EDITORIAL
Memories: Writers Ethel
Kabwato, Tinashe Mushakavanhu (WIN Board Member) and Beaven Tapureta (WIN
Founder & Director) share a joke in 2014 in Harare a moment after attending
a meeting with Flora Veit-Wild to discuss the Dambudzo Marechera Trust
Welcome,
welcome to our first issue for this year! We hope we find you all well. We
admit we have been very quiet for the past three months (January, February and
March) but in the background WIN-Zimbabwe is very patient. We believe
in patience and would like to thank you for patiently waiting for this first
issue to come. Naturally, the three months were a period of self-scrutiny,
reviewing everything that WIN-Zimbabwe has done and finding ways of how best we
can improve our programs. The WIN
Newsletter, Vol 2, Issue No 1 comes with information that we hope will be
valuable to every concerned writer. Our regular columns ‘Voice of the Girl Child’ and ‘The
Youth Perspective’ will resume in the second issue. We welcome your
feedback. Please do enjoy.
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: THE 2018 GOLDEN BAOBAB PRIZE
Dear Friend,
Golden Baobab is pleased to announce the call for
submissions for the 8th edition of the Golden Baobab Prize, Africa’s leading
children’s literary award. The 2018 Golden Baobab Prize invites submissions of
unpublished manuscripts and illustrations for children's stories. Entry is open
to citizens of any African country.
The award categories for the 2018 Golden Baobab Prize
are:
• The
Golden Baobab Prize for Picture Books, for the best story targeting a reader
audience of ages 4-8.
• The
Golden Baobab Prize for Early Chapter Books, for the best story targeting a
reader audience of ages 9-11.
• The
Golden Baobab Prize for Illustrators, for the best artwork that matches
illustration briefs provided, intended for children ages 4-11.
All winners will receive a cash prize of 5,000 USD and
press publicity. Winners of the literature prizes are guaranteed a publishing
deal. Longlisted and Shortlisted writers are connected with publishers across
Africa. Finalist illustrators participate in exhibitions and have their work
shared with a network of African and international publishers. The Prize
submission deadline is 1st December 2017.
This 8th edition of the Prize presents a heavier focus
on publishing to prioritize the production of more African children’s books.
The Golden Baobab Prize now facilitates relationships between finalist writers
and illustrators and a growing network of African publishers with the goal to
get more African books into the hands of children all over the world.
Do share this email with writers and illustrators, as
well as interested organizations in your networks. For information, visit:
www.goldenbaobab.org. Follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook. We look
forward to engaging with you!
COMING SOON
‘7 in 1’ Destiny Sagacity
“UNDERSTANDING destiny is an
appreciation of the role you were created to play in the movie called Life.
Maybe you have had a magnetic pull that was directing you to a certain place or
even a person. Could that place or person be connected to your destiny?” – says
Ralph Kadurira in his introduction to the book.
BORN OF BLOOD
By
Amanda Ranganawa
Chapter 1 (European Kingdom)
Screams of pain
filled the palace walls. With each push and sweat the woman became weaker and
weaker. Her eyes had now turned dark blue, her fangs exposed with every scream.
Slowly she began to lose colour. Green lines of struggle could be traced on her
arms and legs. She felt a pang of vicious pain and tried to rise from the bed.
The three women tending to her gently pushed her back. The agonized woman was
sweating ferociously. One of the woman started damping her forehead and chest
with a cold towel. She was burning. The three women were frightened. One of
them ushered the other two to a corner where they started speaking in whispers.
“Her condition
plays drums of fear in my heart. It is unbearable. She is too ill,” said
Madeline, the grey-haired elder.
“We know that Aunt
Lynn. Oh how I wish it was midnight. Then she would turn into a werewolf. It
will be easier for her to give birth then,” replied an anxious Anna Mary.
The third one,
Veronica, cut in, “Let’s not just stand here. Let’s inform the King. Her
Majesty has been in labour for far too long. She might die.’’
They all agreed.
Veronica and Anna Mary stayed with the Queen as Auntie Lynn went to inform his
Highness about the condition of his wife. The King sat in his chamber while his
mind was in a deep brown study. Tired of pacing up and down his room, he had
decided to sit on a chair. He prayed that his wife and child come out alive.
Such prolonged labour had never been heard of in the whole Kingdom. Twelve
hours of labour! It must be an omen, he thought, or in a bright light, a good
meaning. He wondered what the birth of this child could mean.
He got up from the
chair and strolled over to the window. He stared blankly at the trees that
bowed loyally beneath the Castle’s windows. As he stared at the trees he
wondered what it would be like if his wife died. The thought thrashed his soul like
flesh being whipped by hot iron. Shaking his head, he murmured sadly,
“Who plants a rose only to
pluck it before it blossoms?
Who grants joy only to grant
back sorrow?
Such is the foolish betrayal
of life
That sneezes at no cold, and
cries at no pain
Leaving longing and despair
At anything that was once
pure and delightful…”
His thoughts were
interrupted by a knock on the door. A mixture of worry and excitement filled
his voice as he spoke, “Who is it?’’
A royal guard
answered, ‘’Your Royal Majesty, one of the midwives begs for your presence.’’
The King’s heart
pounded fast as he was thoroughly filled with apprehension. Could it be his wife has delivered? If she
has, how is the child? His head danced with questions. He quickly rose and
opened the door.
Beaming with a
fake smile he said, “I am here.’’
Madeline stood at
the entrance door, head bowed. The King looked at her and waited for her to
open her mouth. The woman twitched her thumbs and bowed as she spoke, ‘’My
Lord, there is no change. Her Majesty is in a lot of pain. The baby is
refusing to be birthed no matter how she pushes.’’
At the uttering of
these words the King cursed his gods and hit his fist on the door. The guard
and maid stepped back from him. They feared being the receivers of his outrage.
“Take me to my
wife!’’ his Majesty ordered Madeline who hurriedly led the way.
The King walked
down the multiple stairs led by an anxious Madeline who feared that her madam
could die in child labour. They reached the door where the Queen had been admitted
for her child birth. Her husband slowly opened the door and entered. His wife
lay on the bed unrecognizable as she had turned green and purple. Her eyes were
huge and black. Her fangs had mercilessly bruised her lips till she began
to bleed. The King felt intense pain and sadness in his heart and he went over
to hold his wife’s hand to comfort her. As he lifted her right hand, he saw
that her nails were a shiny deep yellow. The King froze and suddenly shook with
rage.
‘’This is
Theresa’s markings. That devil!’’ he screamed “Guards! Guards!’’…
(To be continued)
Amanda
Ranganawa (above), author of ‘Born of Blood’
WRITER-TO-WRITER CONVERSATION
Writers/Poets Clever Simbarashe Kavenga (L) and
Shingirai Manyengavana (R) seen here at the University of Zimbabwe book launch
last year
Shingirai
Manyengavana (SM) is a WIN-Zimbabwe
voluntary freelance writer as well as a poet. He recently had the privilege to
talk with Clever Simbarashe Kavenga (CK), a Mutare-based published author. Kavenga
is a 2008 NAMA award nominee, a Pungwe Newspaper columnist whose first poem No peace No hope was published by Parade
magazine when he was still doing his ‘O' Level. His published works include Mashiripiti Edehwe raRungano, a
children's book which won him First Prize for the Zimbabwe Book Publishers
Association’s Best Children's Book at the 2007 ZIBF. Kavenga is also a member
of WIN-Zimbabwe and has appeared
in several anthologies which include Mudengu
Munei? , Visions from the Motherland,
Defiled Sacredness, Gwatakwata
Renhetembo, and Hodzeko Yenduri. When he was a budding writer, Kavenga was
also published in magazines such as Moto, Tsotso, Writers Scroll (a BWAZ
publication), New Voice Magazine, Sunday Mail Leisure, Knowtown News, and the
Kwayedza newspaper. Nine f poems appeared in the anthology Ngoma Yokwedu published by BWAZ.
Kavenga’s latest children's book is titled Kare Kare Zvako published by Mambo Press (Gweru). Below are excerpts
from the talk.
SM: May you give us your brief background.
CK: Grew up partly in Nyanga my rural area and Madziva in Shamva, Bindura. After completing my Ordinary Level I got a job in Harare. I later left Harare for Mutare where I have been based for the past sixteen years. I'm married blessed with three children two girls and a boy.
SM: For how long have you been writing and what are some of the
challenges you’ve faced as a writer?
CK: I
have been in the writing path for the past 23 years. On the writing journey I
have wept more tears of pain than tears of joy. Such is life there is nothing
good you can get on a silver plate. Always you have to fight for the best. Best
works come from the one who always practices. Most of my works are in
Shona and publishers were not really supportive when it comes to indigenous
languages and yet I always found myself in the trenches fighting for my mother
language. Thanks to the Kwayedza newspaper, Tsotso Magazine, the Writers
Scroll, New Voices magazine and Pungwe News for promoting local languages; through
them I found my footing.
SM: So what inspired you to venture into writing?
CK: My late mother was a story teller though not published. I think I inherited it from her. I was and still I am an avid reader and it inspired me to be a creative writer also.
SM: What do you think are some of the urgent issues that need to be addressed in our writing industry as a whole?
CK: Some
of the challenges in the writing field are that publishers are now only
interested in publishing books that have been chosen as school set books. This
is killing the book industry as fewer books are being published. I think ZIMSEC
should go out there on the market and get their books to consider for set books
rather than waiting for publishers to hand them books. Publishers are there to
put books on the market for the public. But ZIMSEC is now taking the short cuts
as the norm. With the new curriculum coming up I hope something good for us is
also promising. Publishers should also honour their contracts with writers. A
lot of them are failing to pay royalties to writers yet this must be a business
partnership. I think we also need an organization that monitors publishers to see
if they are paying royalties to the writers because most of the publishers are
getting away scot free.
SM: But have you any
regrets for being a writer?
CK: Regrets ha-a (laughs). Even a successful man has regrets. My regrets are that I think our government is not doing enough for the creative writer. Elsewhere in the world there is life in writing industry but here you can't live on writing even as a columnist you struggle. It is really dark on the writing field. Our government should buy creative books for the public libraries and schools.
SM: What is the important lesson
that you have learnt in your life and would like to share with the young
writers?
CK: In life never give up on your talent and always have your eyes on the horizon. Your day of recognition shall come.
POETRY/NHETEMBO
Men on a poetic mission: (from left) Memory Chirere,
Tinashe Muchuri and Chirikure Chirikure seen here minutes after an exciting
event dubbed “poetic license” held at the University of Zimbabwe early last
year
Bhutsu
Bhutsu dzinoshevedzera mukoridho dzichiti:
Tisuwo tavhara gonhi ramanzwa.
Tisuwo tave kufambawo zvedu
Tichienda kumba kwatinoroja.
Tisuka, chinouya chinowana munhu.
A poem by Memory Chirere taken from his anthology ‘Bhuku Risina Basa Nokuti Rakanyorwa Masikati’ (Bhabhu Books, 2014)
NEW BOOKS ON THE MARKET
Title: Paida – The Struggle
Author: Tatenda Charles Munyuki
Publisher: Darling Kind Publishing (Zimbabwe)
Year Published: 2016
ISBN: 978 0 7974
Title: Paida – The Village Girl
Author: Tatenda Charles Munyuki
Publisher: Darling Kind Publishing (Zimbabwe)
Year Published: 2016
ISBN: 978 0 7974
(The Paida books above are available under the weekly
series ‘Girls Have Voices’. For more information contact: darlingkindp@live.com or call +263 737
283 187/ +263 773 086 545)
Title: Young Lights Arise-Let it Shine
Author: Liberty Moses Chigwenjere
Publisher: Days of my Youth Movement (Zimbabwe)
Year Published: 2017
ISBN: 978 079747582 3
Title: The Battle for Altars
Author: Apostle John Shava
Publisher: Clarion Call Books & Days of my Youth
Press
Year Published: 2017
ISBN: 978 0 7974 7699 8
(Days of my Youth Press or Movement can be contacted
via email domyempire@gmail.com or
call +263 773 018 478)
LATEST FROM THE ‘BOOKSHELF
COLUMN’
Harare City Library Scores A First
Aasia Qamar Sial, a Zimbabwe-born budding writer
browsing a book at the Harare City Library
Officials
at Harare City Library are in happy mood after discovering exceptional writing
talent in eight-year old Aasia Qamar Sial, a frequent user of the library’s
Petina Gappah Children’s Library. ClickHere To Read More…
ZIBF INDABA 2017 CALL FOR ABSTRACTS
Mr. Blazio Tafireyi (above), Executive Board Chairperson of the Zimbabwe International Book Fair
Association
On behalf of the Executive Board of The Zimbabwe
International Book Fair Association, I wish to advise that the approved Theme
for 2017 is “Making the Book Pay!”. We are, therefore,
pleased to announce that the dates for The Zimbabwe International Book Fair have
been set for 31 July – 5 August 2017 while The Indaba Conference is
slated for 31 July and 1 August.
This Theme was selected from several possibilities that were
recommended by participants through the 2016 Indaba Evaluation Forms. The ZIBFA
Executive leadership concurred with the suggested theme, “Making the Book Pay”
as it is topical and adequately speaks to today’s national, regional and
international development agendas listed below:
Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic
Transformation (Zim Asset):
Towards an Empowered Society and a Growing Economy;
Africa Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want; and
The UN 2030 SDGs: Transforming Our World.
The ‘PAY’ in wealth creation connotes eradication of poverty
through reading. It also enables the following:
Inculcating the reading habit and sustaining reading skill
in young people, hence it PAYS to Read so that we maintain high literacy
levels;
Reading enables people to realize their aspirations and
successes through education and to advance themselves;
Increasing food security and nutrition;
Eradicating diseases i.e. HIV and Aids and other
communicable diseases;
Improving child immortality;
Increasing revenue inflows for the Book Industry players
thereby creating or generating wealth from, author/publisher/bookseller
perspective;
Alleviating poverty;
Contributing towards employment creation;
Providing equitable access to information for all; and
Reading and access to information addresses the
development agendas.
Making the Book Pay! was therefore deliberately made broad
and/or not confined to any particular sector so that it allows varying
viewpoints from many presenters on the above-listed possibilities.
Contributors to the 2017 Indaba are therefore urged to come
up with ideas that will benefit all participants in the book value chain. The
creative economy includes, among other players, the book industry that has in
its book value chain: authors who are the creators of the works; publishers
whose activities are to exploit intellectual property; the illustrators and
designers; photographers; advertisers; booksellers or distributors; librarians
who gather, process and provide wide access to reading and information
materials; and the users who include school children, academics, adults,
researchers, educational and training institutions, religious institutions,
private and public business enterprises, universities, colleges, research
institutions, and government and non-government institutions. The book industry
provides income to all participants in the book value chain and earns revenue
to the government in the form of taxes.
Submission Of Abstracts
Abstracts of not more than 500 words word-processed in Times
New Roman script with 1.15 line spacing should be submitted by 10 April 2017 by
email to events@zibfa.org.zw with a
copy to zibfa@yahoo.com. The abstracts
will be reviewed by experts and authors of selected abstracts will be notified
by 30 April 2017. Presenters should submit the full papers and power-point
presentations of the full paper by 31 May 2017. Power-point presentations must
summarise the full paper in bullet form and should enable presenters to speak
to the paper within the allotted time. Please note that the topics provided
below are meant to be guidelines for research areas although they may be used
as research topics. Presenters are encouraged to submit their own innovative
topics that address the suggested areas and which speak to the given Theme and
sub-themes.
ZIBF 2017 Theme: Making The Book Pay!
(1) Creating the Africa we want through
reading (Africa Agenda 2063)
a) Teaching children to read at an early age – catch them
young
b) The role of the parents in reading
c) Stimulating and inculcating the reading habit
d) Narrowing the gap: new perspective in reading
e) Pros and cons of remedial reading
(2) Information Literacy Skills for the
Digital Age
a) Reading, Writing and Publishing for Survival – a Global
Perspective
b) Balancing e-reading and physical reading for sustainable
development
c) Assimilating social media technologies
d) Technology enhancing pillars of sustainable development
e) Challenges and Opportunities for Libraries in the Digital
Era
(3) Economics of the Book
a) Making academic research, writing and publishing pay
b) Innovation in book development, marketing and
distribution
c) Inclusivity in research, writing, publishing and reading
for vulnerable and marginalised groups
d) The author, publisher and reader dynamics
e) Making the book affordable
f) Writing for Communicable diseases and life threatening
conditions
(4) The Book and Cultural Preservation,
Conservation and Transmission
a) STEMitising reading for socio-economic development
b) Making the Book relevant to urban and rural children
c) Promoting Culture in the digital age
d) Challenges and opportunities of writing and publishing
books in indigenous languages
e) Cultural dynamism and change
f) Culture as a foundation for building peace and social cohesion
g) Unpacking Zimbabwe’s New Education Reform
(5) Intellectual Property and Copyright
a) Exploiting Copyright as an economic resource
b) Public lending rights
c) Copyright exceptions and limitations
d) Licensing of photocopying works in Zimbabwe
e) Intellectual Property rights and relationship of
publishers and libraries
f) Anti-Book piracy – other country experiences and how that
can be adopted by Zimbabwe
Inserted by Mr. Blazio
Tafireyi
Chair,
Executive Board, Zimbabwe International Book Fair Association
Some guests at the 2015 ZIBF Indaba held at the Crown
Plaza Monomotapa in Harare
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR READING OUR NEWSLETTER. DON’T
MISS OUR NEXT ISSUE!
ONE LOVE.
