mbizo poet heads for East Africa 2011

Mbizo Chirasha Heads for Kenya

Wednesday, 10 November 2010 06:30

Local poet, Mbizo Chirasha, a.k.a The Black Poet will once again represent Zimbabwe poetically when he performs at the Drums Café for Peace Festival to be held in Kenya from December 12-14 this year. This is not the first time that Chirasha has been invited to take part at highly honoured events. He was poet-in-residence at the International Conference of African Development in November 2009 in Accra, Ghana where he says he was the only person titled “Mr.” as all the other participants were either “Prof” or “Dr.” ^ Mbizo Chirasha 'The Black Poet' performs at HIFA 2009. “It is always an honour to be given such a high profile opportunity to perform in the motherland (Africa),” said Chirasha who traces his literary beginnings to the now defunct Midlands Budding Writers Association. The poet with a roaring voice was also one of the founders of the short-lived Writers’ Caravan. “I am working on another book called I am a Revolution having had seen the success of the first one,” he said. Asked what his vision is, Chirasha said he wished to be “the best tomato on the market” and vowed to mentor aspiring artists in the future. However, he was quick to bemoan the status of the arts in the country, saying the sector is being neglected and left only to a very few outgoing people. “Poetry is a medium, a form of rehearsing the future. It is not as comic as many people, including artists, are taking it to be. It is a class of its own,” said Chirasha. The Zvishavane-born poet also pointed out that government needed to set up an independent Ministry of Arts and Culture which will be directly responsible for all arts and culture matters unlike now where art is incorporated with education and sport. Mbizo’s visit to Kenya will boost his 2010-2011 plans to “brand” his name. Chirasha has shared the stage with the veteran local poet Chirikure Chirikure, Jamaican dub poet Mutabaruka, and others of his generation such as Ishkold, Linda Gabriel, Tinashe Muchuri, and Nqobile Malinga. He performs at major arts and culture functions in the country and has recently collaborated with an Indian-born New York based poet, Sweta Vikram, to publish a book called “Whispering Woes Zambezi and Ghanjees.” - Trevor Makonyonga for The Zimbo Jam