EDITORIAL
Danai Gurira, award-winning Zimbabwean-American actor and playwright
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e welcome you all and hope that our November issue
will quench your thirst for news about writers and writing in our beautiful
country and beyond. We congratulate daughter of the soil Danai Gurira for the
successful staged reading of her play titled Familiar recently in Harare. Tinashe
Muchuri brings us more about Familiar in
this newsletter.
The Zimbabwe International Book Fair finally held the 2019
Masvingo Book Fair on November 6-7 at the Masvingo Civic Centre under the theme
‘Footprints of the Book: Milestones and Opportunities’. The event had to be postponed
last month (October) as it coincided with another national event.
Meanwhile, the arts sector is geared for next year’s
NAMA Awards, now that the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe has opened its call
for submissions/entries with reference to the 2020 NAMA Awards which will run
under the theme “Taking It Back To The People”. Enjoy!
ZAMBIAN
AUTHOR MUKUKA CHIPANTA LAUNCHES SECOND NOVEL
By Beaven Tapureta
Chipanta
happily autographs a copy of his new novel at a recent launch
US-based Zambian author Mukuka Chipanta has a second novel
titled Five Nights Before The Summit
(2019, Weaver Press, Harare) so far described as multi-dimensional and it was
officially launched in the evening of October 26 at the Gallery Delta in
Harare.
His debut novel A
Casualty of Power, published under
the same imprint, hit the bookshelves in 2016.
Guest of Honour at the launch Mr. Kaziwe Kaulule, a fellow
Zambian, applauded Mukuka for managing to straddle fiction, political history
and culture in his new book.
“One of the things that struck me was how Mukuka managed to
straddle fiction, political history and culture in this book. Being a Zambian,
I can identify with some of the cultural aspects he puts in,” Mr. Kaulule said.
He added that he hoped the novel, being both fact and
fiction, will tell what Africa is to the rest of the world because telling
African stories from the African perspective reinforces a better understanding
of who we are.
Mr. Kaulule works at the Lafarge Cement and his company, he
said, has been promoting education in Zimbabwe through scholarship programmes
that aim to develop a culture of reading.
A grateful Mukuka, accompanied by his wife Sandra, told
guests at the launch how the idea of writing Five Nights Before The Summit came to life.
The history of Africa has always fascinated him yet, sadly,
he often felt there was an unwritten episode, particularly about the period of
the 1970’s.
“After so many years of learning about our continent, it has
been my experience that the decade of the 1970’s has been scarcely written
about; a period has been frequently glossed over as a time when not many
interesting things happened. The truth is when I talk to people such as my
father and others of that generation, they speak of a heady period, a period of
great hope,” he said.
Twenty to thirty years ago a newspaper article about a home
invasion during which a white couple lost their lives and another article about
the 1979 Commonwealth Heads of Government held in Zambia would jolt him to pick
pen and paper. And the story that is now Five
Nights Before The Summit began to unravel in his mind.
“Here was a new country, eager to please its colonial
masters. I thought what if something went wrong, something horrible, what if in
the days leading up to the momentous occasion something happened,” said Mukuka.
Although in the writing of the novel he faced the challenge
of staying true to the era, Mukuka said he hopes he has done his best that
readers will get a flavour of Zambia and Africa at large as it was in the 70’s.
In 2017, his first novel A Casualty of Power won Best First Book
& Gold for General College Level Book awards at the American Literary
Classics Awards and was last year long-listed for the ‘9 Mobile (formerly
Etisalat ) Prize for African Literature.
The University of Zambia has been using the novel in its
Literature Department.
Mukuka’s biography is interesting as one wonders how he
balances the literary arts and his challenging profession as an aerospace engineer.
Writing on his website, he says, “I’ve come to discover that designing airplanes is much like crafting a
compelling story. Both pursuits require one to patiently stitch together
seemingly disparate parts into a single harmonic unit in which passengers or
readers can be ferried to some place while enjoying the ride. I believe my
unique blend of experiences inform my writing and help me bring to life a cast
of colorful characters and storylines.”
Images
From The Launch
Guest of Honor, Mr. Kaziwe Kaulule
Mukuka Chipanta
Mukuka and his wife Sandra
Veteran writer Shimmer Chinodya (right)
was one of the well-known writers/artists who attended the book launch
‘FAMILIAR’ DRAWS FULL HOUSE
By Tinashe Muchuri
Some of our teachers taught us to read
aloud alone so we could be able to understand how to pronounce words as we hear
their sounds. Others taught us to read silently as reading is an individual act which
the reader needs to enjoy without distraction. This shows that there are many ways of
reading to oneself or different audiences. Writers in worlds where literature
is valued and appreciated are regularly invited to read to their audiences at
schools, universities, libraries and public spaces.
Theatre performance
is one such kind of reading where thespians internalize the actions, emotions,
feelings and dialogue and then present to theatre audiences a staged, normal,
or life-like interaction among characters in the play. Theatre too has many
forms and staged reading is one of them, which most audiences in Zimbabwe were
not accustomed to because the culture of theatre was mostly limited to ‘A’
Schools. However, slowly the genre is gaining momentum as efforts by Almasi Collaborative Arts are pushing it and
taking it to wider spheres.
Recently, Almasi
Collaborative Arts presented a staged reading of the play Familiar that drew a large audience that filled up the Old Mutual
Theatre, Alliance Francaise de Harare on September 19, 2019. The play was
written by US-based Zimbabwean-born thespian, Danai Gurira and directed by
Tafadzwa Bob Mutumbi.
It featured veteran
actors and actresses, namely, Jesesi Mungoshi as Anne (Mai Carol), Munyaradzi
Guramatunhu as Nyasha, Kevin Hanssen as Chris, Marian Kunonga as Margaret
Munyewa, Chiedza Rwodzi as Tendikayi, Daniel Hargrove as Brad, Felex Mafumhe
Mutasa as Donald Chinyaramwira and Eyahra Mathazia as Marvelous Chinyaramwira.
Some critics may say
the audience got so large because of the veterans who were playing roles in the
staged reading and others may say that the house got full because of the curiosity
to see Danai who has made waves across the world especially with the role she
played in the Black Panther series. However,
the standing ovation that came at the close of the staged reading was proof
that the audience had felt the joys of being part of a thought provoking play
and a well-polished reading.
Familiar
is a play about untold stories of migration, identity, reconciliation and
tolerance. It is set in the USA where a couple Donald Chinyaramwira and
Marvelous Chinyaramwira have migrated to. During the armed struggle, this
couple decides to visit their home with their newly born baby girl Tendikayi
and when they get home they discover that one of their sisters is taking
leading role in the armed struggle as a Chimbwido. One day during their stay, their Chimbwido
sister goes out with the couple’s daughter (Tendikayi) strapped on her back and
a war breaks out between the Army and the freedom fighters. Both Chimbwido and
Tendikayi are killed.
The couple then
decide to smuggle Chimbwido’s daughter back to the USA as their own real
Tendikayi. The new Tendikayi grows up without knowledge of her real parents,
assuming that uncle Donald and aunt Marvelous are her biological parents. The
new parents never disclose anything to her about the smuggling. Time shifts and
then boom! Tendikayi is grown up and she finds a man to marry. She wants it to
be done the Shona traditional way. It is during the deliberations that the
deeper secrets find their way out of the sack.
As I said before,
this staged reading was so powerful that the audience indeed felt their time
was well spent.
RONASI FICTION PRIZE LAUNCHED
Prof Emmanuel Sigauke
The Ronald Sigauke Memorial Fiction Prize, in collaboration with Chisiya Writers’ Workshop in Mazvihwa, Zimbabwe, announces the first edition of the RONASI Fiction Prize for Grade 6 and 7 students at Mototi Primary school. This prize is offered by the Sigauke family in memory of Ronald Sigauke, who died at the age of 7 in Harare. He was in primary school and had already expressed his dream to get an advanced education. Although his school in Glen View was just minutes away from home, he had asked his uncle in America to send him a bicycle so he could cycle to school, to get there quicker. He was young, but already was showing signs of a scholar in the making. This competition honors his ambition by making education and bicycles the two themes contestants can base their stories on.
READ MORE ON WEALTH OF IDEAS
CHILDREN’S
LITERATURE IN ZIMBABWE
With
Aleck Kaposa
How are you my good friends? How is school? Today, we meet
again and I am going to tell you a story about two girls and the bees. I know
you are very intelligent. Please try to answer the questions after you have
read the story.
Buzzy
Bees Come To Sakina
And Fatima’s House
When Sakina and Fatima arrived home from school in the
afternoon one day, they saw a huge, dark swarm of bees buzzing at the
gate. They were afraid of the bees.
“Mother! Mother!” they called
out. “There are buzzy bees at the gate. Please come and help us.”
Mother came out of the house and told the two girls to go to
the back of the house and climb over the fence. The girls quickly did what
Mother told them.
“Do not go outside the house,” Mother said. “If these bees
sting you, your body will swell all over and you will look fat like Yokozuna,
that Japanese wrestler. Bee stings are
very itchy too, so you will be scratching your whole body like the biblical
Job.”
“Alright mummy,” the two girls said. “We will stay indoors.”
That afternoon the two girls watched television in their
bedroom. Sometimes they peeped through the window but they could not see the
bees clearly because of the slightly long distance to the gate.
In the evening when Father came back from work, he saw the
huge, dark ball of bees hanging on the lowest branch of the guava tree at the
gate. The bees now made a low buzzing sound.
After supper, Father put on his protective suit, a hat and
some gloves. He took an old car tyre that he kept in the garage, a box of
matches, some papers and a bottle of paraffin. He poured the paraffin on the
old tyre and placed it under the huge ball of bees. He lit the papers and then
the old car tyre. When the smoke from the
burning tyre reached the bees, they started buzzing and flying away.
“Daddy, did you put that fire to burn the bees?” Fatima
asked.
“No, my daughter Fatima. I will not burn them. I will simply
drive them away. The smoke from the burning tyre will drive them away,” Father
said.
In the morning, the bees were gone. At the gate, there was
only a pile of black and white ashes and brown wires of the burnt old car
tyre.
Comprehension
Questions
1. Where did Sakina and
Fatima come back from?
2. What did they see at
the gate?
3. Sakina and Fatima were afraid of ….
4. Why did Father burn
the old car tyre?
5. In the morning, the
bees were still at the gate. TRUE/FALSE
PEN
ZIMBABWE WORKSHOP INSPIRES WRITERS
By
Beaven Tapureta
Participants listen carefully at
the workshop
Saturday,
October 26, 2019, was a great day for both published and aspiring writers who
attended a writers’ workshop held at the Girls High School in Harare.
The workshop was organized by PEN Zimbabwe and had four
excellent presentations accompanied by open discussions on the topics ‘Elements
Of A Good Novel That Promote Wide Readership’, Online Publishing In Zimbabwe’,
Self-Publishing: The Way To Go’, And ‘Copyright: Meaning, Fair Dealing,
Infringements And Damages’.
Indeed each session was rich in its own way and writers got
a lot of new knowledge to take home.
Mrs P H Musakana,
who works in the Curriculum Development and Technical Services department in
the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, tackled ‘Elements Of A Good
Novel That Promote Wide Readership’ and gave a run-down of all the qualities
expected in a book that is intended for use in the Zimbabwean schools.
Mrs Musakana said although writers are free to write in any
of the officially recognized languages in Zimbabwe and even foreign languages,
she advised writers to first note the objectives of the current curriculum,
which include: to promote Zimbabwean philosophy of Ubuntu, to promote
acceptable norms/values, to be politically sensitive, to be educative and
create self-awareness. She said the curriculum also aims to encourage
inclusivity by writing with the vulnerable citizens and multiculturalism in
mind.
The first segment of her presentation touched mainly on the
basic writing techniques or skills and/or features of a good story, and she
spoke within the context of the Zimbabwean society. Writers, she emphasized,
should understand their readers or target audience and to be a good writer one
should learn more about titling, plot, contemporary and cross-cutting themes,
setting (time and space), conflict (internal and external), climax (and
anti-climax), point of view (POV), style, tone and mood, dialogue, clarity and
precision, suspense, and characterization.
Mrs Musakana told the writers to write, particularly to
explore areas that are lacking in learning material such as drama at ZJC level.
However, the second part of her presentation could be the
very matter that every writer present wanted to hear about. Surely, as she
explained all that the curriculum expects in a would-be set book, so it came to
be known that for a book to be approved as a set-text in Zimbabwean schools it
does not happen through magic but through understanding and adhering to the
curriculum expectations or guidelines, in addition to good writing skills.
The evaluators, that is, those at the CDTS who weigh the
value of a book intended for study in the schools, have their own guidelines
that naturally bolster the curriculum or syllabus objectives. Such guidelines
as: no pornography or detailed sexual descriptions, writer should show he/she
understood syllabus objectives, the work must have appropriate language for the
targeted learners, if it is a children’s book it must have relevant
illustrations, the writer must show that he/she has researched before writing.
Finally yet importantly, the work must promote friendship and create characters
as role models.
Currently, no one can avoid the digital wave sweeping across
the world. Ralph Kadurira, a training and development consultant, author and
expert in ICT, helped the writers to imagine what the future holds for them as
he spoke about ‘Online Publishing in Zimbabwe’. His personal story of how he
became a known author through online presence is inspirational.
He said the rise in the number of people who use the
internet means that it is inevitable that in the near future almost everyone
will be using the internet and this has various implications for the author.
Giving examples of local bookshops that have closed some
branches due to the tight competition from online book publishing and
marketing, Kadurira said the same would happen to writers who do not want to
adapt because even the schools are going digital and buying books online also.
However, all is not all glory online, as he warned that
writers to first research about the online publishing platforms they wish to
use so that they avoid theft of their work.
Some of the benefits of a writer’s online presence,
according to Kadurira, include having an international audience, low costs
involved in producing an e-book, there is permanence on the internet, and it is
easy and saves time to edit an e-book than already printed copies.
It is true that publishing one’s book online is like diving
into a pool in which many things lurk and Kadurura urged authors to please
research, research and research.
Glenda Mutasa
Another significant presentation was made by Glenda Mutasa,
an Intellectual Property Officer in the department of Deeds, Companies and
Intellectual Property (Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs).
Her presentation, like the other presentations, really
needed more time as was seen by the questions and comments which writers raised
and shared during open discussions.
Mutasa said copyright protection is given to original works
only. The way one expresses him/herself in a tangible form is what matters, and
not ideas. She spoke about issues such as how to register copyrighted work and
how copyright works.
Infringement and fair dealing were also very important
issues she touched on. Mutasa observed that there is some evil practice
happening within the writing industry whereby authors are infringing upon the
copyright of their fellow authors.
For instance, she said, there are authors who are ‘writing’
in Shona a work written in English that they may have read. Her observation
truly calls for more training on what it means to be an original author!
Mr Elisha July, a NAMA award-winning children’s books
author, made the last presentation on ‘Self-Publishing: The Way To Go’ and his
major emphasis was that self-publishing comes with the responsibilities of any
other form of publishing and therefore a writer who chooses to self-publish
needs to have knowledge about the whole publishing process.
Mr July gave out valuable notes which highlighted the stages
of book production from manuscript development right through to the book
launch!
He said the manuscript development, which involves
‘assessment and editing’, is followed by the phase when the book is now
typeset, designed, and worked on thoroughly to make it nearly print-ready.
Afterwards, the self-publishing writer goes into a phase which “covers the
final details prior to your book being published”. These details, according to
Mr July, include registrations such as getting an ISBN, and a re-evaluation of
elements such as cover design, layout, illustrations (if the book has some),
and typesetting to make sure everything is perfect.
When the printing is done then comes the book marketing and
publicity phase and Mr July gave a list of possible distribution channels such
independent bookstores, online stores, libraries and others. Apart from the
social media platforms which a self-published author can use, he said domestic
marketing also works very well in promoting the book. Such domestic marketing
as book launches, book reviews, book awards submissions, targeted media and
publicity, targeted blogger outreach, and book trade show submissions.
This was a knowledge-packed workshop that PEN Zimbabwe
offered to writers who are yet to comprehend what the future holds for them and
who have been wondering how to get the respect they deserve as writers in a
changing world.
Dr. Samuel Makore, a member of the PEN Zimbabwe executive
board, attended the workshop. As a published academic writer knowledgeable in
many writing matters, he also gave valuable tips during discussion and updated
the participants about PEN.
THE YOUTH
PERSPECTIVE
With
Mimi Machakaire
It Is Never Too Late To Make Your Dream A
Reality
This
story goes for aspiring writers. While it can take a while for your
writing to be discovered or feel like it is going anywhere, it is never too
late in life to publish a book, and there are many examples of this. Therefore,
if you are working on something and feel like your work is not taking off the
way it should, I think these 11 authors will help you feel better about
yourself and give you hope for your writing career.
James A. Michener - The youngest person on the list, Michener is
notable more for his output than his age. The Tales of the South
Pacific author (whose Pulitzer Prize-winning book would later be
adapted into a Broadway musical) wrote a staggering 40 books after the age of 40—nearly a book a year—after spending much of his life as a
teacher.
Sherwood Anderson - Anderson held a handful of
jobs—including newsboy and racetrack helper—during his youth in Clyde, Ohio
before moving to Chicago to try to make it as a copywriter. He flailed and
returned to a nearby town in his home state where he worked as a manager at a paint factory until
1912, when he decided to leave his job and family to pursue a career in
writing. While the act and the way he did it (disappearing for four days and
then reappearing in an untidy and troubled state) are hardly admirable, the
gamble did pay off. He returned to advertising and was publishing novels by
1916. His best-known work, Winesburg, Ohio came out when
Anderson was 43-years-old, garnering the success and acclaim the
aspiring writer so boldly sought.
Laura Ingalls Wilder - Inspired by her daughter, Wilder
began writing in her 40s, but she didn’t find great success until some 20 years
later, when Little House in the Big Woods was published.
The Little House books drew from Wilder's life experiences, so maybe waiting gave her some extra time to gather
material.
Raymond Chandler - Only Raymond Chandler would have
coped with losing a job as an oil company executive three years into the Great Depression by deciding to
write detective fiction. It’s a good thing he happened to be among the best the
world has ever seen. His first short story was published a year later, in 1933,
and his first novel, The Big Sleep, came out in 1939, when he was
44 years old. He would publish six more novels before his death in 1959, along
with many more short stories and screenplays.
Helen DeWitt - Like Chandler, DeWitt was 44 years old when she published
her debut novel, 2000's The Last Samurai. After years, spent juggling odd jobs and working
simultaneously on many writing projects, she decided: “I will write a novel with a simple
structure that can be FINISHED. I will set aside a month and write with NO
INTERRUPTIONS.” Sounds like she was channeling her subject!
Marquis de Sade - The famous libertine, philosopher,
politician and aristocrat had a lot going on, so it makes sense that he did not
get around to a writing career until age 47. Even then, he only had time to
write because he was in prison at the Bastille for crimes related to sexual deviancy (though
he was imprisoned under a lettre de cachet obtained by his
mother-in-law). That is one way to eliminate distractions. It was there that he
wrote his first novel, Justine, which was not published until four
years later, when de Sade was 51.
Wallace Stevens - Stevens worked for most of his life as a lawyer and
later vice president of an insurance company. He was first published at age 35
in Poetry Magazine, though the majority of the work he
is known for today was written after the age of 50. Stevens passed away in 1955, just a few months
after winning the Pulitzer Prize for his Collected Poems at
the age of 75.
Anna Sewell - Sewell’s only published work is the
classic Black Beauty. She began writing it at age 51 while in
declining health and dictated much of the novel to her mother. At 57, she sold the book.
Sewell died of hepatitis in 1878, just five months after
the novel was published.
Frank
McCourt - Frank McCourt's story
attracted worldwide attention when Angela’s Ashes was
published in 1996, especially when the memoir—which recounted his impoverished
childhood in Ireland and an adulthood teaching in New York—went on to win
the Pulitzer Prize. It was published when McCourt was
66 years old.
Harriet
Doerr - Doerr spent the first
four decades of her life in California before moving to Mexico, where her
husband Albert was working to restore a family-owned copper mine. The years
spent there ultimately helped inspire the works she penned after Albert’s
death. Doerr returned to California when she was in her 60s, finished her education and began writing. Stones of Ibarra, Doerr’s first novel,
was published when the author was 74 years old. It went on to win a National
Book Award.
Millard Kaufman - A co-creator of Mr. Magoo, Kaufman
began screenwriting in his early 30s, but his first novel (Bowl of Cherries)
was published when he was 90 years old—a testament that it’s never too late
to try something new.
So after reading about all these
people, you might be thinking well they are different, that is their story, the
same cannot be said for me. Well the truth is anything is possible if you put
in the effort to make it happen. There are people out there who spend their
lifetime in dreamland but never actually doing any of the work.
That is why it is important to
remember that if the dream remains alive in your heart, do what makes you happy
and strive for a better tomorrow.
LESSON FROM ‘THE NEXT OF KIN’
“There
is a saying that goes “If it means we are to die, let us die nobly”. Now, Part
Three of The Next of Kin (by Olivia C
Paasche) very well reveals the human spirit triumphing over death, over trials
and tribulations that come with life on earth. One can add to the saying that
‘to die nobly is to have lived nobly’…” writes Beaven Tapureta. Read full
article on Olivia’s blog: OLIVIACHRISTIAN PAASCHE
NGATINYOREYI
Na
Tinashe Muchuri
Hombarume
Haaiti Shura Nesango
Tatenda
Tafarirepi, anozivikanwa nezita rekuti Hombarume, aive mumwe wevatatu
vananyaduri vakawana mibairo pamutambo weKanyanisa Poetry Slam wemunaGumiguru
2019
Harare - Raiva gore
ra2012 apo ndaiva mubatsiri weZimbabwe International Book Fair Live Literature
Centre apo ndairongedza vadavadi vaizotandadzana nekunyandura pfungwa dzavanhu.
Ndaiva ndiri mushamarari zvakare pachiitiko ichi apo ndakaona umwe mukomana
wechidiki achiperekedzwa nababa vake pamwe nomudzidzisi wepachikoro
chaaidzidza. Ndakabatwa moyo apo ndakaona kuti kune vamwe vanababa vanogashira
zvavapiwa nashe.
Rumbo rwamushakabvu
James Chimombe rwuya wekuti ‘Kudakwashe’ rwakavhiririka ruchipinda mundangariro
dzangu. Ndakafara chose kuti ndawana mubereki akadai uye mudzidzisi ane shungu
dzekuti chipo chemwana chitutume chigohwikwa nevari kumativi mana epasi.
Ndakarangarira zvinyorwa
zvakaunganidzwa navanyori vari pasi pesangano reZimbabwe Women Writers izvo
zvaiva nhaurirano dzakaitwa nemadzimai anorera vana vanorarama nehurema. Sezvo
ndakabatsirawo pakuzviturunura kubva munhaurirano kuisa mumazwi ezvinyorwa
kwakandibatavo zvakare. Mubhuku irori ndakatanga kuhwa madzimai achichema nhamo
dzakasiyana-siyana maererano nekusagashirwa kwakanaka kwavaiitwa kana vachinge
vabara vana vanorarama nehurema. Matambudziko avo aisanganisira kurambwa,
kupumhwa uroyi, kutukwa, kusekwa, kuzvidzwa, kurerutswa uye kushaiwa mukana
wekuita mabasa ekuriritira vana mushure mekusiiwa nevarume vavo sezvo vanenge
vave ivo vanenge vamirisana nebasa rekuchengetedza vana vavo. Kuona baba
vaTatenda Tafarirepi uyo anozivikanwa nezita reudavadi rekuti Hombarume
kwakandifadza chose.
Kubva musi uyu
Hombarume akambonyura zvokuti handina kugona kumuona. Mugore ra2013 akainda
kunotora kosi yeInformation Technology panzvimbo yeDanhiko College uko aipota
achidavadika pamitambo yekupedza zvidzidzo kwevadzidzi vepakorichi iyi. Mazuva
iwaya akamboonana naBob Nyabinde uyo anozivikanwa nezita rake rekudunhurira
rekuti “Headmaster’ apo aiuya kuzotandadza vadzidzi nehama dzevadzidzi vainge
vachipemberera kupedza zvidzidzo zvevadzidzi veipapa.
Hombarume uyo
akambodzidza zvidzidzo zvake paSt Giles kubva mugore ra2003 apo ainge
aichibatsirwa kuti akwanise kuumba mazwi zvakanaka apo akazobva mugore ra2004
anoti akatanga kunyora nduri ari panzvimbo iyoyi.
“Ndakatanga kunyora
ndiri paSt Giles. Mazuva iwayo paitungamirirwa naVaPeterson. Ndipo
pandaibatsirwa netherapy.
Ndakazobvapo ndichienda paKuwadzana 3 Primary School. Ndakazobvapo muna 2007
ndichienda kundodzidza paRuzivo Primary iri kuMufakose. Ndakazotanga paMufakose
1 High School muna 2009 kusvika muna 2012,” akadaro Tafarirepi.
Hombarume uyo
anoratidza kuti ane shungu nechaanoda anochiita. Akaberekwa mugore ra1993 musi
wegumi nesere mumwedzi waChikumi. Anoti akazovamba kunyora nekundura nduri
nenzira yenziyo mushure mekuona kuti vazhinji vaida kumubatsira kutsikisa nduri
dzake vaisazodzoka kwaari nemhinduro dzinogutsa.
“Basa rangu
raisadzoswa nevanhu vandaipa kuti vaise mumabhuku. Ndakaona kuti sezvo
ndichikwanisa kunyora nhetembo dzangu uye ndichigona kunyora korasi yacho
zvakanaka kuti nditsikise nhetembo dzangu senziyo,” akadero Hombarume.
Semunhu ane shungu
nebasa rake, Hombarume haana kuita shura nesango nekuti anoti akabva atsvaka
Jah Prayzah achiti amubatsire kutsikisa nduri dzake kuti dzigova nziyo idzo
dzaizoridzwawo panhepfenyuro dzemunyika yeZimbabwe.
“Ndakatsikisa
dambarefu rangu rekutanga muna 2015 ku’Studio’ kwaJah Prayzah. Ndakatsikisa
dambarefu rangu rekutanga rinonzi, ‘Uriri’. Ndakaritsikisa pachena asi ndaizobhadhara
zvangu mari yekundoitisa mamwe maCD akawanda. Uriri haina korasi asi ine
uridzwa hwainahwo husiri magitare kana kiyibhodhi asi kuti hwekugadzirwa
nemakombiyuta. Uriri ndiwo mavambo ekutsikisa nziyo kwangu,” anodaro Hombarume.
Hombarume haana kumira
apa sezvo mugore ra2016 akatsikisa rimwe dambarefu zvakare iro rine dzimwe
nduri mbiri dzaakanyora iye dzakandurwa nemumwe nyanduri atenderera nyika
zhinji dzepasi rino achindura nduri mudariro kumaguwerere enduri nehudavadi
akasiyana-siyana uye ari zvekare mutambi wemafirimu nemadhirama, Tendai
Humbasha Maduwa.
“Runyararo rakauya
mugore ra2016. Padambarefu iri pane dzimwe nhetembo dzangu dzakaitwa naMaduwa.
Ndakaritsikisa neStudio yeT&C. Rakambowana vanhu vakati kuti vakarifarira
kunyange zvaro risina kunyanyoridzwa panhepfenyuro dzemuZimbabwe
ndakamboritengesa kuvanhu vairatidza kurifarira chose,” Hombarume akadero.
Mugore ra2017 akabva
akanda ari maviri madambarefu kusanganisira ‘Batai Moyo Wangu’ apo anoti akanga
ava kurerekera kunziyo kana kuti nduri dzechitendero. Hombarume anoti akaona
zvakakodzera kutaura nezvaMusiki nekuti ane zvizhinji zvaaiona zvakamunakira
kubudikidza nekubata kwaMwari muupenyu hwake.
“Batai Moyo Wangu
ndiyowo yakava mavambo okuimba kwangu nziyo dzechitendero. Ndinofara uye ndinoona
zvakakodzera kuti Musiki arumbidzwe nekuti zvaanoita zvikuru. Ndikatarira
zvandiri ndinoona kubata kwake kunoshamisa. Zvandiri izvi kuda kwaMwari uye
chipo ichochi ndiye Mwari akandipa,” akadero Hombarume achiratidza kufara
nekuda kwebasa raanoti Mwari vanomuitira.
Kutaura kuno kudai
Hombarume ane dambarefu rake rechitanhatu rine nziyo dzinovaraidza uye
dzichitokonya pfungwa. Kune vanomuziva chimiro chake, vanoona kuti Hombarume
haaneti nekuti anoziva kuti sango rinopa waneta. Iye anoti haasati aneta
kusvika nyika yanzwa uye kusangana nechipo chake. Dambarefu rake idzva rinova
remusambo wechitendero uye rine nziyo nhanhatu pane mbiri dzaakabatidzwa
nehwereshenga munyaya dzezvehudavadi hwekushaura, Bob Nyabinde asimudzira
unyanzvi hwake hwekundura nduri nenzira yenziyo iyi.
Dambarefu iri
rinovhura nerumbo runonzi ‘Cheuka’ urwo runokurudzira vana kuti vasarasa
vabereki asi kuti variritire vabereki vavo pamwe nekuvakudza. Urwu rumbo
rwunoteverwa nerumwe runonzi, ‘Varege Varoorane’ urwo rwunotsiura mukoma
asingadi kuti munin’ina aroorwe nemurume murombo, achiti kuroorana haisi nyaya
yekuva nepfuma asi kugoverana rudo. Panozoouyawo ‘Mufaro Wangu Ndimi’ runova
rumwe rumbo rwaakabatsirwa naBob Nyabinde. Apa muimbi anenge achitaura
nezveupenyu hwake uye kuti semunhu vamwe vaitofunga kuti hapana munhu uye
haararami kunyange nanhasi uno kune vanomusema asi mufaro wake ndiJohovha. Urwu
rumbo runobata moyo yevane moyo kunyange neavo vane moyo ine kukakavara. Urwu
rwunoteverwa naTumai ‘Hossanah’ runova rumwe rumbo runodonongodza nhamo dziri
panyika dzanetsa nyika navagari vayo apo anoti izvi zvoda kuti kudai Hossanah
auya apindira mukupedzwa kwenhamo, hondo, mabasa asina kusimira anoitwa navana
vavanhu. Kubva ipapo tinosvika parumbo, ‘Chengeteka’ runova rumwe rumbo
rwaakabatidzwa naBob Nyabinde achirova korasi. Zvinofadza chose kuona kuti
muimbi anomukurumbira saBob Nyabinde anodzika kufamba nemukomana mudiki uye
muimbi achiri kusumukira uyu, Tatenda Tafarirepi. ‘Guhwa’ ndiyo inovhara musasa
apo anotsoropodza guhwa kuti rashusha ugaro hwemunhu munyika.
Hombarume anoti iye
zvaakaonana naBob Nyabinde kuDanhiko haana kumbofunga kuti aizogona kunge
achibatsirwa naye kufambisa mashoko akanaka nenzira yekuimba nziyo dzekutaura
nezvaMwari.
“Pandakaona Nyabinde
handina kunge ndambozvifunga kuti taizoshanda tose nerimwe gore tichiita
zvemimhanzi izvi. Mazuva iwayo ndainge ndisati ndatanga zvekutsikisa izvi
kunyange zvangu ndaive ndava kuita nhetembo mudariro. Mushure mekuona kuti
Nyabinde anoimba asingamanyi, ndakaona zvakakodzera kuti andibatsirewo
pakutsikiswa kwenziyo mbiri dziri padambarefu rangu idzva iri, “Tumai
Hossanah’. Iye haana kana kumboramba kundibatsira. Ndinofara chose,”
akatsinhira kudero Hombarume.
Madambarefu
aHombarume ese akaatsikisa kuT&C Records kunze kwerekutanga ‘Uriri’
rakatsikiswa kwaJah Prayzah. Mukupera kwaGunyana, Hombarume aive pakati pevamwe
vanyanduri vaviri vakava nerombo rakanakisa wekupiwa mibairo pamutambo
weKanyanisa Poetry Slam iyo inotungamirirwa neumwe nyanduri anoita zvekunyora
nziyo ane mukurumbira pasi rese, Chirikure Chirikure uye nekuda kwaizvozvo
akabva apindawo zvekare mukuzondura nduri pamakwikwi eAll Africa Poetry Slam
achaitwa mumazuva eLitFest muHarare apo vanduri venduri kubva muAfrica
vachasangana muguta reHarare kuti vandure nduri vachikwikwidzana kuti
pazowanikwa mutungadzese.
BEST
PICK WINZIM SUPERCLASSIC
The Sun Is Getting Cold
By
Irvine Maburuse aka
¥ou_Know_Who
The sky is weathering apart
The clouds are just separating
If the sun turns cold, will you call it a weather
Clouds are now just mist from a cold blue
Chlorophyll is really feeling lonely, no more warmth
Leaves are going numb and they probably leaving too
Is the sky going blank?
Is the night camouflaging my own melanin?
It's dissolving black
If my hair had a voice will you say it was pitch black
Straining every blueness, the sun sets, the sky goes
pale
Will I ever catch the sun's rays in a pail?
And if I don't,
Will I make the loudest noise, just an empty vessel?
No one can really catch the light but now it seems so
possible
Cause the light is becoming inadequate
Just because the sun is getting cold
When I sweat, am I really feeling the sun's pain?
Does my skin cry too?
When the sun sets it swallows all the light
The goose is no longer swimming
Just stumbling on its web-like feet
Bumping on the surface of the water
Guess it's just ripples caused by the much awaited
rain
Rain like fluid and flexible goose bumps from the skin
of a cloud
Scared of the darkness inside it
Guess it's now hard to daydream because you cannot
even sun bask
The night is in a state of panic
Dreams do come true because you now living
In a constant nightmare you never knew
See, we never care about each other
So you never know what warmth is
Even less care about the greens,
You only care about the photo and never the synthesis
The sun might fall and never rise again
If you don't see it, you have to feel it
The sun is getting cold
Vanonyepa Vana Ava
By
Joseph Ruzani
Vanoreveiko vana ava
Kana vachiti tichamutswa kana kwaedza
Nekukuma kwemombe machongwe aripo,
Vachiti mombe dzapera kudyiwa nembwa kumafuro?
Kupa imbwa howa husina kubikwa,
Ko hazvisi here zviya,
Zvinonzi chembwa hapana,
Tenzi vararira mangai,
Vanonyepa vana ava.
Iko kuurungana nekutsetseka kwemazwi,
Unototi wavawana vana kwavo.
Kana muchireva chokwadi mombe dziripi?
Kana manga muchidzifudza dziripi?
Ichokwadi Manzuma inokava,
Ukaikama isina tambo.
Kana mati munofudza zvakanaka,
Ko mukaka waendepi?
Taonera pakukama,
Kuti dzakakamwa kare nemipurwa,
Zvino tichadyeiko nhai vanangu,
Zvadzakakamirwe musango.
Zvamati nzungu madyara wani
Takamirira kuti dzichamera.
Hezvo nguva yekurima pfuure!
Nzungu hadzisunzwi vanangu,
Zvino zvamakanyepa,
Muchidya nzungu
muchisiya makanda,
Aiwa vana vanonyepa ava.
Kuwana tsuro yakafa yega,
Hakuzi kudzimba vanangu,
Nekuti mangwana tichatarisira,
Ipapo rinamanyanga richaramba kuputirwa,
Ndipo patichaziva mainyepa vanangu,
Aiwa vanonyepa vana ava.
Zvino mukafara nokukunda pamakasa,
Moita sekunge nyanzvi pakushava,
Muchitinyepera kuti muri vashandi,
Ko pamuchadyiwa muchatii,
Aiwa vanonyepa vana ava.
Chiregai kunyepa vanangu,
Chokwadi chinosunungura,
Muzukuru wenyu zvaakatinyepera,
Kuti anoenda kuchikoro,
Takange takateya nzeve,
Tichiti tichanzwa mhembero,
Patakanzwa kuti zii,
Takaziva kuti manyepo.
Vanangu chipfirai pasi zvekunyepa,
Chokwadi ndimanunure,
Musanyare kusekwa,
Nyarai nhasi mangwana mupembedzwe,
Zvokwadi ndimageza musha,
Ukachena vaenzi vanouya,
Musandinyadzise vanangu,
Nyika yose yongoti,
Vanonyepa vana ava.
_________
Thank you. Tatenda. Siyabonga.
