speaking to the new writers, Guest of Honour Wizzy Mangoma revealed that she has now come back home for good and she feels proud to be home. Mangoma, who had been living abroad for more than fifteen years, shared her writing experience with the unpublished writers and had them inspired by her motivational presentation.

“Publishing is difficult but it needs patience and passion. You got to get up and write. In any moment, write and do not edit your feelings,” said Mangoma.

She urged the new writers to utilize writers’ associations like WIN which give them privilege to have their works assessed at a reasonable cost and are guaranteed progress.

Mangoma was touched by the writing gift of young Evelyn Chiradza, a student from Glen View 2 High, whom she presented with a copy of her poetry collection Moments Treasure. Evelyn is one of last year’s WIN/GAT Short Story Writing Competition winners.

She also donated a copy of Moment Treasures to WIN.

Apart from Moment Treasures, Mangoma has also published a creative journal with Teurai Chanakira titled As They Find A Way: A Journey of Various Creative Zimbabwean Women and a children’s book titled Manjanja: The Shining Red Fruit.

The members’ feedback session, chaired impromptu by renowned writer Memory Chirere, was lively as contributions which were made by the members testified that WIN is an essential platform in the struggle for breakthrough by new Zimbabwean writers.

Chirere suggested that although all programmes designed by WIN for 2013 were important, there was also need for a reading skills training workshop. Chirere went on to donate to WIN a copy of his award winning Shona short story collection Tudikidiki with an exciting autograph “KuWIN-Zim: Ungaite sei usina chokuita”.

Among other things, the new writers said they wanted workshops to sharpen their novel writing skills and copyright workshop so that they understand the subject much better. The members also urged WIN to expand wings to reach out to their friends across the country who are hard up for editorial help.

Zimbabwean artist and curator of National Gallery of Zimbabwe, Raphael Chikukwa, also chipped in during discussions and invited the new scribes to contribute articles in the Gallery’s magazine Art Alive.

Zimbabwe Non-fiction and Academic Authors association’s Samuel Makore also took the time to be with the new writers whom he urged to write about current events, children’s stories, saying these are kind of works which Zimbabwe Schools Examinations Council (ZIMSEC) is looking for from authors. Award-winning UK-based Zimbabwean film maker Anopa Makaka also graced the occasion and advised the aspiring writers to be patient with their careers.

There were poetry performances and readings done in-between sessions. Students who attended were drawn from Glen View 2 High and Bilaal Islamic Academy writers clubs while the rest of the members came from different parts of Harare.

Film-maker Anopa Makaka (left) and author Memory Chirere (right) were among the respected guests at the meeting

Young Evelyn Chiradza from Glen View 2 High reading her poem

Memory Chirere flanked by the team that came from Bilaal Academy’s young writers club in Epworth: From left: Mary Machado, Mr. Dzarira (a teacher) and Tawanda Chivingwa

THE REGULAR WRITER

New Voices in Women’s Movement

By Beaven Tapureta

Copy of SheMurenga displayed among other books published by Weaver Press

The author, Shereen Essof, signing her book at the launch held last week at the Gallery Delta, Harare

Younger women who attended the recent launch of Shereen Essof’s book SheMurenga: The Zimbabwe Women’s Movement (1995 – 2000) at the Gallery Delta, Harare, denounced disunity within the local women’s movement. Read More on Panorama

ZIBF CELEBRATES 30^TH ANNIVERSARY

This year the Zimbabwe International Book Fair celebrates thirty years of promoting writing, publishing, and marketing of books in Zimbabwe and beyond since its inception in 1983.

Running under an apt theme “ZIBF at 30: Enabling Creativity, Writing, Publishing and Reading for Africa’s Growth”, the regional book extravaganza held one of its satellite book fairs from March 22 to 23 at the National Gallery in Bulawayo.

Other satellite book fairs include the Masvingo Book Fair which will run from May 31 to June 1 and the Mutare Book Fair which takes place from September 27 to 28. The main Book Fair in Harare runs from July 29 to August 3 with its Indaba conference, which usually precedes other book fair events, starting on July 29 and ending on July 30.

According to ZIBF schedule of events, there is also an All Stakeholders Workshop on Piracy in Zimbabwe which will take place from April 25 and 26.

Main activities at all the book fairs include exhibitions, Children’s Reading Tent, Live Literature Centre, writers’ workshop and meet-the-author programme.

NGATINYOREI/KHASIBHALENI

The above-pictured seasoned Zimbabwean authors, Barbara Nkala (left) and Aaron Chiundura Moyo (right) have done a great job in promoting our mother languages, Ndebele and Shona respectively. The two are undoubtedly some of the great Zimbabwean authors who have been writing since the pre-independence era.The late great Ndebele novelist Ndabezinhle Sibanda Sigogo (1932 -2006) also played a great role in promoting his mother language.

This then serves to remind new authors who are writing in their mother languages that they are doing a good job in keeping our languages alive. Language is our cultural heritage. Now that the new Zimbabwean Constitution takes into consideration a number of local languages, this is a chance for new writers passionate about mother tongues to ‘unclip their wings of the imagination’.

Feel free to send in your short Shona or Ndebele poem for publication in our next issue of the WIN Newsletter.

Let us write! Ngatinyorei! Khasibhaleni!

WASAFIRI LAUNCHES NEW WRITING PRIZE 2013

Wasafiri 2013 writing prize flyer

Wasafiri, the magazine of international contemporary writing, has launched the 2013 New Writing Prize, a competition open to everyone worldwide. Winners are set to pocket prize money in each of the three categories which are poetry, fiction and life writing and will have their work published in the Wasafiri magazine. The deadline for submissions is July 26, 2013. For more information, click this link: WASAFIRI NEW WRITING PRIZE 2013

POETRY

Women It’s Time to Shine

By Sympathy Sibanda Ngwenya (pictured above)

It’s time to open your mouths and prove the chauvinists wrong

It’s time to rise up and be counted

It’s time to unleash hidden talents

It’s time to make silence our worst enemy

It’s time to know your place, dear women

Women stand up and be counted

Gone are those days of pandemonium and degradation

Gone is the era of embracing misconceptions,

Of what womanhood is and is not

Gone are the days of being treated like doorsteps and dustbins

Women stand up it’s time to shine

Wake up and shine dear women

Time to sleep has lapsed

The night is almost over and we await the dawning of new era

A time when being a woman is prestigious

A time when a woman’s arch-enemy is not a woman

Let’s come together and shine!

(Adapted from Matters of Life (2009), an anthology by S. Sibanda Ngwenya)

(25 year old Sympathy Sibanda Ngwenya is a humanitarian, sociologist, writer, songwriter and poet, voice over artist, counselor, gender and children’s rights activist. She started performing poetry and speeches and writing at a tender age of 5 and 8 respectively. She is now employed as a humanitarian worker in an international Non-Governmental organization where she advocates for the rights of the minority and giving hope to hopeless souls such as the marginalized groups. She runs a poetry consultancy (DUNAMIS) that specializes in personalized performances at weddings, funerals and other functions. Her published work of poetry is titled ‘Matters of Life’ and she is in the process of publishing another anthology. She has just released her debut CD titled ON HIS BOSOM, recorded by Revival Studios. She was chosen as a patron for young writers in Mutare last year. She values family, friends and her talents because she learn from them every day. She says, ’I enjoy bringing the best out of every one because some people did that to me, that is, brought the best out of me’.)

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