Nyashadzashe Chikumbu on Andrew Chatora and the Zim short story

                                                         Andrew Chatora
 

THE UNSTOPPABLE MARCH OF THE HUMAN CONDITION:

A Review of Inside Harare Alcatraz and Other Short Stories

 Reviewed by Nyashadzashe Chikumbu

 Title: Inside Harare Alcatraz and Other Short Stories

Author: Andrew Chatora

Publisher: Kharis Publishing

Pages:188

Published: 2024

 

Zimbabwe as a literary country isn’t particularly famed for its short stories, or its short story writers, its poets, yes, its novelists, yes, its essayists, of course—but rarely and far between are its short story writers. The short story as an art form and storytelling medium has been neglected and ignored, uncharacteristically, because of its capabilities. Short stories like poetry are a lot more demanding and personal, calling for refinement in both subject matter and style. The unhealthy obsession with either historical or nationalist literature has on one hand, left the short story as a medium to completely rot in isolation; on the other, it has starved artistic exploration. Chatora’s entry with ‘Inside Harare Alcatraz and Other Short Stories’ makes an attempt at something much grander, much more alive.

 

The collection takes its shape and pace from the first story, ‘Inside Harare Alcatraz’, which follows the narration and sometimes rumblings of Brezhnev and his subsequent imprisonment at Harare Alcatraz Maximum Security Prison. The story is narrated in five parts that are, at times, lacking in key details 1)and developments; it feels as though the story is told from the perspective of a mad man. Brezhnev is in fact insane, criminally so. A psychosexual serial killer who admits that killing people gave him orgasms of unimaginable proportions. Which is startling, but what’s even more startling is he is paid for his insanity—handsomely so, unlike the criminally insane that were housed at Alcatraz, the real Alcatraz in America, with the hope of rehabilitation in isolation, Brezhnev is deliberately sent to Harare Alcatraz by his sponsors for a wet job, a code name for murder. We’d expect a sadist with just a reputation to succeed on his mission with relative ease; however, his interactions with his targets and the overwhelming humanity that they shower him with seem to have thawed his insatiable appetite for murder. The story ends with Brezhnev on his way to a cubicle to self-induce the very same poison he had meant for his targets.

 

‘Black Britain’ is a satirical attempt at dealing with the systemic and endemic racism that plagues African immigrants and the black diaspora at large in Britain, taking the form of racial profiling during Black interactions with law enforcement authorities. Just beneath the veil of satire, glimpses of a fictionalised ‘Black Lives Matter Movement’ can be seen. The story follows the narration of Anesu, who witnessed the racial profiling of his parents at the age of thirteen, only to face the same at a much later age. Through his account, the readers are taken to the eye of the storm as an attempt to vocalise such, and more cases of mistreatment are met with heavy handedness and flat-out denial. Something that Reni Eddo-Lodge captured in ‘Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race’. Here fact and fiction intermingle and take a life and form of their own.

 

Chatora’s short stories are gritty, unflinching, and unapologetic. But as with any collection, not every story flows with the same potency and energy or the same refinement of craft; just like seeds sown during the night, some seeds get stuck between rocks, others are thrown where they get very little sunlight to grow, and a handful find the ideal place for full growth and bloom. Stories such as ‘Black Britain’, ‘Smoke and Mirrors’, ‘Estelle the Shebeen Queen and other Dangamvura Vignettes’ stick out for their depth and stylistic complexity. Despite that, Chatora's message is clear and direct: our struggles as Zimbabweans at home and in the Diaspora are not just institutional; they're also human, the scary side of the human condition. From the greedy Shebeen Queen Estelle, who operates a brothel and employs her daughters within the same space to the bigamist in ‘Smoke and Mirrors’. Chatora takes the possibilities of the short story to greater heights; he sheds the straight jacket that has been historical and nationalistic literature preoccupied with polishing the proceeds of independence. He takes the short story to murkier grounds of the human conscience, of desperation and deprivation, highlighting where we have failed as society and as humanity at large.

 

‘Inside Harare Alcatraz and Other Short Stories’ is a collection of eleven neatly written stories that are pulsating with global urgency—the heat, anger, and frustration weaved within each sentence palpable and alive. As one character in ‘Inside Harare Alcatraz’, which is the titular story, remarks, ‘You see, Chipendani, we are prisoners of conscience here at Harare Alcatraz’, whether knowingly or unknowingly, he admits that the characters in the collection are prisoners; unlike Alcatraz in San Francisco Bay, which housed some of America’s most notorious offenders, the characters here are prisoners of the open wide world. They’re captives of the ever-marching human condition, which at its heart festers gluttony, sadism, corruption, hatred, systemic, and epidemic. Chatora makes it known to the world that this septic wound isn’t just cultural or national; it's global. It's infecting everyone.

 

* This review first appeared in The Daily News on Sunday, a leading independent newspaper in Zimbabwe. The reviewer, Nyashadzashe Chikumbu is a journalist, editor and cultural critic. He is also the Associate Editor of Mukana Press. A recipient of the 2023 Ignite Youth Award in Creativity, he is widely published and a respected book critic.

 

Muchuri translates Chigama's review of Shamhu yeZera Renyu

 

“Roving in the mental ploughshares of Memory Chirere’s Shamhu yeZera Renyu…”

A Batsirai Chigama Book Review

Title Shamhu yeZera Renyu,

Published 2023 by Carnelian Heart Publishing

Author: Memory Chirere
ISBN: 978-1-914287-11-4
Number of Pages: 90

+This book Review was translated by Tinashe Muchuri from Shona to English. It first appeared in the Shona language at: https://www.batsiraichigama.com/2024/08/shamhu-yezera-renyu/

In my reading journey, there has been books that I read and finish in a day. Sometimes I can go through a book in a day or two or three. Then there are books that I take quite long to go through. A month, a year or years and so on. 

Memory Chirere’s Shamhu YeZera Renyu is a book that declares from the onset, saying to the reader, I am hot-hot.  Take me in slowly like a hot cup of tea and put me down periodically. Come back to me and take a sip because I will be hot all the way…

I read such books in between some of the one-day books. I proceed that way, reading various books concurrently.

I am happy that I have eventually gone through Shamhu yeZera Renyu without having to rush. I have gone through it, sipping it and placing it down and sipping again.  

I agree with Robert Masunga’s words (on the blurb) when he says that “In this book there is the voice of the passer by, who sees without being seen…”

This is evident in poems like, Chimunhu Chisina Rudo, kuDhirowa, Chirume chaSekai, Mbudzi, Mudzanga weFodya and especially Baba vaTino.  

Gradually the eyes of the passer by become your eyes. Together you see what he sees, you and the passerby standing together in the open where, ironically, nobody sees you. And finally, you become part of the panorama that you are viewing.

Suddenly you find yourself shelling the maize with that boy, Tino. You rise with Tino to hug his father, the constant intruder. You are with Tino when he brings the floral shirt, an awkward present from his dad to Gugu’s dad. 

You feel pity for Gibson Chiseko because, like his name means, he is something of a pathetic laughingstock. Then you may even wonder what exactly is going on behind the scenes between Gugu’s dad and Tino’s mom. You just quit before resolving that ominous puzzle. 

Memory Chirere has an amazing way with words. He makes you want to laugh and sometimes he makes you shed tears. This poet sees the world in a very unique way. Memory Chirere reminds me of the British author, Martin Goodman (whom I met during a writers programme facilitated by the British Council called the Crossing Borders Writers’ Project), who said, something like - in a country at war, with bombs dropping, people dying, there are some chaps in the same place who may actually be falling in love; some of them even getting to wed. In such places filled with strife, some babies are actually being born!

The writer has to make a choice of what he has to write about. I think Chirere is one writer who sees a rose and consciously ignores the thorns for the time being.

One Rodney T Munemo, writing recently in the Newsday, says that Memory Chirere refuses to be taken captive by the pains that the nation may be going through because he has the courage to coexist with whatever strife obtains. Chirere has developed the ability to walk though fire as if he were walking with a friend.  From the way he writes about the troubles of the nation, he makes the reader rise above all this because to see the funny side of suffering as Chirere does, is not an easy thing. Only a uniquely committed and brave writer does that! Most of us may not be able to do that. As strife blows, Chirere reports about surviving…

“…tichiri vapenyu nekuti hapana kana akafa!” and he also writes: “kune mbeu dziri kubuda muvhu nyoro  riri panze apo nekuti kuchine zuva rinokudza kana zvinhu zvakaringana saizvozvi…”

In this book, Chirere teaches me to search for all those things that many readers and writers still have not been able to come to terms with.  He invites you to laugh even at some of the usually sad scenarios. His is a liberating laughter.

I can’t continue… because I want you to buy this book and read it yourself.  You will understand me when you get to poems such as Kutsvodana, Kuonesesa, Vana Vandakaticha, Nezuro, Maraya naMareta.  With that Kutsvodana poem, you will wonder at the depth and breadth of this wedding kiss because it is painted like those record-breaking kisses from the Guiness Book of Records. 

During that formidable kiss, time stretches relentlessly like chewing gum, taking the onlooker back in time. It is funny, but it is also underlined by an eternal sadness. Then there are poems that are so direct like:

“Tiri mukanwa mechinhu
chiri kutitsenga zvishoma nezvishoma.
Zvishoma nezvishoma nezvishoma.

Chombomira pachinenge chamhoreswa:
“Makadiiko Mhukahuru?”
Chobva chatanga kutitsenga zvakare…”

You ask, what is chewing us up? Is it man or beast? The poet writes somewhere that “Vanhu vemazuva ano vachaziva here musiyano wemubvunzo nemhinduro?” (The struggle between appearance and reality?)

The poem called Mukanwa is one of the poems with subterranean meanings. You may fit in your own meanings. It is in the same league with poems Kutadza, Basa, Munhu WekuZimbabwe, Detembo Risina Musoro and Zvaipa.  You may actually read and re-read these poems, picking a new meaning on each trip.

Shamhu yeZera Renyu was published in 2023 by Carnelian Heart Publishing and it won the NAMA (Outstanding Poetry Book) in 2024. It is going to be the last book to win that category since the category is now being discontinued in 2025.

+About the book reviewer: Batsirai Chigama (Zimbabwe) is a performer, poet, literary activist, and social commentator. City of Asylum described her work as “surprising, shocking, and skilfully deliberate work,” and “a breath-taking embodiment of grief.” Her latest book of poems is called For Women Trying to Breathe and Failing (it's not your fault)

+About the translator: Tinashe Mchuri is a renowned Zimbabwean author, journalist, actor and storyteller. Together with lawyer and author, Petina Gappah, he translated George Orwell’s Animal Farm into Shona, and got it published under the title Chimurenga Chemhuka. 

 

 

Batsirai Chigama reviews Shamhu yeZera Renyu!

 

The fiery Zimbabwean poet, Batsira Chigama, has given us the latest review of Shamhu yeZera Renyu on her blog. Full Review Now Available on: https://www.batsiraichigama.com/2024/08/shamhu-yezera-renyu/ KURIMWA NEBADZA REPFUNGWA mubhuku raMemory Chirere, SHAMHU YEZERA RENYU - Batsirai Chigama

+NB We hope to give you a translation of this review soon.

Zim Writer, Andrew Chatora lauded in Uganda

A Book Review by Philip Matogo

Title: Inside Harare Alcatraz and Other Short Stories

Author: Andrew Chatora

Published: 2024

Available: support@kharispublishing.com/www.kharispublishing.com

Price: 50,000 UGX

Pages: 188

 

Ugandan author, book critic and poet, Philip Matogo interrogates and lauds Andrew Chatora’s debut short story collection for bringing to the fore aspects of contemporary Zimbabwe that are typical of African conditions and the Diaspora, also indicating that the stories encompass the Sophoclean tragedy.

In the main story, of this debut collection by Andrew Chatora, a man with multiple identities goes to prison… (I know that you thought he would go to a mental home with such a disorder). However, his is no ordinary disorder or condition. Going to prison in order to spy on prisoners is actually his profession!

The man is a political spy, a spook as some would say. He is sent to prison for what in his line of work is called Wetwork, a euphemism for murder or assassination that alludes to spilling blood.

So, he is secreted into Harare Alcatraz Maximum Security Prison by the security police of Zimbabwe to eliminate political dissidents, Jacob and Hopewell. But then, the two men that he is supposed to eliminate reveal their impeccable humanity to him and things get hazier than any shade of colourful criminality.

Jacob and Hopewell are well known fighters for democracy in Zimbabwe who have been in and out of prison and this story uses real living characters in a work of total imagination, something that Ignatius Mabasa, the other key Zimbabwean author, is known to do. When fiction and fact come together, the spark becomes huge, covering both its source and the starter.

“You see, Chipendani, we are prisoners of conscience here at Harare Alcatraz; our desire is not for us to benefit personally, but for posterity, our children, their children and future generations to come,” Jacob tells the would-be killer.

The two men’s sincerity gets to Chipendani. His soul spins. He reaches the proverbial Damascene moment.

Instead of killing the two men, their would-be killer is gradually and convincingly converted to their cause. This, as you might imagine, does not end well for him.

Several other stories animate the pages of this well-written book whose diction and turn of phrase will amaze and amuse anyone who reads it. These stories by Andrew Chatora are in keeping with Jarrell Randall’s view of the type of stories in-which-everything-happen and is so charged that the narrative threatens to disintegrate into energy!

In the succeeding story, “Black Britain”, the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement is articulated in a storyline that will keep readers glued to each page.

As some readers might be aware, BLM activists seek to draw attention to the racism which leads to the criminal mistreatment of black people. This movement has met with support and, predictably, virulent opposition.

“Race relations opinions are always sharply polarized in contemporary Britain and framed within binary opposites of ‘us versus them’, and ‘whites versus non-whites’. Thus, it was common to be targeted with a barrage of vitriolic and disparaging insults and posts for advocating for racial equality and a fair and just society,” says the protagonist Anesu, after the police, again predictably, pull over the family car. As an essay short story, this piece necessitates a delicate balance between storytelling finesse and analytical prowess, making this book a must read in the BLM movement.

In the story “A Snap Decision”, a mother of easy virtue ends up with a cavalcade of men. Some of whom deflower and sexually abuse her daughter.

A gruesome murder occurs, and the hapless child is given a 12-year custodial sentence. In between the sexual trauma of her existence, she mercifully and rather fittingly finds love.

In Uganda, we have Kafundas. You know, the tumbledown drinking establishments famed for their affordability and accessibility.

In South Africa and Zimbabwe, there are Shebeens. These are informal and unlicensed drinking places in the townships and mining compounds. But because these places stray away from the ambit of the law, some of the most despicable things happen in there and these spaces have been areas of interest for many writers who seek to search for hidden social truths.

“Estelle, the Shebeen Queen and other Dangamvura Vignettes” captures the heartlessness and soullessness in these establishments, particularly in Mutare, Zimbabwe where the story is set.

The men who frequent them are left riddled with disease and debt as the opportunistic women who have the run of these drinking joints ensnare them in proverbial honey traps. They hobble back into open society laden with stories which they may not be able to narrate.

Supported and promoted by cunning members of the ruling party of Zimbabwe, these joints make the poor poorer as they fritter away their pennies to purchase the charms of Mai Kere, MaSibanda and other floozies.

These women are nothing but enchantresses. They are in the mould of the Latin succubus or female-looking demons or supernatural entities in folklore who appear in dreams to seduce men, usually through sexual activity. It is said that a succubus needs semen to survive. Repeated sexual activity with a succubus will result in a bond being formed between the succubus and the person. A succubus will drain or harm the man with whom she is having intercourse. Andrew Chatora’s stories will surely titillate Ugandan and other African readers. These stories overflow beyond Zimbabwe.

However, what you have in these stories is more than a dream. It is a veritable nightmare.

Later, in another story “Smoke and Mirrors”, a man living abroad has to support two families in a clandestine bigamous relationship. He is unable to do so. This leads to a number of untoward consequences.

On the whole, the 11 short stories in this book represent what looks like a typical Sophoclean Tragedy.

The characters are often portrayed as noble figures brought down by a single tragic flaw or ‘hamartia.’ This line of storytelling raises several moral questions, with few easy answers. Andrew Chatora joins a list of key short story writers from his country, the best of whom are Charles Mungoshi, Doris Lessing and Dambudzo Marechera. Their country has once been described as “a short story country” because nearly every Zimbabwean who has become prominent today started with short stories or has a short story collection somewhere along the way.

* This review first appeared in The Daily Monitor, a Ugandan independent daily newspaper. The reviewer, Philip Matogo is a newspaper columnist, book critic and poet. He has published two books, Fabric of Grey and Whispers in the Sky, and has contributed to numerous international poetry anthologies. He lives in Kampala, Uganda.

 

 

 

 

 

Talking to Rutendo Shadaya: the teen author

+ (pic: Rutendo Shadaya with her two books at South Waikato Library, New Zealand)

Today I interview an amazing author, Rutendo Shadaya. Born in 2008, Rutendo is a teen New Zealand/Zimbabwean author. Her writing journey began at the incredible age of nine! At that very tender age, she decided to write a book as a birthday present for her best friend, Sophie Thompson. "My writing journey started because I needed a birthday present for my friend, and I thought, 'She likes reading, I am going to write her a book," Rutendo says.

This is how Rutendo came to write Rachel and the Enchanted Forest, which was published in October 2020 when she was 12, effectively making her a child-writer.

This moving novel is about Rachel, Darling and May who find a magical forest called The Enchanted Forest. Rachel discovers that her grandma knows about the forest and that she was one of the founders of the Enchanted Forest. Rachel, May and Darling meet various elves in the forest. One of the elves gave Rachel the necklace that belonged to her grandma. However, another elf was not happy to see Rachel with the necklace. The elf planned to steal the necklace during the hoverboard race. This book explains how the elves helped Rachel get the necklace back.

Rutendo’s second book, which appeared a couple of years later, in July 2022, is called Rachel and The Chevene Pirates. In this longer novel, Rachel and the enchanted Gang go on a mission to recover stolen jewels. On the mission, they face the dangerous Chevene pirates.

+Rutendo Shadaya's two books are available through Amazon.

Rutendo Shadaya says that she enjoys watching and playing tennis, netball, and soccer. In her free time, Rutendo reads books, listens to music and hangs out with friends.

 

Rutendo Shadaya’s parents migrated from Zimbabwe.

 

THE INTERVIEW:

Memory Chirere: You say that what inspired your first book, when you were 9, was the need to find a present for your friend, Sophie Thompson. Who is Sophie Thompson and where is she right now?

 

Rutendo Shadaya: Sophie Thompson is my best friend. We have been good friends for over 10 years. We live in the same town in New Zealand. Sophie has been the one friend, whom I can rely on during difficult times of my life.

 

Memory Chirere:  You were only 9 when you wrote your first book…

 

Rutendo Shadaya: I am considerate when buying birthday presents for close friends. When it came to Sophie’s birthday, I knew she and her friends had this book club. It was a club where they would share stories that they had written over the past week. Sophie was also a massive bookworm at the time, and I thought; “Why not surprise Sophie with a book written by me”. I didn’t like writing at the time because it was one of my weaker subjects. But that didn’t stop me, and it pushed me further to complete it.

 

Memory Chirere: What are the challenges and joys of writing a book when you are nine?

 

Rutendo Shadaya: I didn’t struggle. I didn’t fight much with the writing process, as my brain kept on flowing… with ideas of inspiration. My creativity and determination kept me going with writing. It is a hobby. I spend time writing whenever I am free. One thing, which was a bit difficult, was probably coming up with made-up names of the characters because when readers see them they have to stick in their heads, not something forgettable.

 

Memory Chirere: Why are you keen on tales of adventure?

 

Rutendo Shadaya: I like to write something that I could also love to read. Adventure and fantasy books are my favourite type of books to read. I love the thrill and roller-coaster of such stories.

 

Memory Chirere: What specific titles were you reading at the time and how are they related to your first book?

 

Rutendo Shadaya: Back then, I was reading books like The Land of Stories, David Walliams and Thea Stilon books. These books explore the genres of fantasy and adventure, and I adapt the genres into my book.

Memory Chirere: You have had your childhood in New Zealand. Can you describe your childhood in greater detail?

 

Rutendo Shadaya: My childhood has been great, but I have struggled a bit when it comes to making friends. There weren’t many Africans where I lived, or attended school, so the small community were like the only community representing us Africans in the town, my family lived. There was obviously racism expressed towards me, and my brother which sucks and is something terrible to encounter for anyone. Apart from that, New Zealand offers many opportunities which I am grateful for. Living in a country so advanced for its size is such a privilege. The people here can see the potential in you and help you reach your goals. These people and friends have helped me achieve many milestones at this young age.

 

Memory Chirere: Have you ever had the opportunity to listen to our own African/Shona folk tales or read them?

 

Rutendo Shadaya: No, not really. I haven’t had the opportunity to read Shona folk tales but I would love to do some time.

 

Memory Chirere: I know that you often visit Zimbabwe with your parents. Can you comment particularly about your experience of life, people and places in Zimbabwe, if put against your experiences in New Zealand.

 

Rutendo Shadaya: Last December (2023), my family and I visited Zimbabwe. It was the first time in 10 years since me and my brother last visited. The cost of travelling is quite expensive, especially during December. I didn’t struggle much with cultural norms because my family often meets up with fellow Zimbabwe families or communities here in New Zealand. Communicating, was a little bit difficult when visiting Kumusha, as my Shona isn’t the best. When it comes to Shona, I can speak basic conversations and greetings at best, but I can understand mostly everything. Apart from economic differences, I don’t think Zimbabwe and New Zealand are much different. The people in both New Zealand and Zimbabwe are generally family oriented. Seeing Victoria Falls, Chinhoyi Caves and Kumusha’s scenery were my highlights of the beauty of Zimbabwe.

 

Memory Chirere: Your first book, Rachel and the Enchanted Forest, is about elves. An elf is a spirit of any kind, creature, usually in tiny human form. The notable characteristics of elves were mischief and volatility. They were believed at various times and in various regions to cause diseases in humans and cattle. Any special reason why you often write about elves?

 

Rutendo Shadaya: The idea, of elves, came during a TV show I was watching while writing the first book. I wanted the people that Rachel met, to be magical creatures. When thinking of creatures, elves were the first thing I thought of. My understanding and thoughts about elves were more of the fantasy magical concept and not much of the historical concept.

 

Memory Chirere: How close is this book to what you wanted say?

 

Rutendo Shadaya: This book, was pretty close to what I had in the first draft. The plot and premise remained the same. There has obviously, been a lot of trimming and editing done to make sure it is perfect and readable. The parts, I enjoyed and found easier to write were action chapters because I have visualized and imagined characters in the moment. The ending was also simple to write as when starting to write up the book, I’ve always had an idea of an ending. The challenging parts were writing the beginning like Chapter 1 because that’s the section where you need to hook readers in, especially new readers.

 

Memory Chirere: You work with the character Rachel in the two books. How close is Rachel to Rutendo Shadaya, the writer herself?

 

Rutendo Shadaya: Rachel and I have similar characteristics but I would say we are quite different. For example, I have only ridden a horse twice in my life, and for Rachel, that’s her passion. Rachel is more ambitious and into nature than me. Some things are similar like we are both the eldest child in the family and are keen to try something new. Overall, I would say, Rachel has some aspects of my personality but is quite different to me.

 

 

Memory Chirere: This is a self-published book. How are you doing for the sales and marketing?

 

Rutendo Shadaya: Sales and Marketing has always been a struggle with my journey of self-publishing. I believe that I have done an excellent job, with marketing and sales as self-publishing is tough because most authors don’t make a profit. Marketing is all to do with putting yourself out there and I have excelled in that area. Sales is a tricky area as a lot of research needs to be done to ensure sales. With the help of some courses and advice, I have adapted those skills in my day-to-day life. But, since I have now entered my senior years of high school in New Zealand, it has been extremely difficult to strike a balance. To address this challenge, I am trying to branch my writing out onto different platforms to help grow my audience. Hopefully, I will have a routine or schedule to balance school.

 

Memory Chirere: In the second novel, which is about Rachel and the Pirates, one finds girls being trained by grandmothers on the art of magic. May you say more about your excitement with magic and adventure?

 

Rutendo Shadaya: Like I stated earlier, I was a bookworm and loved reading fantasy books. Magic is a common thing featured in fantasy books, and I always wished I had some magical powers. Imagine, if you could fly? That would be instantly another way of transport. The thoughts of magical powers have always fascinated my mind.

 

Memory Chirere: You often write about the forest. What does the forest stand for in your mind?

 

Rutendo Shadaya: New Zealand, has a lot of forests and bushes all over the country. Living in a country full of forestry may have sparked an idea of the setting being in a forest. A forest stands for a place full of trees, bushes, flowers and all types of animals and it’s a beauty once you explore the forest. Those are my thoughts and personal definition of the forest.

 

Memory Chirere: You write about girls and grandmothers confronting the forests and pirates. What is your view of women in a world that is becoming more and more dangerous?

 

Rutendo Shadaya: I believe that women are such strong beings and are capable of doing many things. I know in some areas of the world, that traditional gender roles are still dominant but I feel like those areas need to give young girls a chance because they are very capable of achieving the same things as boys. Girls deserve an education too and, sadly the poor circumstances are limiting them. I hope I could somewhat inspire girls who are living tough conditions, with my story and books.

 

Memory Chirere: How do you budget your time between your schoolwork and writing?

 

Rutendo Shadaya: I write usually on the weekends or the holidays because that’s when I have spare time. If my schoolwork isn’t packed, I tend to write some stories or poems over the school week. Currently, I am trying out new routines to strike the perfect balance.

 

Memory Chirere: How do your parents and sibling relate with you and your work?

 

Rutendo Shadaya: My parents and brother are not much of readers nor writers, however they support my work and love to see my writing progress.

 

Memory Chirere: Any words of advice to young writers like you?

 

Rutendo Shadaya: “Never let age or your background define you”. Take my quote to heart, when I say this because no matter where you come from anything is possible if you put your mind to it. I live in a small town, and people viewed my goal as impossible but I proved them wrong because I didn’t like my age or background to define me. When you ever thinking about giving up on a piece of writing just remember and imagine yourself with the end product. Like, imagine seeing your piece in a magazine or your own book.  

 

Memory Chirere: What are your future plans in writing?

 

Rutendo Shadaya: Firstly, I want to complete this series of Rachel. I am currently in the works on the third book and it will be released in November. I hope to complete the series before I turn 21. After the series, I would take a bit of a hiatus because I will be at university. At some point I hope, to have the opportunity to try out traditional publishing.

Memory Chirere: Thank you, Rutendo. Wishing you all the best with your writing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ericah Gwetai returns with intriguing stories about love and war

 

Title: is this Love?

Author: Ericah Gwetai

Published: 2022, (revised edition; 2023) in Mutare, Zimbabwe

Isbn: 978-1-77932-275-4

Ean: 9781779312754

103 pages

 

(Book review by Memory Chirere)

It is very easy to become absorbed in Ericah Gwetai’s collection of eleven short-short stories called is this Love? Gwetai creates effortless and memorable ‘situations’ for her new stories.

She uses a very simple language. As you read, you may forget that you are dealing with a book. It is as if you are listening to stories being told gradually by the fireside by a cunning old woman. The author becomes a familiar storyteller from next door. For me, Gwetai’s style comes very close to Barbra Kimenye’s, especially the stories in Kalasanda and Kalasanda Revisited.

Just picture this situation: A man is dancing gracefully with his wife, Nyasha, on the dance floor at a birthday party. It is a great day. Then his wife’s earring falls. Another man dancing nearby picks it and gives it back to her. As they are dancing like that, suddenly her husband bites her on the ear and red blood splashes all over her blouse and onto the floor! There is commotion. Part of her ear is gone! Just like that.

People want to know why the husband has done this and he claims that he had been sexually aroused and was whispering something romantic into Nyasha’s ear when he accidentally bit off part of her ear.

But when they eventually get back home, he confesses to her that it was not an accident. He says, “That man who picked up your earring has a perfect physique. I saw you staring at him, and you were winking at each other. You deserve the punishment.”

They are invited yet to another party and as they are leaving for the party, the husband tells his wife, “You are dressed to kill,” and she thanks him. After the party, on their way home, he says to her, “When we stopped at the shops to buy some drinks, I saw you waving at a man who was leaning against a pillar…He smiled, and you smiled back.” All of a sudden, the husband pushes his wife out of the moving car…and what she decides to do afterwards is the least expected thing...

Gwetai’s situations leave you stuck and wanting to pursue the story further. In one story, after a traffic accident, a baby clings to a traffic policewoman with all its strength and totally refuses to be handed over to its mother who has now recuperated. The crowd is shocked. Ironically, the mother is already busy toying with her cellular phone!

Gwetai’s women in these stories are usually very well dressed and daring too. In one of these stories, a young woman almost harms herself because her parents are prohibiting her from marrying a polygamous man and become wife number eleven! She vows never to get married to any other man. Eventually she marries the beloved polygamous man after staying single for three full years. Netsai just loves her polygamist! You rush through the story with a sense of trepidation. Why does she want to be wife number eleven? Why? The story opens wider and wider like a wildflower.

Ericah Gwetai, who is the late writer Yvonne Vera’s mother, is an intriguing story herself. The cover of this colourful book is from her personal photograph from way back in 1973. Ericah is standing in the sun near a shrub. She is holding her chin, smiling, gawking at a young Lambert Gwetai, the man who eventually marries her. Lambert is holding a straw hat, rather delicately, maybe turning it round and round, probably saying something romantic to Ericah. They are standing on what looks like a well-trodden village path. Ericah is dressed to kill. Presumably they are newly in love. Ericah said to me, “We were both teaching at the same school called Kapane. It is in Tsholotsho district. We were excited that we were getting married that year and we did.” Ericah also appears with Lambert on the cover of her other book, Where Were You?

Ericah Gwetai has written a very enlightening biography on Yvonne Vera. It is called ‘Petal thoughts: Yvonne Vera: A Biography.’ It was published in 2008.  Imagine that you are a world-renowned writer from Africa and after your death; your mother does not only publish her own creative books but goes on to write your biography! That could be a first in African literature! Four years later in 2012, Ericah Gwetai published her own novel called Embracing the Cactus.

However, readers must be warned that although Ericah Gwetai is mother to the late great writer, Yvonne Vera, she is her own woman. Here you do not find Yvonne’s intense prose poetry but a deeper and more amazing understanding of African cultural intricacies, rendered in a far simpler and unaffected prose. Her very unpredictable plots constitute the Ericah Gwetai signature. Her other books are More Than a woman and The Other Side.