Book festival opens avenues for writers
LocaL writers have long sought for spaces where they can celebrate their creativity and original ideas while also reflecting on the themes that lie at the core of their works, but this has been long in coming.
If the inaugural Harare open Book Festival held in Harare last Saturday is anything to go by, then the possibility of generating momentum that will assist in developing consistent literary-themed activities in the Zimbabwean book industry is not far.
The vibrant book programme themed “United Through our Stories”, was organised by Book Fantastics, a local online and mobile bookshop that partnered with Harare Book club as well as local writers like Shangaan poet Joseph Matose the author of Grave Park Poesy, Daniel Mutendi and Ngoni Patony Musendo to mention but a few.
The event was an interaction point where readers, writers, publishers, booksellers, critics and reviewers had an opportunity to mix and mingle and hear authors read from their own works while discussing various elements of writing, publishing and reading.
organisers of the event told IndependentXtra that the book festival is a platform meant to bring readers, reviewers and publishers on the same space.
“It makes our work a little bit exciting seeing people who are passionate about what we are doing.” I like the synergies that we are creating,” said Brain Garusa of Book Fantastics.
The speakers scheduled for the plenary sessions covered a wide range of topics, including the value of storytelling, book reviewing, publishing and the need to foster a translation culture within the local literary scene.
Some of the issues discussed during the festival touched on a variety of publishing issues, including difficulties that poets, in particular, face when trying to get their works published. Some of these difficulties, they claim, have inspired them to launch their own publishing endeavours, such as publishing houses and online journals, as a means of encouraging poets going through similar experiences.
author and academic Dr Ignatius Mabasa, who also participated in the festival, said he started telling stories before he enrolled in school, emphasised the significance of bringing stories to the global village as proven by his storytelling prowess which has permeated social media, where his contemporary tales about "Gudo and Tsuro" have gained popularity.
Some of the notable names at the book festival include Tsitsi Ngwenya, author of Inyawo Zayizolo, poet and translator Tinashe Muchuri, co-founder of Zimbabwe Poets Society Batsirai chigama and author and literary critic Memory chirere.
also present was author and publisher, Samantha Vazhure, founder of carnelian Heart publishing, a local publishing house based in the United Kingdom, and Tariro
Ndoro, author
Like a Foreigner.
avid book reader and reviewer Selina Zigomo, marketer and author of Chances,
audrey chirenje, Rutendo chichaya, Nyasha chiyanike, writer and editor, Panashe Nyagwambo, as well as author of Mhere yeZevezeve, Pauline Mukondiwa, were some of the attendees who graced the event.
Tsitsi Ngwenya, who read passages from her books Zala Abantu Ziyebantwini and Portrait of Emlanjeni, said that while book sales are currently low and most authors prefer to keep their works at home, “such platforms help with the promotion of books and get authors to the audience”. of
Agringada:
Like a Gringa,
Memory chirere, who delivered an excerpt from a short story titled Mandiziva from his collection of short stories titled Tudikidiki (2007), said: “When we meet at events like these, we are not only at a marketplace, but also get the opportunity to deliberate and analyse our literature for the purposes of improving it.
“Gatherings of this nature are important in that they create an intersection where emerging writers get to meet with seasoned authors to discuss ideas and perspectives with one another.”
The event will likely occur annually, with smaller activities feeding into the main annual event, the organisers said.