WEALTH OF IDEAS

We built this school with our own hands. We the students, one block at a time, brick by brick. We were the pioneering group of students, who for nearly a year rented a room at Mototi Primary School, the main feeder school to the secondary school. I remember that when we started Form 1, our school didn't even have a name. Some wanted it to be called Mototi Secondary School, others wanted a slew of other names, such as Chomumbuyu, Manhivi, Mutoti, Runde, since Gwen'ombe was already taken. But they deliberated and deliberated, and we were told they--the parents mostly--had settled on the name Gwavachemai, which is the name of the mountain range on east of the current location of the secondary school.   Talking of location, many sites were considered. I remember three. One was going to be in Chimiti forest, near the old location of the primary school; perhaps that turned out to be too close to Chivi but too far from any of the feeder schools. The second location was in my neighbor...

 February 21, 2022 was International Mother Tongue Day, a celebration that many did not realize was happening, because it is not talked about often and is perhaps not celebrated everywhere as it should. To celebrate the day is to embrace the linguistic diversity of our world, and to ignore the day is let each other down, to live as if the diversity of our languages, hence our diversity, does not matter. But one small organization in Zimbabwe did not want to let this day go by without being observed: Chisiya Writer's Workshop, an organization of writers physically located in Mazvihwa, Zimbabwe, celebrated the day through an event co-organized with the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe, Midlands Branch.  The event, titled "International Mother language day presentation", was held as a discussion on the WhatsApp forum of Chisiya Writer's Club. It was facilitated by Emmanuel Hove Mhike and moderated by Pam Kupfavira of the Midlands Branch of NACZ.  To capture the spirit o...

 Sacramento, CA: Faculty from two Northern California college districts have established a literary initiative that promotes the works of BIPOC writers. Califa Lit Initiative was established in August 2021 with the following mission:  Stimulate students to write their own stories, creative nonfiction, poetry and plays Motivate students to read and discuss the works of established Black and BIPOC authors in environments beyond the formal classroom Create ways for students to publish their work, such as an online journal, and podcasts, and support, mentor and encourage them to submit to other publications. To date, the organization has hosted one literary event in October, which reached more than forty participants who listened to a keynote speaker and participated in a writing workshop and reading session. Following the success of its first event, Califa Lit is going to present its second event on February 25: "Uzima: Writing, Sharing, Healing in the African Diaspora".  T...

African Literature Festival  FEBRUARY 26- 27 2021 VIRTUAL ATTENDANCE Georgia College and State University’s Creative Writing Program, in partnership with the Dean’s Office of the College of Arts and Sciences and the Center for International Studies, is hosting a virtual African Writers Festival. This celebration of creativity from Africa brings diverse African writers and thinkers together for two days of conversations, readings, and performances.  After the pioneering efforts of African writers like Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, Ngugi Wa Thiong'o, Flora Nwapa and Buchi Emecheta in the 60s and 70s/early 80s, the past two decades have seen an energetic   resurgence of  African writing.  Contemporary African writers are getting great critical notice and are attracting ever increasing readership globally.  FESTIVAL SCHEDULE: READINGS AND CONVERSATIONS FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2021: SESSION 1: POLITICS AND FEMINISMS, 4-7PM EST Zoom opens at 3:50pm 4:00-4:05 EST...

These are two books I plan to review in March. I already finished reading They Called You Dambudzo , by Flora Veit-Wild, the much anticipated memoir that started with a 2012 essay.  The Committed is by Viet Thanh Nguyen. It will be published on March 2nd, so hopefully I will be able to finish reading it by the end of the launch week.   Viet Thanh Nguyen is the Vietnamese author of The Refugees and The Sympathizer, books I own but have not had a chance to read. So The Committed will be my true entry into his work. I know he is an important writer.  I also just received Out of the Dark Night: Essays on Decolonization by Achille Mbembe (2021). This will my introduction to his work. I hear he is a big deal in African Literature circles, perhaps even in postcolonial theory (and cultural studies?). I will also share my thoughts on this one, but they will be non-academic, personal ruminations. 

  "Voices of the African Diaspora: An Interview with Emmanuel Sigauke", by Tendai Machingaidze, Editor at Mosi Oa Tunya Review TM: What role do African and other immigrant writers play in shaping cultures and societies around the world? ES: It is refreshing to witness growing trends of inclusivity in publishing. The work is nowhere closer to be complete, but there is growing awareness by readers of perspectives from Africa that do not just present one story about the continent, but as implied by Chimamanda Adichie in her single-story TED talk, a multiplicity of voices. Having worked closely with some of the Diaspora African writers, I know they would be the first ones to say that they are not in it to shape any global anything, or to operate in some kind of representational capacity—they are just writing. But their presence in this global milieu is important as it offers many viewpoints to readers who might be trained to think of writing as one thing and one thing alone. The ...

  Collaborative events like this are needed if Africa is to tap into its vast sources of talent. Great work Zimbabwe and Nigeria!