Top poet takes out sjambok
THIS week, we carry the final part of an exclusive interview between
(MM) and seasoned poet
(MC). The two met following the publication of Chirere’s latest collection of Shona poems “Shamhu yeZera Renyu”, which was unveiled in June this year by Carnelian Heart Publishing, United Kingdom (UK). In this instalment, Chirere explains some of the poems in his latest publication, why he published a Shona book in the UK and shares his views on politics. Read on . . .
*********
MM: Poems like “Baba vaTino” and “Kungoenda” appear to tell long and winding stories. What influences the wondering spirit and the quests in some of these poems? MC:
by the folk tale. Something like: This is the man who chased the dog that chased the cat that chased the mouse thing . . . I am looking for human experience in the continuum. To journey is to look for certain new truths beyond your village.
MM: On the blurb, Hope Masike talks about the plain and simple voices that you use in “Shamhu yeZera Renyu”, more like her mbira instrument — the nyunganyunga mbira. Is it conscious on your part to write that way? MC:
I understand what Masike is saying. I try to write a kind of poem that strives to relate to life issues without using contrived language, the use of idioms, proverbs and the like. I use the simplest of words in the hope that, if one reads for the first time, then the second time, one would say, this looks simple but there appears to be something of value hidden here.
MM: So, do you have a particular formula for writing? MC:
I am a minimalist. I can feel very intensely overwhelmed by an idea that I lose sleep. My mind starts to revolve around a single image, specific words, a single location. The best form in which to capture all that is the poem. I want to turn around the everyday words, harping on their ambiguity and subterranean meanings.
MM: I notice other prominent Zimbabwean artistes were involved in this project; Ignatius Mabasa did the beautiful introduction, Tinashe Muchuri edited this book and Rumbidzai Vazhure published it in the United Kingdom. What do these artistes bring to your work? MC:
I have not only worked with those three. I have also been involved with Batsirai Chigama and Hope Masike as they charted their individual poetic paths. I have lots of respect for them. I work with Andrew Chatora, the novelist. I have worked with (Chirikure) Chirikure ever since I was a boy and he was the first to think that I ought to be published. I worked with both the late David and Charles Mungoshi, and many others. From every artiste you rub shoulders with, you come away with many useful lessons about the craft.
MM: (p86) In this piece, there is this wish to return. What is the inspiration? MC:
That poem is about agency and social responsibility; the experience of loving and being loved in return. You are writing about all these emotions without having to name them directly.
MM: What kind of responses are you anticipating from the reading public with this book? MC:
I am apprehensive. I would not know for certain. I want this book to succeed with the readers. I will be happy if this book causes the reader to want to relook at all the things that they take for granted; a shoe rack laden with old and newer shoes, a man carrying a goat on his shoulders down the township road et cetera. I am giving “Shamhu yeZera Renyu” to the reader as a gift from deep inside of me. These are the journeys that I have travelled and wish to share with others.
MM: Some people will ask: Why take a whole Shona book to the United Kingdom for publishing? MC:
Many Shona readers with the means to buy books are now domiciled all over the world. A blessing! I was looking for a publisher with brand-new vigour. Carnelian Heart Publishing in the UK has probably produced the biggest number of new books by Zimbabweans in the past 13 months.
MM: You also write in English. How do you know which language to use at any particular time? MC:
I have always written in Shona and English. The Shona language is more immediate to me. I am discovering that I could transfuse into Shona poetry styles and methods from poetry from other languages and traditions. It can be a very enriching experience.
MM: There is a dichotomy between writing within Zimbabwe and writing outside Zimbabwe. You have always been writing from within Zimbabwe. MC:
I have never known how it feels to write far away from Zimbabwe. But I do not think that I have any advantage writing from within Zimbabwe.
MM: Ngugi says every author is a writer in politics. Are you political? It is usually very difficult for people, especially writers, to avoid the political and economic issues affecting their countries or communities. We have seen this with the famous Chinua Achebe, Ngugi wa Thiongo, Ayi Kwei Armah, among others. How has this influenced your writing? MC:
Politicians are relentless. They continue with their trade. It is their calling. Writers should be relentless, too, and write what they like. All writing is political but sometimes the readers fail to see the writer’s politics! Or, the readers impose their own politics onto a piece of writing.
MM: What, in your opinion, is the future of Zimbabwean creative writing given the scourge of piracy that has become so rampant in the country? MC:
I think the heavy piracy that we are witnessing is a product of the economic hardships we are going through. Books do not do well when the reading class has no money to buy books. We need to continue writing so that when the good days return, there will be stocks to fall back on.