WEALTH OF IDEAS

A new women's web portal is to be launched on Tuesday, March 13.  The website www.herzimbabwe.co.zw , will be " dedicated to discussing and articulating Zimbabwean women’s issues and experiences," reveals Fungai Machirori, Founder and Managing Editor of the portal. “From my discussions with different Zimbabwean women, I have come to realise that many are struggling to find their space within society and to give voice to their many concerns,” observed Machirori. “In my view, these challenges have come about because Zimbabwean women have struggled to strike a balance between articulating and celebrating their individualism, while still retaining their collective cultural and social identities.” HerZimbabwe responds to that vacuum; it is a space where "women will be able to see their lives and stories reflected through those of other women." The portal will showcase personal perspectives, historical information, arts, lifestyle and hea...

As I process the review of Harare Noth by Brian Chikwava, which I plan to post or publish somewhere (anywhere), let me share my excitement (again) about this book and the direction Zimbabwean literature is taking. Harare North is one of a few soon-to-be released (April 2) books I throw in the trunk of my car when I visit friends,fellow Zimbabweans or other Africans especially, because at such gatherings there is always one person who will remember that either I write or I talk about books often. I end up running to my car to fetch a book to share something about it with the person. The last time this happened I was with a small group of close friends from Zimbabwe, so I had the chance to read a few paragraphs from Harare North . I always feel that sharing information about such new publications I may influence the target audience of Zimbabweans, especially those in the Diaspora, to order copies for themselves (I don't see myself lending my heavily annotated copy to anyone). I ca...

Zimbabwe's diaspora has given birth to yet another interesting writer,Tapiwa Kapurura, author of Touching the American Rainbow . Tapiwa Kapurura studied law in Zimbabwe before migrating to the United States in the year 2000. The synopsis of Touching the American Rainbow reads: Leaving Africa as an attorney, the young man from Zimbabwe left family and friends, and sold all his earthly possessions, hoping to start a better life in America. He took everything for granted. Considering himself educated enough to easily fit into the American job market, he hoped to easily pass the legal bar exam, become an American attorney and live “large.” Before departure, he combined his childhood fantasies with a mature analysis, convincing himself that he was bound for the biblical Canaan—“a land of milk and honey”. Just like anyone from the Third World, the author possessed a vivid-colored picture of America. He never contemplated any glitch in the transition process. Because of media hype, ...