By Takura Zhangazha*
Last week the inaugural ‘The Write Affair’ discussion forum was
held in Harare at the Zimbabwe German Society.
The topic for discussion, the State of Writing in Zimbabwe, was ably
handled by the discussion panel that included renowned Zimbabwean poet Chirikure
Chirikure, novelists Virginia Phiri and Robert Mukondiwa, new media
editor/journalist Stephanie Kapfunde and journalist Percy Zvomuya. The audience was comprised largely of young
creative artists (writers, musicians, poets, visual artists, playwrights, new
media writers).
In the discussions that ensued it was apparent that the state
of writing in the country was not where the majority of participants wanted it
to be. Of the many issues that emerged
from the discussion, I flagged out at least four that are key to addressing the
discouraging state of writing and cultural intellectualism in the country.
The first was the reference made to the lack of a reading
culture in the country. Not that people
are not reading to pass examinations. More in the context of what one panelist
questioned anecdotally as how can we expect new better writing if you have
potential/new writers who do not read? This was backed up by another colleague
who insisted that writing also requires research and hard work.
References were
also made to the post independence years where not only the mainstream media
but also schools and state sponsored cultural institutions insisted on a
culture of reading beyond the syllabus and thus contributed in varying ways to
new literary and artistic perspectives on our society.
The second aspect that I found to be key was the relation
between writers and the publishing industry. Or put in another way, writing and
livelihoods/profit. In this, it was apparent that the publishing industry is
not only diminished but functioning under difficult circumstances. The writers
also do not trust the industry and have embarked on a strategy of
self-publishing their own work. Both in
order to avoid censorship or to also seek recognition by publishers outside of
the country who may be more professional.
The third aspect that was inevitably going to emerge was the
discussion on the relationship between the internet/new media and literature. The
one view was that the arrival of the internet was a good thing for writing in
Zimbabwe. The other was that there is a
difference between what appears on social media/internet and literature. Suffice
to say, there is an ongoing interaction between traditional literature and
emerging forms of expression. Though a
tweet or Facebook post is definitely not a book and vice versa. More importantly was the unanswered question
of whether in both cases, the medium may eventually affect the message, form
and meaning of writing.
A fourth reflection point was the issue of writing in its
generic creative form. That is writing
that goes beyond literature in the form of song-writing and script writing or
even painting. This was the element of
the holistic cultural dimension of writing and its importance to Zimbabwe’s
variegated but collective creative imagination. It is a dimension that is often
overlooked but literature has always been linked to other spheres of the creative
arts such as songs, traditional music, dancehall music, film, radio and
television.
This symbiotic link should be
re-examined and where possible re-established within a democratic framework that
is fair to all in the creative industry.
A final emerging issue from the discussion was the need for
cross generational exchange of writing knowledge and experience between older
and younger/emerging writers and creative artists. This salient point remains a
cornerstone to continuing with the diverse tradition of Zimbabwean writing and
creativity that transcended not only politics, but also language and genres.
In all of these key issues, what also emerged was the issue
of the way forward for writing in Zimbabwe.
The easier recommendation was that there be more meetings to discuss
various issues affecting the writing element of the creative arts
industry. The harder recommendation was
on the need to structure the way forward around actions that also link up with
other stakeholders in order to restore the dignity, pride, belief and hope to Zimbabwean
literature and cultural intellectualism.
While the urgency of the latter cannot be disputed, it will
always emerge from concerted but free discussions by writers in literature and
other cultural spheres of our society.
*Takura Zhangazha writes here in his personal capacity (takura-zhangazha.blogspot.com)
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