Books

The late Chenjerai Hove (Photo: African Success)Silence, impassioned testimonials, and readings from "Shadows" and "Blind Moon."The Literary Evening was not just the high point of the Zimbabwe International Book Fair (ZIBF) but fitting homage for the country's late-lamented second generation writer Chenjerai Hove.Although the evening, of July 31 at the National Art Gallery, had neither the marathon duration nor the capacity crowd of the Indaba, it was more literary in character, this crowned by the emotive rendition of Hove's legacy.The audience could affirm the immortality of Hove, not just from the performed extracts but his inspirational input which has gone full flower in the literary notables of the day.Albert Nyathi, Ignatius Mabasa, Memory Chirere, Emmanuel Sigauke and Robert Mupond...

Ngugi's autobiographyBook: In the House of the Interpreter Author: Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’oPublisher: Pantheon Books (2012)ISBN: 978-0-307-90770-7Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o has emptied his drawers for a collage of his teenage portraits, tagging along the cultural and political landscapes of mid-century Kenya.“In the House of the Interpreter,” the second installment of his memoirs, presents the formative phase of the author’s “intellectual and spiritual strivings.”A thread of meticulous records lockstitched by a seasoned hand, the book is a coming-of-age narrative as much as it is an account of colonial Kenya. The "house of the interpreter," is not another site of linguistic controversy, as may be anticipated in light of Ngũgĩ's famous language debate. It is Alliance, an African high school run by Francisc...

Bhundu Boys Book: Music Rocking ZimbabweAuthor: Fred ZindiPublisher: Zindisc (2014)ISBN: 1-77905-138-8 Music, that mellow breeze which refreshes nations, decodes the language of the heart and makes one blood of a racially profiled globe, is at the core of Zimbabwean culture. Through dark days, music is a moody companion for the children of tribulation, and when colour, vista and melody flare up, music courses delight around the passcodes of the soul.Surprisingly, for a site of vast cultural wealth and staggering genius, there is no tradition of critical reception to match Zimbabwean music.Prof. Fred Zindi and Joyce Jenje-Makwenda are among the few authorities who have worked extensively to broker critical posterity for local music.Zindi has written several books on local music, notably “Ro...

Memory ChirereBook: Bhuku Risina Basa Author: Memory Chirere Publisher: Bhabhu Books (2014) ISBN: 978-0-7974-5815-4 If simplicity is the ultimate sophistication, as Steve Jobs said, Memory Chirere may well be Zimbabwe’s most sophisticated writer. Chirere has once again affirmed his place among the country’s most highly regarded writers, this time with his debut poetry anthology, Bhuku Risina Basa Nekuti Rakanyorwa Masikati. As with his previous offerings, Chirere’s trimmed down, deceptively simple writing belies a range of genius. His taskbar is lined with familiar images, everyday language, all draping an incisive insight into some of life’s ironies and complexities. The anthology comprises 68, mostly short, poems. Though varied in thematic range, the poems are traceable to Chirere not j...

Zimbabwean journalist, author and literary critic's book, In Memory of the Future, is now available at Amazon. Grab your copy with one click in Amazon Kindle Store.

Jah Prayzah's Jerusarema Jah Prayzah has thrown his keys to the urban contemporary movement down the floor of the sea.His latest album, Jerusarema, available through Jive Zimbabwe, tours deeper into the sounds of the far south.The eleven-track album features tracks "Jerusarema," "Eriza," "Roots," with Luciano (the Messenger)," "Ndoenda," "Daira," Chinamira," "Vanorodza Miseve," "Tiise Maoko," "Zama," "Zenze" and "Taura."The album is yet another stellar effort from the Third Generation frontman who has established himself as one of the greatest voices to emerge from the land through years of hard work and sheer genius.He ropes in Keith Farquahason for mixing and mastering and additional keyboards and former Black Spirits marimba prodigy Charles Chipanga.He maintains his rich sound with a tr...

Kwame Nkrumah (Photo Credit: Modern Ghana)Kwame Nkrumah is perhaps the closest personification of Pan-Africanism.A charismatic statesman and prolific philosopher, his name is often invoked like a letterhead in most discussions on African unity and  black empowerment.As Africa turns in affectionate hindsight to its formative ideals, Nkrumah continues to command respect for his vision and labour of love for Africa.His credentials as a revolutionary effigy are secure.He is an ideological mainstay for a continent long in travail, coming to terms with the need for unity and economic self-determination, ideals curtailed by leaders who lack the political will to navigate the course from rhetoric to reality.With a climate of discontent defining the politics of the day, the mood is current to situa...

Tocky VibesTocky Vibes is the jewel in the Zimdancehall crown. His new album, Toti Toti, however, stakes a claim in the keynote circuit of local music.When Tocky came from nowhere and turned an industry on its head last year, much was made of his instant flight to stardom. For some, he was a passing fad. But he was on point with each new single, even stretching his fanbase from ghetto mafia to cool heads like Mai Chisamba.For others, he needed to grow beyond shortlived dancehall riddims. His conscious content had to be accompanied by live instruments if he was to graduate out of Zimdancehall’s bubblegum mill. And now he has done just that with “Toti Toti.” The eight-track album, easily stands out from previous offerings with its customised instrumental pitch.The latest offering features tr...

Garissa University attack (Photo Credit: IB Times)What is a city without a sentinel?Criminal paradise.What is freedom without fraternity?Inflated self-image.What is man without love?Beast of instinct.What is life without purpose?Chronology of destruction.What is religion without truth?Tyranny of hate.What is fervour without knowledge?Suicidal devastation.What is the world without Christ?Inhabitable inferno.What is history without final judgement?Triumph of evil.Turn page on page,Disaster erupts on disaster.Terror bleeds each margin.Between warlords, drones and dictators,The poor civilian under siege.Leaders chant peace on the podiumAnd scheme terror in remote enclosures.There remains for a secure futureOne answer solid and enduring.The Prince of Peace comes quicklyTo banish evil and suffer...

Joann CondieBook: Nothing to HideAuthor: Joann CondiePublisher: Focus on the Family (2004)Pornography, chiefly visual material with an erotic command, has levelled a death-knell against the family institution.While other threats to family can be constitutionally intercepted, this progressively addictive and highly destructive perversion cannot be easily curtailed.In classical parlance, porn is a Trojan Horse – in this case, incomparably discreet. Troy, an ancient state of Asia Manor, is said to have been infiltrated and destroyed by Greek soldiers who entered the city concealed in a wooden horse.Just as the horse came as a gift only when it was actually a destructive vector, porn is an ostensibly beneficial destroyer.In our day, porn has become a springboard to stardom, whether one thinks ...