ZIMBOLICIOUS POETRY:
An Anthology of Zimbabwean Poets
*
Edited by Tendai R.
Mwanaka
& Edward Dzonze
*
About the editors
Tendai Rinos Mwanaka is a multi-disciplinary writer, scholar and artist from Zimbabwe.
Author of, Finding A Way Home, Revolution:
Struggle Poems, Playing To Love’s Gallery, Zimbabwe: The Urgency of Now, co-editor
of, Best “New” African Poets 2015
Anthology; Democracy, Good Governance and Development in Africa and Experimental Writing: Volume 1, Africa Vs
Latin America. Forthcoming books include, Pearls of Awareness; A conversation… A Contact; Language, Thought, Art
and Existence. He is also a visual artist, musical/sound artist, mentor,
reviewer...
EDWARD
DZONZE,
26, is a self made poetry critic and finds his purpose in life through playing
around with words. He is the author of Many
Truths Told at Once, Royalty Publishing USA, 2015, and Wisdom Speaks, Royalty Publishing USA, 2016. His poetry has
appeared in numerous anthologies including, We
are One, Diaspora Publishers UK, 2014; World
peace anthology, India, 2014, and recently in Best New African Poets 2015 Anthology
Tables of Contents
1.
My
grave- Phumulani Chipandambiri
2.
Love
at first write- Panashe Madziva
3.
The
poem- Brighton Ndhlovu
4.
The
birth of a poem- Emmanuel Sigauke
5.
Another
poem- Brighton Ndhlovu
6.
Running
towards the song I will never hear- Tendai Mwanaka
7.
Just
say it- Brighton Ndhlovu
8.
How
can you say nothing- Emmanuel Sigauke
9.
Talk
is cheap???- Tendekai Tati
10.
Turn
off the lights- Emmanuel Sigauke
11.
Hurukuro-
Tinashe Muchuri
12.
Talks-
Tinashe Muchuri (trans)
13.
Chasing
money- Tariro Ndoro
14.
These
streets- Tendekai Tati
15.
Maiduguri-
Mbizo Chirasha
16.
Winter
in Matabeleland, 1987- John Eppel
17.
I
will not silence the sun- Mbizo Chirasha
18.
Chocolate
star- Munyaradzi Mawere
19.
The
rain falls- Lisa Jaison
20.
The
word remains- Vupenyu Zvoushe
21.
Singing
Zimbabwe among genius- Edward Dzonze
22.
Ndoimba
Zimbabwe nedzimwe nyanzwi- Edward Dzonze (trans)
23.
My
son, why?- Vupenyu Zvoushe
24.
The
new generation- Munyaradzi Mawere
25.
Oh
father, give me a break!- Vupenyu Zvoushe
26.
Zvokwedu-
Jabulani Mzinyathi
27.
Our
heritage- Jabulani Mzinyathi (trans)
28.
The
spirit of Marceline Champaynat- Jackson Matimba
29.
Song
of Africa- Chenjerai Mhondera
30.
The
bell rings- Cosmas Shoko
31.
Mutyairi-
Gumisai Nyoni
32.
The
driver- Doreen Rumbidzai Tivenga (trans)
33.
Yakarira
hwamanda yeChimurenga- Jabulani Mzinyathi
34.
The
sounding of the trumpet of Chimurenga- Jabulani Mzinyathi(trans)
35.
Unemployed-
Tsitsi Sachikonye
36.
Child
soldier- Panashe Madziva
37.
War
veterans- Phumulani Chipandambiri
38.
A
hermitress hunting- Jackson Matimba
39.
Thudding
boots- Christopher Kudyahakudadirwe
40.
Waiting
for the bus- John Eppel
41.
The
pound of flesh- Christopher Kudyahakudadirwe
42.
Up
in arms with my own- Edward Dzonze
43.
Jambanja
pachedu- Edward Dzonze (trans)
44.
That
wintry autumn night- Christopher Kudyahakudadirwe
45.
Ndiri
pee- Gumisai Nyoni
46.
I am unperturbed- Doreen Rumbidzai Tivenga (trans)
47.
Brutus-
Prince Chidzvondo
48.
Zviri
kufamba sei?- Ushehwedu Kufakurinani
49.
What’s
happening?- Doreen Rumbidzai Tivenga (trans)
50.
I
shall cry when I want- Chenjerai Mhondera
51.
Akagumiswa
nei?- Tinashe Muchuri
52.
Who
killed him?- Tinashe Muchuri (trans)
53.
Slaughter-
Tsitsi Sachikonye
54.
Remember
Chimoio- Catherine Magodo-Mutukwa
55.
Omunene
kofwa bweeme- Jeffrey Muleya
56.
Be
ashamed of yourself- Jeffrey Muleya (trans)
57.
The
dreadful month- Hosea Tokwe
58.
Horikocho-
Gumisai Nyoni
59.
Joyful
games- Doreen Rumbidzai Tivenga (trans)
60.
chef’s
special for the day- David Mungoshi
61.
Ndakudanga-
Cosmas Mairosi
62.
Pompous
one- Cosmas Mairosi (trans)
63.
Nhundiramutsime-
Ushehwedu Kufakurinani
64.
A
pervert- Doreen Rumbidzai Tivenga (trans)
65.
Accusations-
Phumulani Chipandambiri
66.
A
child- Lovers Pamire
67.
Silhouettes-
David Mungoshi
68.
Night
carrying night- Tendai Mwanaka
69.
Under
the heavens- Constance van Niekerk
70.
Dusk-
Hosea Tokwe
71.
In
the stilly night- John Eppel
72.
Contempt-
Tsitsi Sachikonye
73.
Our
fathers are gone- Ivor Hartmann
74.
He
came to die- Tariro Ndoro
75.
On
her deathbed- Catherine Magodo-Mutukwa
76.
Strong
and independent- Tariro Ndoro
77.
Her
place- Lisa Jaison
78.
Queer
is another word for unaccepted- Prince Chidzvondo
79.
My
lover- Lovers Pamire
80.
…love
like religion…- Prince Chidzvondo
81.
Grapes
for me- Lisa Jaison
82.
Beyond
my reach- Lovers Pamire
83.
Frolicking-
David Mungoshi
84.
Tears
in her eyes- Catherine Magodo-Mutukwa
85.
The
things we lost- Constance van Niekerk
86.
Noone
wangu- Jeffrey Muleya
87.
My
sweetie- Jeffrey Muleya (trans)
88.
Hotel
door- Constance van Niekerk
89.
I
wanted her to be my citizen- Tendai Mwanaka
Introduction
Zimbolicious girl a
song by Prince Tendai Mupfurutsa in
the 1990s brought this word into any form of recording. With the beautiful
sultry babes dancing to this new urban beat we extolled the beauty of our
unique ladies in Zimbabwe. It is a combination of the word Zimbo, for
Zimbabwean, and licious from the English word delicious, thus it talks of the
beauty and deliciousness of Zimbabwean girls. We borrowed from this to create
our own brand of anthology, Zimbolicious Poetry.
It is the beauty and deliciousness of Zimbabwe’s poetry that we offer in this
anthology. In her essay, Flora Veit-Wild, for Seminar fu¨r Afrikawissenschaften, Humboldt
Universita¨t zu Berlin, Online,
tackles this word literary and writes that, “‘Zimbolicious’ is a term I picked up
from one of the numerous Zimbolingo chat forums that serve Zimbabweans at home
and in the diaspora to communicate among one another. Having been coined ‘to
describe the beauty of Zimbabwean women’, for me this exquisite new word is a
most suitable epithet for what I want to explore in this essay: the creative
energy arising from the mix of languages – the ‘delicious pie dish’, as South
African poet Ike Mboneni Muila calls it, in which ‘languages [take] the place
of cake flour’.” Just like Zimbabwean girls, Zimbabwean poetry is delicious
Zimbolicious
poetry is a unique poetic taste served to the best of Zimbabwe’s abilities in
poetry and in this anthology the poets expresses themselves in their vernacular
and the English language as per our call below.
ZIMBOLICIOUS
POETRY: Zimbabwe in Poetry
We
are looking for poems in all Zimbabwean indigenous languages (Chewa, Chibarwe, Kalanga, Koisan, Nambya, Ndau, Ndebele, Shangani, Shona, Sotho, Tonga, Tswana, Venda and Xhosa) and English language.
The indigenous languages entries should be accompanied with an English
translation. We prefer short poems but we will read long poems and will include
some in the anthology.
Send
us your best work, not more than 3 poems per poet in one document, including a
bio note of not more than 50 words
ZIMBOLICIOUS
POETRY: Zimbabwe in Poetry
will be a multilingual book of the best new Zimbabwean poets that will be
published by Royalty Publishing, USA
There
will be equal sharing of royalties among the contributors
This
is a strictly Zimbabwean poets anthology, so we will only read and consider
work from citizens of Zimbabwe and her diasporas (parents are of Zimbabwean
descent).
Send
your work to both Tendai R Mwanaka at mwanaka@yahoo.com and Edward Dzonze at aroundzimbabweinpoetry@gmail.com
Deadline
for entries is 30th April 2016
We
are grateful to the poets who submitted their work, and much more grateful to
those who made it into this anthology. Our intention was to bring together
Zimbabwean poets so that we will start the dialogue, conversations, arguments…,
about our world through poetry, thus in the anthology this is what we tried to
encourage as editors, where poets were coming in with topics they wanted to
cover; arguing, conversing, crystallizing, objecting, and developing each
argument but never settling for one viewpoint. Our intention was to open out to
every view on any topic tackled by the poets themselves.
Zimbolicious poetry has 89 poems and
translations in Shona, English, Tonga, and Chibarwe from 32 poets and
translators, tackling issues to do with poetry, writing in general, art, place,
identity, tradition, struggle, collective understanding, individual, human
rights and love.
Knowing
how beautiful Zimbabwean poetry is always, this is indeed a delicious dish!
Bio notes
Titled Zim’s next Chinua Achebe by a lifestyle writer,
the Harare based poet and writer Prince
Rayanne Chidzvondo is an 18 year old boy with an undying passion and love
for literature. He was awarded the 2nd
runner up prize for the Cover to Cover annual series in 2014.
Phumulani
Chipandambira
was born in Mhondoro Ngezi, he currently stays with his family in Norton. He is
a freelance writer who likes reading and writing short stories and poetry.
Mbizo
Chirasha was born in Zvishavane district in 1978. He is an
internationally acclaimed performance poet, writer and creative projects
facilitator and live literature producer. In 2003 he was the New Generation
Poetry Delegate at The Gothenburg International Book Fair, Nordic African
Institute Writers Seminar, and Swedish Writers Union reading night in Sweden.
He co-authored a poetry anthology titled, Whispering Woes of Ganges and Zambezi
with Sweta Vikram, an Indian born-New York based poet.
John Eppel is a
school teacher who lives in Bulawayo. He has been publishing since the
late 60s, and has 17 books of poetry and prose to his name.
Ivor W. Hartmann is a
Zimbabwean writer, editor, publisher, and visual artist. Awarded The Golden
Baobab Prize (2009), finalist for the Yvonne Vera Award (2011), selected for
The 20 in Twenty: The Best Short Stories of South Africa’s Democracy (2014),
and awarded third place in the Jalada Prize for Literature (2015). His works
have appeared in many publications. He runs the StoryTime micro-press,
publisher of the African Roar and AfroSF series of anthologies, and is on the
advisory board of Writers International Network Zimbabwe.
Lisa
Jaison: I was born in the city of Gweru in Zimbabwe.
After my first degree at the Midlands State University I relocated to South
Africa where I commenced a carrier as a research consultant, and studying for
my post grad with the University of South Africa. I remain an avid reader and
an artist at heart.
Christopher
‘Voice’ Kudyahakudadirwe holds a MA in Creative Writing from
the University of the Western Cape, a BA (Honours) from University of the
Western Cape, a BA English and Communication Studies from the Zimbabwe Open
University. He has been writing poetry, short stories and novels for quite some
time with a few of his pieces seeing publication. Some of his poems were
published in Best “New” African Poets
2015 Anthology. His short Story ‘Voices of the Ancestors’ was published in New Contrast.
Ushehwedu
Kufakurinani
is a language nationalist interested in the advancement of local languages. He
is a published poet who writes mostly in Shona. He is also a Senior lecturer in
the Department of Economic History at the University of Zimbabwe.
My name is Panashe
Madziva (aka Arcane), a 26 year old poet from Harare, Zimbabwe, who begun
writing poetry between 2009 and 2010 and became performing poet in 2014. I’ve
been featured on Poetry International (2014) after being a finalist in the
inaugural Word Garden poetry contest.
Cosmas
Mairosi, Zimbabwean-born performance poet; teacher, researcher
and voluntary arts administrator. His work appears in several anthologies
online and in print, in Africa, Europe and the Americas. He has performed at
international arts events. His work has been podcast, roadcast and broadcast on
ZBC, SABC and BBC radio and television.
Jackson T. Matimba was born in Nyanga,
in the year 1978. He writes poetry that suits people of all walks of life. He
believes in simplicity in poetry, yet with quality as a common factor. His work
is included in: Best ‘New’ African Poets
2015 Anthology, Experimental Writing: volume 1, Africa vesus Latin America,
and his own poetry book-THE NATURE OF MY SIGNATURE, was published this year by
Royalty Publishers USA.
Munyaradzi
Mawere holds a PhD in Social Anthropology from the University of Cape Town (UCT) in South Africa. He is
currently Professor in the Department of
Culture and Heritage Studies at Great Zimbabwe
University. Before joining this university, Professor Mawere was a lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe and at
Universidade Pedagogica, Mozambique. He
has an outstanding publishing record of
more than one hundred and twenty pieces of work which include more than twenty-seven books and over a
hundred book chapters and papers in
scholarly journals.
Chenjerai Mhondera is a novelist, poet,
performer, playwright, actor and songwriter. He is a patron and founder of
Young Writers Club in Mabelreign-Warren Park district. He comes from the Eastern
highlands, lives in Zimbabwe and is a citizen of the world.
Jeffrey
Muleya was born in 1972 in Dobola, Binga district. He began
writing and translation work between Tonga and other languages in Zimbabwe in
2001. He has been part of the editorial team of Tonga Bwacha Lino (gr.1-7) primary course, published in 2010 and the
secondary Lusumpuko (Form 1-4)
course that followed. He has been doing translation, consultancy and editing
work for COPAC, Ministries of health, education, NGOs (Red Cross,
CADEC/CARITAS, Carbon Green Africa, WASH, PSI, Basilwizi, Ntengwe, PLAN etc)
David
Mungoshi: I am a retired teacher with experience across the
education spectrum at all levels. So I have been lucky to meet people from and
in very different settings and that has been very handy motivation for my
poetry writing and reading. Long Live Poetry!
Catherine Magodo-Mutukwa, is a published
poet/author keen on highlighting those social issues that affect society
negatively, she uses this art form to bring awareness, and in the process
hopefully, inspire and uplift other women. She lives in South Africa, she loves
to travel and read.
Jabulani
Mzinyathi was born in Gweru on 1 September 1965. Jabulani is a
writer in general and a poet in particular. Jabulani was awarded a diploma for
excellence in poetry by the Scottish international open poetry in 1997.
Jabulani holds qualifications in education, law and human resources management.
Brighton Ndhlovu was born the 30th of
August 1994. Has always been an art enthusiast. Started writing poetry in 2009
in his high school period after a whole childhood of performing other people's
poetry. He then fell in love with writing for stage in 2013, the same year he
started stage performance. He is a poet, a playwright and a performer
Tariro
Ndoro was born in Harare, raised in Bindura, has lived in
many other small towns and has now settled in Harare. She holds an MA in
Creative Writing from Rhodes University and her work has appeared in Tyhini2015, New Contrast and Best New
African Poets 2015 Anthology.
Constance van Niekerk is a Zimbabwean born creative and
freelance writer currently living in South Africa. She is an Editor at
Zimonlinenews.com and a blogger at Afrique Beat (www.afriquebeat.com).
A poet of note and an Educator who occasionally contributes to Tuck Magazine (www.tuckmagazine.com).
Gumisai
Nyoni, born in 1982, is a media practitioner who graduated
with a post-graduate Diploma in Media and Communication Studies at the
University of Zimbabwe in 2005. He also holds a BA Honours in Theatre Arts
Degree. He did his primary education at Morowa Primary School in Gokwe, Copper
Queen, his secondary at Nkululeko High School in Gweru and A Level at Loreto
High School. He has worked for several newspapers in Zimbabwe.
My
name is Lovers Pamire, born on the
25th of August 1981 in Hurungwe Karoi at a place called Mudzimu. I
am an Occupational Health Nurse by profession. Art is my food and drink and l
find satisfaction in it. I am a country musician currently working on my 4th
album since 2012. I am an actor, videographer and editor. I considered
seriously taking my poetic skills to another level this year 2016 and am having
lots of fun in doing so.
Tsitsi
Sachikonye is currently a PhD candidate in French &
Francophone Literature at Rhodes University in Grahamstown. Tsitsi likes
lecturing and conducting literary research. She is also a professional singer
and public speaker. Tsitsi enjoys sailing, swimming, hiking, cycling and many
other adventurous sports. She is extremely passionate about reading and
travelling.
Emmanuel Sigauke is the
editor of Munyori Literary Journal. He resides in California, where he teaches writing at Cosumnes River
College. He has published a collection of
short stories and a poetry anthology. He has also appeared in numerous journals and anthologies. He also been a
contest judge for Writivism.
Cosmas
Shoko was born in 1987, in the asbestos town of Zvishavane.
He is a budding poet. He studied at Midlands State University. He has work to
be published in EXPERIMENTAL WRITING: Volume 1, Africa Vs Latin America Anthology,
Centum Press 100 Voices Anthology and
IFLAC Anti-Terror\ War Anthology.
Tendekai
P Tati is a Zimbabwean writer who was born in Harare in
December 1989. He grew up in Kwekwe and Masvingo then moved back to Harare
where he established himself as a writer and a performance poet. Tendekai
writes poetry, short stories and does pretty well as a blogger too.
Doreen Rumbidzai Tivenga is a second year
PhD student in English Literary and Cultural Studies at The University of Free
State South Africa where she is also a Teaching Assistant in the Department of
English. She enjoys reading and analysing literary works and researching on
contemporary youth music and cultures.
Gweru-based writer Hosea
Tokwe has worked in Librarianship since 1991. With a
passion for writing, Hosea started performance at the Book
Café in 2009. He recently joined
the Zimbabwe Writers Association, and is currently working on short stories which he hopes to get
published. He is
married and has four children.
Vupenyu
Zvoushe is a Zimbabwean poet. He spent part of his childhood in
Zambia where he attended primary school. A former school teacher, Zvoushe
enjoys writing in his spare time. He is yet to publish his poetry in a single
volume.
