WEALTH OF IDEAS

Let me not say much. See for yourselves:

Dambudzo Marechera died in 1987, shortly after a classmate of mine in Zvishavane introduced me to House of Hunger . Most of the scenes I remember vividly are the ones from my first reading of the book when I was in Form 3. I remember liking the description of the character's fight with a group of white students at the then University of Rhodesia, all because they had caught him walking with his white girlfriend. I found his selection of words in describing the fight captivating; then I also fell in love with the descriptions of Chimurenga, and student life. My school then did not have any student activism,perhaps there was not motivation anymore since the students were enjoying the fruits (euphoria) of independence. Years later, I found myself reading the book over and over again in New Complex 3 at UZ, sometimes in the Students Union, trying to connect my days with the author's, and someone, a British scholar, had already exposed me to the banned-in-Zimbabwe (back then)Black ...

Now that the Fall semester is about to begin, I am rereading Nervous Conditions in preparation for my Literature and Compostion class. I can't help but notice that the author gives us a clear map, which carries the purpose of the novel, in the first paragraph. See the following sentence: "... My story is not after all about death, but about my escape and Lucia's; about my mother's and Maiguru's entrapment, and about Nyasha's rebellion...." (1). Dangarembga makes the focus of the novel on women immediately noticeable, but what strikes me as I read the novel is the smell of familiarity. I picture the novel happening somewhere in Chimanimani, but I can't quite see the picture of the terrain (still reading), which makes me set the story in Mutambara, the land of the Sigauke people. I don't know where in the Eastern Higlands Dangarembga hails from, and that does not matter; what I like is my placement of the novel in a familiar location so as to positio...

This is a useful film for anyone who asks the question: Who am I?

The organization Munhu is one of the efforts humanitarians everywhere are working to help children in Zimbabwe. While developed countries are busy placing sanctions on Zimbabwe because of Mugabe and his authoritarian government, the exemplary democracies are ignoring the plight of the innocent. Children are the most vulnerable when adults are involved in ego-duets/truets. Therefore, when I see the efforts of organizations like Munhu Inc., which is based in Coppell, Texas, I see some hope in the future of the most important segment of the Zimbabwean population - children. Below are the objectives of MUNHU: Education Help AIDS orphans by keeping them in school. Health Help monitor the health and emotional wellbeing of children Help in identifying an adult to monitor and supervise the children. Caregiver Support program Provide assistance to care givers who are dealing with AIDS patients. Provide gloves, antiseptics and other basic necessities to help with care giving. Economic Promote en...

The following piece was published by the organization The Power of Culture on the website http://www.powerofculture.nl/uk/current/2007/august/bookcafe.html . I like the writer's observation that the current situation in Zimbabwe is a source of inspiration for a lot of young writers. In fact, I see a wave of significant writings coming out of the Zimbabwean present, linking to the past, and anticipating the future. Obviously. Harare Book Café the hub of Zimbabwe's cultural life The terrible conditions in today's Zimbabwe only feed the desire of young artists to express themselves, but this is becoming more and more difficult for them. The Book Café is an initiative by the Pemberi Trust, which plays a central role in the cultural life of the capital, Harare. "The situation in Zimbabwe has deteriorated alarmingly and terribly within a few weeks," says the trust's Artistic Director, Paul Brickhill, one of the driving forces behind the success of the café. ...

Capture these ideas before they escape. Even those that sprout in dreams, catch them before they jump over the fence. Keep them in the kraal, tamed. The experience of remembering one or two dreams forces us to record them in the journal of our memory. Grow ideas like vegetables, take care of them until they ripen.  Ideas are tomatoes, chard, carrots, kale, covo, mustard, collard, pumpkins. Ideas are varieties in a garden.  I started this blog to capture ideas. To brainstorm. I started it because I could, but as a writer, I had to keep the creative spirit alive, to give expression to a wealth of ideas all around me. The name of the blog is not original, but that's the nature of ideas--we give character to them, but they exist in different forms to all of us. This blog thus will share ideas of a certain form and texture, but it will also capture those that have been shared by others; it's a confluence of ideas--a beginning that already has an idea about the end, like how we...