Zimbabwean Literature Archives

Andrew Chatora on the Faultlines of Nation-Building

1May

By Onai MushavaNo Comments

Books

Andrew Chatora on the Faultlines of Nation-Building

Andrew Chatora on the Faultlines of Nation-Building Andrew Chatora’s 2023 novel, Harare Voices and Beyond, interrogates land, race and nationhood in Zimbabwe. Mukoma Onai picks apart the allegorical layers of the book. By Mukoma Onai | May 1, 2024 Andrew Chatora is a storyteller who hides his stakes in plain sight. The UK-based Zimbabwean novelist gives away the combustibles of his story at the earliest convenience but only names them as they go off in the endgame. Chatora’s books end with a twisted insight that questions our sense of detail and reflows what was already in our face from the beginning. In his debut novella, Diaspora Dreams, we cycle back from the kicker to make sense of the revelation, somehow hinted all along, that the narrator is writing from a menta...

Zimbabwean Writer Andrew Chatora Awarded for Land-Themed Novel in New York

5Feb

By Onai MushavaNo Comments

Books

Zimbabwean Writer Andrew Chatora Awarded for Land-Themed Novel in New York

Zimbabwean Writer Andrew Chatora Awarded for Land-Themed Novel in New York Andrew Chatora was recently awarded the Anthem Award for championing diversity, equity and inclusion in his work. Chatora’s winning novel, Harare Voices and Beyond, interrogates Zimbabwe’s land reform discourse as well as drug abuse, mental health crimes, crime and corruption. By Mukoma Onai | February 5, 2024 Zimbabwean writer Andrew Chatora was silver recipient at the Anthem Award for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion held in New York on January 30. A noted crusader of African immigrant literature based in the UK, Chatora was recognized for his 2023 novel, “Harare Voices and Beyond”. Chatora’s novel interrogates landreform discourse and race relations in Zimbabwe. Hollywood no...

Tsitsi Nomsa Ngwenya Revisits a Past under Erasure in “A Portrait of Emlanjeni”

3Aug

By Onai MushavaNo Comments

Books

Tsitsi Nomsa Ngwenya Revisits a Past under Erasure in “A Portrait of Emlanjeni”

Tsitsi Nomsa Ngwenya Revisits a Past under Erasure in "A Portrait of Emlanjeni" The idealised landscape of Tsitsi Nomsa Ngwenya’s new novel, A Portrait of Emlanjeni, is animated by the spirit of the people, their community ties and abiding regard for tradition. Ngwenya brings the indigenous and official justice systems into conversation, broadening them to make space for women. By Mukoma Onai | August 3, 2023 Tsitsi Nomsa Ngwenya’s fourth book, A Portrait of Emlanjeni, was recently published by UK-based Carnelian Heart Publishing. The novel, Ngwenya’s first in English, pays homage to an idealised landscape, its community ties and abiding attachment to tradition. Ngwenya’s teenage protagonists, Khethiwe, a survivor of sexual violence, and Zanele, who falls pregnant ...

27Sep

By Onai MushavaNo Comments

Books, Music

Onai Mushava, God and Hip Hop

Onai Mushava, God and Hip Hop Onai Mushava is a Zimbabwean poet and journalist, noted for his intertextuality and pro-poor themes. In 2018, he won a National Arts Merit Award (NAMA) for Outstanding Fiction Book. He has also been nominated in the poetry and journalism categories. Mushava's debut book, Survivors Cafe (2016), combines themes of love, politics and religion, while Rhyme and Resistance (2019) falls within the protest category, as well as exploring the poet's psyche. In this interview, poet Tafadzwa Chiwanza (TC), whose debut book is due for release next month, interviews Mushava (OM) on the role of religion in his work. By Tafadzwa Chiwanza, September 26, 2020 TC: Your early writings were mainly Christian in context, I observed. Why the change? ...