Zimbabwean Poet Featured in Che Guevara Anthology
The following story was reported by Richmore Tera in the The Herald:
Richmore Tera
Harare
ZIMBABWEAN poet and performer Cosmas Mairosi recently scored a first by becoming the only Zimbabwean to have his poem -- Bayethe Latin Warrior -- published in Che in Verse, an international poetry anthology dedicated to the life and works of the late Latin American revolutionary, Ernesto Che Guevara.
The collection, published last year by United Kingdom-based Aflame Books, features 124 poems written by 124 poets drawn from around the globe. By having his poem featured in the book, the 31-year-old Mairosi automatically qualified to rank as one of the finest poets on the globe. Also represented in the same anthology are two previous winners of the Nobel Prize for Literature, Chilean Pablo Neruda and Derrick Walcott, from St Lucia in the Caribbean Islands, who also contributed a poem apiece to the anthology. Mairosi's poem pays homage to the late fiery Marxist and Latin American revolutionary leader who was on the forefront in the fight against capitalism.
The Mudzi-based primary school teacher-cum-poet explained that the poem was inspired by Geuvara's heroic exploits that fired the zeal of many guerrilla fighters across the globe and also inspired Zimbabwean revolutionary leaders in waging liberation wars against the settler regime. Mairosi said his poem was selected following an invite that was sent to the Zimbabwe Budding Writers' Association of Zimbabwe by the editor of the anthology, Gavin O' Toole, through renowned poet Ignatius Mabasa. "Mabasa passed the message to BWAZ. Naturally, I submitted my poem for consideration and when I got a response from O' Toole telling me that they were seriously considering my work for publication, I thought it was a joke," recalls Mairosi. He said he finally received a copy of the anthology featuring his poem two months ago. "It was a thrilling experience to see my first poem to be published in hard copy in a book featuring over a hundred international fine poets. "Being the only Zimbabwean for that matter, I couldn't believe I had actually lifted my country's flag high. Above all, having a poem published on a great luminary such as Ernesto Che Guevara is a great feat and honour."
Mairosi, however, lamented the fact that the anthology was currently unavailable in Zimbabwe, although he was quick to add that efforts were being made by the British Council of Zimbabwe together with BWAZ to make the book available locally. He also revealed that he was currently processing his contract forms with the organisers of South Africa's Arts Alive Festival to be considered for participation in their Speak the Mind poetry project to be held in Johannesburg in September. Born in 1977, Mairosi joined BWAZ in 1997 after discovering his creative talent while in Form Three at Tsikada Secondary School in Rusape. He has won numerous creative writing awards. In 2002, he had one of his poems voted second best in the Sunday Mail/ Priority Projects Publishing Poetry Competition before scooping second prize in the Silver Jubilee Marondera Provincial Poetry Competition three years ago. I dedicated my life all to struggle To free the oppressed and impoverished Conquering the infidels with Fidel Crucifying the colonialists in the Congo Playing death games in the forests of Bolivia Spreading the gospel of Socialism in Afrika, America and the Caribbean, reads a part of the stanzas in Mairosi's historic poem.
Source: The Herald
Richmore Tera
Harare
ZIMBABWEAN poet and performer Cosmas Mairosi recently scored a first by becoming the only Zimbabwean to have his poem -- Bayethe Latin Warrior -- published in Che in Verse, an international poetry anthology dedicated to the life and works of the late Latin American revolutionary, Ernesto Che Guevara.
The collection, published last year by United Kingdom-based Aflame Books, features 124 poems written by 124 poets drawn from around the globe. By having his poem featured in the book, the 31-year-old Mairosi automatically qualified to rank as one of the finest poets on the globe. Also represented in the same anthology are two previous winners of the Nobel Prize for Literature, Chilean Pablo Neruda and Derrick Walcott, from St Lucia in the Caribbean Islands, who also contributed a poem apiece to the anthology. Mairosi's poem pays homage to the late fiery Marxist and Latin American revolutionary leader who was on the forefront in the fight against capitalism.
The Mudzi-based primary school teacher-cum-poet explained that the poem was inspired by Geuvara's heroic exploits that fired the zeal of many guerrilla fighters across the globe and also inspired Zimbabwean revolutionary leaders in waging liberation wars against the settler regime. Mairosi said his poem was selected following an invite that was sent to the Zimbabwe Budding Writers' Association of Zimbabwe by the editor of the anthology, Gavin O' Toole, through renowned poet Ignatius Mabasa. "Mabasa passed the message to BWAZ. Naturally, I submitted my poem for consideration and when I got a response from O' Toole telling me that they were seriously considering my work for publication, I thought it was a joke," recalls Mairosi. He said he finally received a copy of the anthology featuring his poem two months ago. "It was a thrilling experience to see my first poem to be published in hard copy in a book featuring over a hundred international fine poets. "Being the only Zimbabwean for that matter, I couldn't believe I had actually lifted my country's flag high. Above all, having a poem published on a great luminary such as Ernesto Che Guevara is a great feat and honour."
Mairosi, however, lamented the fact that the anthology was currently unavailable in Zimbabwe, although he was quick to add that efforts were being made by the British Council of Zimbabwe together with BWAZ to make the book available locally. He also revealed that he was currently processing his contract forms with the organisers of South Africa's Arts Alive Festival to be considered for participation in their Speak the Mind poetry project to be held in Johannesburg in September. Born in 1977, Mairosi joined BWAZ in 1997 after discovering his creative talent while in Form Three at Tsikada Secondary School in Rusape. He has won numerous creative writing awards. In 2002, he had one of his poems voted second best in the Sunday Mail/ Priority Projects Publishing Poetry Competition before scooping second prize in the Silver Jubilee Marondera Provincial Poetry Competition three years ago. I dedicated my life all to struggle To free the oppressed and impoverished Conquering the infidels with Fidel Crucifying the colonialists in the Congo Playing death games in the forests of Bolivia Spreading the gospel of Socialism in Afrika, America and the Caribbean, reads a part of the stanzas in Mairosi's historic poem.
Source: The Herald
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