Memory Lane: a Writer's Table at UZ in 1994: Click to enlarge image

From left to right: Memory Chirere, Emmanuel Sigauke (gowned) and Jabulani Kanchi.

I remember now: UZ had an open day for high school students. Memory Chirere, Jabulani Kanchi, Eresina Hwede and other campus "writers" met with Chenjerai Hove, then the Writer-in-residence and we said, "We have to do something on this important day." And Hove said, "Do something."

We set up this table, people stopped by to know what we were doing, and later that day we recorded some poetry and fiction in a studio on campus, and I laugh each time I listen to the tape....with all these voices of young, ambitious writers. I read a chapter of my "novel"-in-progress called Wipe Your Tears, Cleopus Gwakwara read a chapter of his published Shona novel Kwadinorohwa Matumbu, Eresina Hwede, the only female author at the recording, read sections of her Shona novel manuscript, while Memory Chirere read most of the poems that would appear in College Press's Tipeiwo Dariro. His poem "Mavhuradonha" is one of the highlights of the recording. Later I would visit Mavhuradona High with Chirere and a Mount Darwin teacher to facilitate a BWAZ workshop at the mission school. I spent some time admiring the Mavhuradona Mountains, etc, but I never would write a poem about them. I guess Chirere had done the job already.

In the photo I am wearing that gown because earlier I had stood at the English Department stall explaining the literatures we offered.