Monday, November 28, 2011

Mbizotheblackpoet Resume

Mbizo Chirasha born in Zvishavane district [1978] ,is aninternationally acclaimed performance poet, writer, and creativeprojects facilitator and live literature producer. He was thepoet-in-residence: from 2001-2004 for the Iranian embassy/UN dialogueamong civilizations project; the United Nations Information Center -2001-2008; In 2003 Mbizo was the New Generation Poetry Delegate at TheGothenburg International Book Fair, Nordic African Institute WritersSeminar, Swedish Writers Union reading night in Sweden. He was anartist in resident in the Atelier Alexandra Art School in Egypt 2006.He was the Convener/Event Consultant THIS IS AFRICA POETRY NIGHT 2004- 2006; official performance poet Zimbabwe International Travel Expoin 2007, He is a regular guest performing poet at the Zimbabweinternational Book Fair, Harare International festival of the Arts,Zimbabwe German Society various programs.He was the poet in residence at the international conference ofAfrican culture and development/ ICACD Ghana November 2009; andofficial Poet SADC Poetry Festival, NAMIBIA September 2009. A delegateto the UNESCO photo novel writing project in Tanzania, Mbizo is theOfficial poet in residence for the ISOLA/ international conference oforal literature 2010 in Kenya. In 2010 Mbizo participated as a guestperformance poet at the Harare International Protest Arts Festival,Ukhubambana Youth for Peace Festival, Patsimeredu Buddyz Festival. Thepoet was instrumental in the celebration of the Black History Monthfor February 2011 organized by the Zimbabwe Poets for Human Rights andthe United State Embassy Harare's Public Affairs Department. Mbizo wasthe guest poet of 2011 hosted by the US Embassy ,Harare on theinternational poetry day , He has curated and founded a number ofpoetry projects including, This is Africa Poetry Night2004-2006,African drums poetry festival-2007,The Young writers caravanproject 2003-2004,Young poetry conference -2006,Cross fertilization/poetry/visual arts project in collaboration with Zimbabwe Germansociety-2007He is widely published in more than thirty-five journals, magazines,and anthologies around the world in countries including Canada,Germany, Finland, South Africa, United kingdom, Ghana, Turkey,Grenada, India, United States, Norway, Zimbabwe among others.HeCo-Authored a poetry book with Sweta Vikram an indian born , newyorkbased author /poet[WHISPERING WOES OF GANGES AND ZAMBEZI],mbizopublished in more than 45 journals and anthologies ,websites andezines around the world.My book ,Good Morning president/ 2011 byDiaspora publishers in UK


Poetry Contributions by Mbizo Chirasha AKA BlackPoet to variouspublications around the world

South Africa / -Consciousness Magazine, Sibali Journal
Canada / -Ditch journal, Red fez entertainment journal, Paragon Press[Memorial University Creative Writing in Alberta2009] , Sun and SnowAnthology[Africa /Canada collaboration literary effort] , Wordgathering Journal.
United States /-Aids out Africa journal [2004 all Africa HIV/AIDS anti-stigma PoetryContest, Poem2day Critical Review, Velvet Illusion journal,Poetry.Com, Phathood Literary Magazine, Psychic Literature Review,Full of Crow journal, African Writer.Com Journal, World PoetryMovement Contest [2011,pending] , Cultural studies journal 2007
.Senegal- A Collection of Poems Radio Africa/ 2008
United Kingdom /- Forward Press Journals and Anthologies [2009-2011],Mazwi journal [2009]Wales /- Kushinda Arts Journal [2010]
Haiti/Great Britain/- Poems Lime Jewel [Haiti Disaster Solidarityfundraising poetry/stories in Anthology 2010]
Finland/- Collection of Poems in the Ovi Magazine [2007-2011]
India/- Poems in Posy of Poesy Anthology2009, Poets Paradise Anthology 2010 [Collections ofWorld Poetry in English/English Dept/JKC College in Guntur], - Whispering Woes of Ganges and Zambezi [Co-authored Poetryanthology by Mbizo Chirasha /Zimbabwe and New York Based Indian bornSweta Vikram/ a Cyber wit Press Publication August 2011]
Turkey /– BH, Samat Icsrilankastargate Journal April 2010Ghana/ - Poems in Volumes of One Ghana One Voice, Poem in ICACDJournal [Poet in Residence 2009]Norway /
– Poems SAIH Website [Norwegian student journal, 2002]
Germany /- Poems in Lyrik-line, Poems in Whispers of the ContinentAnthology for 2012
Zimbabwe /- United States Public Affairs Section Website 2011 [Poemsfor US Ambassador Charles Ray New Generation Poets/Black History MonthCelebration ] , Daily News in Zimbabwe Poetry Column[ April-July 2011], The Mail Newspaper [Africa Day Poetry Special 2011], United NationsInformation Centre Bulletins[2001-2008], Iranian Embassy magazines[2001 -2005] Poetry Bulawayo Journal,Budding Writers Association/Writer Scroll journal[2002-2003], NCAConstitution Journal [2004-2007] , Africa Poetry Chat room blog[2007-2011] ,MbizotheBlackPoet blog [2011], Poetry for Somalia blog,Collection of Mbizo Chirasha Face Book Notes[2009-cont], Motomagazine[ gweru 1997-98]

For more information about - Mbizo Chirasha, Profiles, Achievements,Programs, Festivals, Readings, News Interviews, Artists in residenceprograms and other published worksGoogle using -Mbizo Chirasha or the Black PoetFace booking - Mbizo ChirashaNavigate Mbizo Chirasha on the following Web Blogs,www.mbizotheblackpoet.blogspot.comwww.poetrychatroom.blogspot.comwww.girlchildcreativity.blogspot.comwww.poetryforsomalia.blogspot.comEmail Mbizo Chirasha on the following emails,africapoetrychatroom@gmail.commbizoc@yahoo.co.ukmbizotheblackpoet@gmail.comCall Mbizo Chirasha on the following number/ +263 734 33230

Wednesday, June 22, 2011


Opening up Creative Spaces for the Girl Child
Culture - Inside Art
Monday, 13 June 2011 10:50
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A new organisation focusing on nurturing creative talent in girl children has been launched. Named Girl Child Creativity, the group will focus on spotting and developing artistic ability in girls between the ages of 12 and 19 from all over Zimbabwe.
Co-ordinated by poet Mbizo Chirasha, the Girl Child Creativity and Motivational project is aimed at reducing female under-representation in the literary arts, creative writing poetry and performance arts.
^ Mbizo Chirasha addresses guests at the Girl Child Creativity launch. To the left is US Embassy spokesperson, Sharon Hudson-Dean.
Speaking at the launch held in Harare this week, the opulently vocal Chirasha said, “We want to teach the girls how to find opportunities with their talents and develop them. We want to avoid the syndrome in the country currently where people want to fly yet they can only crawl.”
The launch was attended by US Embassy spokes person Sharon Hudson Dean, Ambassador Hotel General Manager Gary Webstock, journalists and other invited guests.
The organisation will start its operations by hosting an all female motivational workshop to be held at the Chiedza Childcare Centre on June 15 and 16 and this will coincide with the Day of the African Child celebrations.
^ Guests at the launch which was held at the New Ambasador Hotel. The hotel’s general manager, Gary Webstock, gave the venue and refreshments at no cost as part of their support for the initiative.
Chirasha said, “The uniqueness of this activity is that twenty-five female students will attend a workshop which will be moderated by four female new generation poets and writers. This will help the girls to interrogate issues of self identification, talent realization, creative motivation and inspiration.”
The Girl Child Creativity team is made up of Mbizo Chirasha (Girl Child Creativity producer, coordinator), Agnes Gudza (Press Focal person), Rebbecca Zeggler-Mano (workshop participants Advisor), Rutendo Tapiwa Chigudu (guest poet, workshop facilitator), Thando Sibanda (Content editor), Primrose Dzenga (Advisor, facilitator), Eve Nyemba (guest reader, poet, girl child creativity motivator), Cynthia FlowChild Marangwanda (Guest poet, workshop facilitator)and Black Heat Deshanti (guest poet, workshop facilitator).
- Trevor Makonyonga for Zimbo Jam

creating creative spaces for girls

Creating creative spaces for girls

MASIMBA BIRIWASHA, GROUP ONLINE EDITOR HARARE - Jun 14 2011 16:27

A new project, Girl Child Creativity (GCC), aimed at mitigating the under-representation and unbalanced participation of young females in the arts in Zimbabwe, was launched last week in Harare. The project which is brainchild of internationally-acclaimed performance poet and writer, Mbizo Chirasha and veteran filmmaker and broadcaster, Agnes Gudza, is aimed at enhancing the ability of girl children to develop themselves mentally and creatively.“The aim of this project is to reduce the under-representation of young women in the creative industry. We want to teach the girls how to find opportunities with their talents and develop them. We want to avoid the syndrome in the country currently where the girl child wants to fly yet she can only be allowed to crawl,” said Chirasha.“We are going to have motivational poetry and writing workshops. In future, we are going to have talent-realisation programmes where we are going to have accomplished writers, musicians and promoters talking to the girls on how to identify and nurture their talents.”Agnes Gudza, operations manager of the project and renowned filmmaker, said the project was aimed at empowering the mental capacity of young girls so they could become creative in all aspects of the arts and their lives.She added that the purpose of the programme is to reach out to a lot of girls especially in rural areas. Chirasha said GCC is working in collaboration with the US Public Affairs, the New Ambassador Hotel, Girl Child Network in Zimbabwe, as well as Chiedza Childcare Centre, to reach out to disadvantaged and marginalised girls in the country. He said the first part of the programme will be rolled out in Harare before moving to Gweru, Masvingo and the rest of the country.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Mbizo a Conscious Poet

Poetry Profile: Mbizo Chirasha


Karabo Mkhabela
June 7, 2010

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Mbizo Chirasha is an internationally acclaimed performance poet,writer and creative projects consultant has worked as a guest poet in Namibia Haiti presidential fundraising project. Poet in residence of international conference of African culture and development/ICACD 2009. Poet in residence United Nations information centre 2001-2008.Poet in residence for Iranian embassy/UN dialogue among civilizations project2001-2004. Official performance poet Zimbabwe International Travel Expo 2007. Media/Publicity Advisor inaugural Jibilika Dance festival Zimbabwe 2007. Festival Program Consultant Zimbabawe Peace festival 2006. Convener/Event Consultant THIS IS AFRICA POETRY NIGHT 2004-2006. Official Poet Sadc Poetry Festival,NAMIBIA 2009.

Mbizo is the Official poet in residence for the ISOLA/international conference of oral literature 2010 university of Nairobi,also the Guest poet at the Arts in Translation conference in ICELAND 2010 , OFFICIAL INVITED GUEST PERFOMANCE POET AT TAMBO INTERNATIONAL ARTS FESTIVAL,CAMP MOZAMBIQUE 2010 AND THE DRUM CAFE PEACE FESTIVAL IN KENYA 2010.

The Following is Mbizo’s latest work
________________________________________________

Golgotha episode 911

ballot defecating shadows of hunger over

poverty creased napkins of my mind

slums farting anopheles into the gutters of my blood

long departed hunters urinated bullets into iron uterus of

war tired peasants

giving birth to atomic bombs

and suckling grenades

media wizards imbibing propaganda salami

and slogan pizza

hunger mandraxed rabbis licking fingers after chalk dust noon meals

i am a word dynamite fumigating corrupt economic bedbugs

sucking out the fertility of our sunshine

clouds of hungry bellies rumble with formulae

sunrise with virus graffiti scribbled on its forehead

moonrise with roaches corrupting its eczema eaten breasts

bread buttered with tustiville blood ,sanguages cheesed with

darfur wounds

gore dripping diamonds auctioned for flesh guzzling guns

brown teethed nights grazing green mealies before fingers

of dawn caress vendetta wounded minds

unrepentant Ngo bishops pimping vulnerables for fat cheque books,gong and bling

greenback lauretes double crossing peacecrats and warcrats in donor shebbens

economic whores dipping their sperm-ducts in diplomatic brothels

paparazzi gutters vomiting garbage of spray painted columns

slogan dogs parodying Hiroshima farce and bag dad comedy

greenhorns licking leftovers of propaganda braai packs after ballot arithmetic

undersized zealots fitting political g-strings in springs of delimitation

political morons mastering propaganda syllabus in their gimmick-

tired memories.

i am a poetic chlorine puritising political mental conveyor belts

from the crude oil of corruption

i am a metaphoric lotion peeling off eczema of the decade election hepatitis

- End -

DEMONS GRAZING 1/2

democracy does not heal the syphilis of apartheid

it never healed the hepatitis of racism

it is the ritual of the governed to govern

though they remain governed

democracy, a word of the corrupted learned

democracy, a fart of the bullet

signature of ballot

sting of the scorpion

blood boiling stomachs of darfur

darfur you smell Nagasaki

blood frothing hard rocky buttocks of Congo

Congo you sting Baghdad

hunger pornographing breasts in Somalia

ministers dangling bellies

poetry scattered in slums and ghettos

word stitched between bullet and ballot

grammar punctuated between slogan and vulgar

democracy an oxymoron of abacha’s machete and madiba’ bible

hyperbole of Guantanamo bay and robin island

- End -

DEMONS GRAZING 1/1

democracy

freedom unearthed from apartheid intestines

a legacy that carried sorrows since the days of yelping baboons

and yapping dogs

Monrovia blooming legumes of blood in superstitions

of blood harvesting

crocodiles basking in the east of political comfort zones

afghan with the heart burn for freedom

baboons laughing other baboons in political forests

politicians crushing poverty under their feet

polishing streets with the glitz of robots and rainbow sweet talk.

- End -


DESTINY/FOR THE WORLD CUP

my Africa

, i see your tongue dripping the honey of sacred languages

tongues rolling in holy tones

the spirit of nerfetiti walking pyramids naked and free.

my Africa the breath of your life smell in Serengeti

while ngorongoro breathe fortune in your back

another night , another daylight

Kilimanjaro never slept last night , with breath of identity

bangamoyo smelling the scent of palms in the fluorescent of African Sunday

my Africa

the smoke of mosia tunya ,thundering

Zambezi vomiting fish

hippos dancing the light of the moonshine

‘crocodiles basking in glee of the sunshine

copper fields heaving with wealth untouched and unspoiled.

Namib desert pregnant dangling with diamonds

fish river canyon bleeding with hope ,not surrendering

skeleton coast ,

compressing the ribs of struggles won and history told.

Shafiishuna pushing the freedom cart up and down pan Africa

Valleys of rhythm

My africa

i see inyanga coughing the laughter of beauty mist

in the dawn of day

chimanimani giving birth to a newssun with joy

matopos welcoming the new ritual

after the storytelling of sleeping legends

mzilkhazi ,tshaka,nehanda and lobengula

times folded and unfolded

your memory written in the museum of revolution

after kinda love theater at vilanculos beach

i walk along bazaruto archipelago

my blood floating the warmth of cabora bassa

my Africa

in this journey to the destiny of soyo and luena

swazi kingdom,cleansing its feet in pongolo river

Princes and princesses dancing rain coming

another daylight

another moonshine

another rain season

another harvest

sunrise with the image of king moshoeshoe

in his trip in the mountain kingdom

walking down up his former kraal

africa rise again ,rise to your destiny

my Africa.

Mandela , the smile of Africa

the glee of the land

trudging through shakaland with his spears of freedom

after nights and days in robin island

spirit floating in soweto townships

soul breathing life in table mountains

kamuzu smoking imboza in the wind valleys

the mystery of mount mulanje

fish breeding generations in shire river.

my destiny

my Africa

, shine your forehead with Vaseline of freedom

caress your armpits with the lotion of wisdom

grease your thighs with soap of liberation

sing with me this song of civilization

enjoy the omelet of progression

- End -

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

seek yee not the kingdom of politics/His Excellency ,Charles Ray

THe food for thought project is growing in leaps and bounds , it started as a small event , that was only to be attended by,
readers and students who come to the library and education advise , but now it have grown into a taljk of the town among diplomats ,philosophers , intellectuals , orators , poets , writers , politicians, media and others.
Tuesday the 10th of may was a memorable day to the people of zimbabwe , when the ammbasador gave his insight about the culture of voluntarism as he proved to be aworth diplomat , adviser and parent , he argued that voluntarism speak volumes in personality cleansing , mental development of this generation , it brings comunity consesnsus , cultural togetherness and provide space for people to express their love and feeling to socities.
The Ambassador gave an insight to those who felt politics can voluntarism , he gave a strong sense responsibitlity , aszimbabweans we mustnt seek and invlove our lives in filthy politics , but fight to develop ourselves , our identity , our talents , our abilities as people , which is strong statement that work to remind those who live their lives for others to live their own lives.
The programme was attended by peopple from different facets of lives , among writers was Masimba Biriwasha ,Dolorosa Mubvumba from Street wise Projects , Virginia a well known writer ,Black bird a widely reknowned female rap artist , Jessie manjome , a member of parliament .
the ambassador closed b y saying that he takes voluntarism as his lifestyle , and it is individual priority as a a person to take upon voluntarism , for voluntarism do not need a lot of resource , a mind that is mature and a heart that is responsible. I really have learnt a lot of things from the Ambassador.Lastly the event was spiced by a poem by one Thando sibanda , a young and vibrant poet from Zimbabwe , who gave a moving poem called [These are the other words] , the poem touched on various issues of life , politics and religion and other . The Ambassador is a writer , an orator and a poet.
by
mbizo chirasha
perfomances poet/writer/live literature producer
www.mbizopoetry.blogspot.com
wwww.poetrychatroom.blogspot

THE MAGIC OF CARL JOSHUA NCUBE

If you see this unique artistic magician you think you are meeting a banker , an accountant or marketing officer of a big corperate , because of his cooperate outlook , smile and stature. carl joshua ncube is a professional nurse cum film maker /nyami nyami fame cum adiminstator cum commedian, carl acquired his fame when he took the reins of curating and producing the NAMA WARDS for morethan 2 years .He is well known for his powerful administrative and management skills.
Carl has grown into a big artist and proffesional creative personna in zimbabwe and abroad , on his last press conference , carl gave wide insight on his world tour which first of its kind to be done by a Zimbabwean in such a unique way . Carl said for preparatory and logistics accomodation he was sponsored by the NEW ambassador hotel in HARARE and the Director of the Hotel Mr Gary Webbstock confirmed that they sponserd Carl project because his mission is to be the artistic ambassador of Zimbabawe who is going to sell Zimbabwean Brand using culture/intertainment , creatiivity and arts.
Carl is starting his tour in Bulawayo on thursday , to Botswana in Selebi pikwe , Zambia where he is perfoming at a higly powerd wedding , Uganda , London , Austrilia and other countries, in Uk Carl is going to perfoma at arts cafe , stand up commedy nights and other events , his administrative team is juiced with proffesional ,one among them is rufaro who is his graphic speciaslist , his media specialist is wild fire events and his international public relations personna is taponeswa mavungwa.
Carl said he is also going to give cultural exchange , arts diplomacy and market zimbabwe as a destiny, He said ZTA was supportive to his endevours through othersd means of networking ,that give much confidence to identify himself with zimbabwe in his tour, hethanked all who helped him in developing the talent including the media , wildfire events , Zimbabwe Germany society , other commedians , artists and Rainbow Towers.
lastly the managing director of new ambassador hotel conccurred with carl that ,"zimbabwe is going to be a hotspot of tourism and hub of unique african exprience if it can marketed very well thorugh arts and culture and new ambassador hotel is prepared to prop the zimbabwean brand using arts as, he said selling zimbabwe brand is not only bringing artists but sending our own to the world"

Thursday, May 5, 2011

KUBATANA.NET ENJOYED THE VERSES OF THE BLACK POET

Poems are bullshit unless they teach


‘The Engagement Party’ is this year’s (2011) HIFA theme. The HIVOS Spoken Word Programme on Wednesday 27, April took time to engage Zimbabweans celebrating African expression as they listened to poems being recited by poets from Zimbabwe, Botswana, Malawi and Ghana. The theme for the day was, “Diversity in our Voices”. The occasion wouldn’t have been a success without the colourful and wonderful audience. Not only was expression done in poetry, but in song too, as witnessed by the performance by Zimbabwe’s beautiful jazz singer Claire Nyakujara.

Mbizo Chirasha, The Black Poet, was the first poet to perform. The themes of his poetry consist of children’s rights, politics, social lives, gender issues, praise and protest, culture and African pride. He took us on an expedition of the African names from the King Jaja of Opobo to Chaminuka with his poem was titled, ‘African Names’. Another local poet who performed was, Bhekumusa Moyo. He has several of his poems published in the Sunday News Poetry Corner and other publications. On this day he took to the stage two of his poems titled, ‘A poetic crusade’ and ‘This hand’.

Power to the sisters hey! T J Dema from Botswana was the only female poet who performed on this day. I must say her poems are truly engaging as she tackles life issues with her African voice. She performed ‘Neon poem’ and ‘First born Lullaby’. An extract from ‘Neon poem’ reads:

Poems are bullshit unless they teach
They serve absolutely no purpose unless they reach
The audience they are written, the ears they are meant for

Q. Malewezi from Malawi well known as Q, delivered his poem in heartfelt verbal bursts interlaced with humorous suggestions. He managed to invite the audience on an artistic journey in his alphabetic poem, ‘Journey to Q’. One would think it’s a journey of his life but no, he dwelled on all the issues in Africa in alphabetical order (A-Q of course) in an artstic manner, which was just superb. The other poem he performed was ‘Recycling Politicians’.

Quaye Kojo known as Sir Black from Ghana delivered the last poem. He tackles poetry more on a thought provoking note. During his performance he got inquisitive as he threw questions here and there to engagea the audience. Below is a quote from one of his poems:

If vegetarians eat vegetables
What should humanitarians eat?
~ Humanity in diversity~

To end the programme singer Claire Nyakujara showed her diversity by performing three songs one in Shona, Ndebele and English.

To listen to more of the poetic engagement do make a date with The HIVOS Spoken Word at the HIVOS Poetry Café.

Saturday (Coca-Cola Day) – 3-4pm
Sunday (Alliance Insurance Day) – 12-1pm

HIFA ENGAGES HARARE STREETS THROUGH POETRY


Tuesday, May 3, 2011

MBIZO ENGAGED WITH HAMUTYINEI AT HIFA SPOKENWORD FEST 2011


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By Richmore Tera and Rumbidzai Mashinge
THEATRE buffs are in for a treat when "Rituals", a play by award-winning playwright Stephen Chifunyise and produced by Daves Guzha, takes centre stage at the Standard Theatre as part of the ongoing Harare International Festival of the Arts today.
Show-goers will not rue parting with their US$6 to watch the play that until recently was on a tour of Zambia.
The tour, that ended on April 22, saw the cast holding 100 successful performances.
In the play, Chifunyise fuses drama and dance to depict community-initiated rituals of healing and reconciliation.
The star-studded cast of Mandla Moyo, Zenzo Nyathi, Silvanos Mudzvova, Chipo Bizure, Joyce Mpofu and Rutendo Chigudu makes "Rituals" a must-see production.
The play comes to Hifa courtesy of Rooftop Promotions, one of the leading theatre powerhouses in the country.
Rooftop Promotions has produced internationally acclaimed shows that have toured all over the world and have done outreach programmes with plays advocating peace, healing and reconciliation among other issues.
The play will be staged tonight at 9:15 at the Standard Theatre.
Tonight's performance is the last at this year's event after the premiere yesterday.
There will be free DVDs of the play for those who attend the two shows.
Meanwhile, various poets from the Sadc region and abroad are set to illuminate the "Spoken Word" slot of the festival, sponsored by Hivos in conjunction with Banc ABC, this afternoon.
Running under the theme "Rhythm in the Voice", the segment will feature the likes of Zimbabwean poets Mbizo Chirasha, Valerie Tagwira, Nevanji Madanhire, Bhekusa Moyo, Quaye Kojo (Ghana), Pikita Ntuli (South Africa) and Morten Sondergaard (Denmark), among others.
"Poets will be celebrating the vibrancy and diversity of languages. The slot gives a sense of inter-regional engagement of poetic voices from all over the world and this helps to bridge the gap among these countries.
"It gives a sense of communion, it is not only a diversity of languages but also a cross-pollination of thoughts and situations as well as a diversity in cultures," said Chirasha, one of the poets.
Chirasha said he was going to integrate his performance with some pieces by the late legendary Shona poet, Mordecai Hamutyinei.
"I am going to perform some of his poems that have got to do with the theme of engagement. He was a very outstanding poet, with a catalogue of poems that spoke a lot on issues to do with the African set-up.
"By so doing I am engaging society on issues they face everyday," said Chirasha.
The "Spoken Word" will continue tomorrow between 1-2 pm under the theme "Reflecting, Expressing!" with the likes of Ngwatilo Mawiyoo, Pikita Ntuli, Quaye Kojo, Morten Sondergaard and Nevanji Madanhire doing their recitations accompanied by music from afro-jazz artiste Steve Chikoti.
Friday will be for the "Future in Our Hands" featuring both the young and old voices in the genre, while Saturday will be a tribute to the late poet Julius Chingono.
The closing day will see "Spoken Word" running under the theme "My Poetry is My Job" hosted by renowned poet Chirikure Chirikure.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

BLACK POET GEARED FOR 2011 HIFA WORD FESTIVAL

PRESS RELEASE

THE BLACK POET GEARED FOR THE HIFA WORD FEST.

In 2O11 the Black poet defined his voice , when he was hosted by the US Embassy, Harare on the International Day of Poetry on the 21st of March at the Public affairs auditorium , reading and reciting a number of his poems published by ezines , journals , anthologies and university presses from around the world., the theme of the event was the rhythm of words and metaphors of voice. also the poet marked the end of his 2010 schedule by being a guest performance poet at Ukubambana peace festival ,Buddz arts festival , Harare international protest arts festival.

At the Hifa spoken word feast the poet, is going to perform at the fringe on the 26th, and the 27th at Hivos Poetry café . On this day theBlaCk poet will engage with the late shone poetry legend ModerKai Hamutyinei , who he mastered when he was seven at Zvegona primary among other poems that go by the theme of the day, a sample of the shone poem is

[ndainge ndiishe zvau muzvinanyika

Ndirindoga ,chikara kubva kudoro

Change chakandikiya kuti shwe ,hwahwa , hwamaichikuye chipanda.

And so on and so on

On the 30th the poet will engage with other poets and publishers around the world , reading poems on socio-political issues published in anthologies from different corners of the world , Canada, States , India ,south Africa , turkey and Haiti, and the 30th the theme is missing teeth a tribute to veteran writer Julius Chingono , who died in January this year. The poem s the black poet will read on the 30th reflect on what is exactly missing in social , political, cultural and economic fabric of the world.

The other poets in the line up include Qaye Qojo from Ghana , who is the laureate of Ghana performance poetry ,Ngwatilo Mawiyoo, the vibrant and dynamic new generation poet from cultural hub of Kenya,Linda Gabriel , a well travelled energetic poetic angel from Malawi ,Pikita Ntuli,a veteran /international recognissed poet and artist from South Africa and others like Daniel Mandishona , Black heat Deshanti , Upmost,Aura .

The Hifa spoken word menu is produced by Chirikure Chirikure, veteran poet and acclaimed live literature producer, while this celebration of words is sponsored by Hivos.

By

Mbizo chirasha

www.poetrychatroom.blogspot.com

www.mbizopoetry.blogspot.com

africapoetrychatroom@gmail.com

CALL+263 0734332309

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Summary of Bio /Mbizo Chirasha 2011

Mbizo Chirasha born in Zvishavane district [1978] ,is an internationally acclaimed performance poet, writer, and creative projects facilitator and live literature producer. He was the poet-in-residence: from 2001-2004 for the Iranian embassy/UN dialogue among civilizations project; the United Nations Information Center - 2001-2008; In 2003 Mbizo was the New Generation Poetry Delegate at The Gothenburg International Book Fair, Nordic African Institute Writers Seminar, Swedish Writers Union reading night in Sweden. He was an artist in resident in the Atelier Alexandra Art School in Egypt 2006. He was the Convener/Event Consultant THIS IS AFRICA POETRY NIGHT 2004 - 2006; official performance poet Zimbabwe International Travel Expo in 2007, He is a regular guest performing poet at the Zimbabwe international Book Fair, Harare International festival of the Arts, Zimbabwe German Society various programs.

He was the poet in residence at the international conference of African culture and development/ ICACD Ghana November 2009; and official Poet SADC Poetry Festival, NAMIBIA September 2009. A delegate to the UNESCO photo novel writing project in Tanzania, Mbizo is the Official poet in residence for the ISOLA/ international conference of oral literature 2010 in Kenya. In 2010 Mbizo participated as a guest performance poet at the Harare International Protest Arts Festival, Ukhubambana Youth for Peace Festival, Patsimeredu Buddyz Festival. The poet was instrumental in the celebration of the Black History Month for February 2011 organized by the Zimbabwe Poets for Human Rights and the United State Embassy Harare’s Public Affairs Department. Mbizo was the guest poet of 2011 hosted by the US Embassy ,Harare on the international poetry day , He has curated and founded a number of poetry projects including, This is Africa Poetry Night 2004-2006,African drums poetry festival-2007,The Young writers caravan project 2003-2004,Young poetry conference -2006,Cross fertilization /poetry/visual arts project in collaboration with Zimbabwe German society-2007

He is widely published in more than thirty-five journals, magazines, and anthologies around the world in countries including Canada, Germany, Finland, South Africa, United kingdom, Ghana, Turkey, Grenada, India, United States, Norway, Zimbabwe among others.He Co- authored a poetry anthology titled[whispering woes of Ganges and Zambezi with Sweta Vikram an Indian born-New York based poet. He is profiled in international, local and regional journals, magazines and cultural websites.
contacts-Mbizo chirasha
emails, africapoetrychatroom@gmail.com
mbizoc@yahoo.co.uk
cell +263 734332309,+263 734286453
WebPages www.mbizopoetry.blogspot.com
www.poetrychatroom.blogspot.com
Google Mbizo chirasha
face book notes Mbizo Chirasha

Mbizo at Hifa 2011 Selection



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The HIVOS Spoken Word Programme – Celebrating African Expression!

Curated by poet Chirikure Chirikure

Engagement is about communication, involvement, awareness and empowerment. It is about hearing each other speak. The HIFA 2011 Spoken Word programme provides a platform for engagement, to stimulate dialogue through the celebration of African expression. Spoken Word practitioners from across Africa, from Malawi, Botswana, South Africa, Kenya, Ghana and Zimbabwe as well as a guest artist from Denmark.
Saturday is a special dedication to the late great Zimbabwean poet, Julius Sekai Chingono. On each of the other days, the programme focuses on a different theme, featuring different languages, styles, rhythms and patterns, poetry, prose, chants and soulful music. Each performer has the liberty to interpret the themes in their own way. That is the hallmark of dialogue, of free expression.

The artists are:

Ngwatilo Mawiyoo from Kenya, Quaye Kojo – Sir Black – from Ghana, Pitika Ntuli and Ewok, both from South Africa, Q. Malewezi from Malawi, T J Dema from Botswana, Morten Søndergaard from Denmark, and our own Daniel Mandishona, Valerie Tagwira, Nevanji Madanhire, Mgcini Nyoni, Bhekusa Moyo, Thanda Richardson, Blackheat deShanti, Linda Gabriel, Aura, Upmost, Mbizo Chirasha, and as a special guest, Outspoken.
Duets which combine Spoken Word and Music are presented by Phillip Svosve (saxophone) with Aaron Yafele (trombone), Charles Chipanga (marimba) with Namatai Mubariki (voice), while Clare Nyakudyara, Steve Chikotie and Andy Brown will all present pieces combining guitar and voice.

Ngwatilo Mawiyoo

A keen observer and devoted student of the written word, Ngwatilo Mawiyoo’s first book of poems “Blue Mothertongue”, published last year, is a collection set in Nairobi and the African diaspora. It explores the themes of home, loss and healing. Critics praised the work, describing it as “crafted with beautiful pace and intelligence” that it is “a worthy testament of her times.”
Ngwatilo has achieved serious acclaim and been dubbed “a priest of the art of performed poetry”. She presents her work at festivals across Africa and Europe and in 2010 she performed here in Zimbabwe and in Malawi on a tour that formed part of the 14th 2010 Poetry Africa Festival held in South Africa, run by the Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. It is the biggest festival of its kind on our continent.
She also performed last year in Germany at the Frankfurt Book Fair. In her performance work, Ngwatilo sometimes experiments with the capacity of music, dance and video to read and tell, both to complicate and to simplify poetry, calling these techniques “Puesic” – pronounced pew-zic.

Qabaniso ‘Q’ Malewezi

Qabaniso Malewezi, also known as Q, was born in 1979, and set off on his creative journey in theatre and music in high school. He went on to study performing arts at the prestigious Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) whose patron is Sir Paul McCartney, and later at the Academy of Contemporary Music (ACM) in London.
Though the focus of his training was primarily music, Q’s appreciation of the spoken word led to his own experimentation with poetry writing. He took to it, demonstrating serious talent and his poetry performances, titled “Sonrise” soon followed. These earned high acclaim and launched his career as a spoken-word artist.
His poetry is delivered in vivid, heartfelt verbal bursts which are interwoven with subtle humorous undertones. Thus, Q invite his audiences on an artistic journey. Using humour, and incorporating reflections on spirituality and life’s day to day experiences, Q’s message is one of hope. He explores burning societal issues and endeavours to give a voice to unheard and often marginalised communities.

Daniel Mandishona

Daniel Mandishona was born in Harare in 1959. He was brought up by his maternal grandparents in Mbare (then known as Harari Township). Expelled from Goromonzi Secondary School for what the headmaster called ‘habitual truancy’, he lived in London from 1977-1992. He first studied Graphic Design and then Architecture at the Bartlett School, University College London. He began writing in 1982 after reading Dambudzo Marechera’s House of Hunger.
His first short story, ‘A Wasted Land’ was published in Contemporary African Short Stories (Heinemann, 1992). Daniel was published in Writing Now (2005) and Laughing Now (2007). His short story collection, White Gods Black Demons is due out with Weaver Press.

Bekumusa Moyo

Born in Gwanda, Beku
musa Moyo completed his education at Nkulumane High School, where he discovered his talent for poetry. In 2006 he won the Power In the Voice Poetry Competition and was the country’s representative to the International Festival in 2008.
He was the youngest published poet in the poetry anthology “Its Time” edited by Ndaba Sibanda for Writers Get Together. Numerous poems of his have been published in the Sunday News Poetry Corner and other Publications and his has an album of performance poetry titled ‘Moments of Madness” under his belt. This is raw protest poetry.

Alice ‘Thanda’ Richardson

Alice ‘Thanda’ Richardson is an explosive young vocalist on the local Zimbabwe music scene, known for her passion and energy for dancehall reggae and ragga – what she calls “a fusion for the youth of the 21st Century”. In 2009, she performed in Harare and Denmark with hip hop group, Bikstok Rogsystem, and with youth festival Umoja. Thanda composes her own songs and is working on her debut album, Give Thanks And Praise, which features Only Jah, Jah He Knows - already an anthem among her fans.

Mbizo Chirasha

Mbizo Chirasha was born in 1978 in Zvishavane District and was inspired by his social surroundings at a young age. As a young man, Mbizo quickly gained prominence as a performing poet and writer both in Zimbabwe and internationally. The themes of his poetry include children’s rights, politics, social lives, gender issues, praise and protest, culture and African pride.
Mbizo’s poems can be read in print, but are even more powerful when performed by the dynamic poet himself. With a vision of using his poetry to promote peace, healing, stability, and cultural freedom, Mbizo is a poet with commitment, talent, and a desire to perform whenever and wherever he can.

Aura

20 year old Aura’s pursuit of a career in music seemed an obvious choice given her home life: “It’s kind of always been with me; even before nursery, my parents pushed me straight into it,” she states. While at college in her second year, her father was retrenched so fees could not be paid. Since then she has been the bread winner in her family. “The funny thing is that the money I make is out of doing what I love the most, which is the performing arts,” she says.
Aura started writing poetry at the age of 12, and as she grew older, realised poetry is not about words but about what you are saying. “I have a stronger message and I come across clearer now than I did when I was younger,” she explains. As for the themes within her poetry, her response is simple; “Love, love and love. Love for me is a fascinating topic because it’s not all roses and blue violets. There is a lot to love, and not just emotional or romantic love but platonic love – friendships and love between parents, other relationships”.
Regarding her music, she states, “I always say music is my husband. If music were a man, I could have had an arranged marriage a very long time ago. Music has influenced my poetry. I will also pay close attention to the way people, eat, walk and behave.”
Looking to the future, Aura says, “I want to see an opportunity to influence my people, I want to see an opportunity where my voice can be heard not just by a group of people at the Book CafĂ© but where artists are taken seriously and realise that we are voice that can be utilised. That we can make a lot of difference because the first thing a person will do when they jump into their car is switch on the radio and they will hear us before they hear the news.”
She continues, “There are a lot of people my age who want to make a difference in our country. We all want a better country. I think as a country we need to start realising that we have so much potential and that we are literally one of the greatest countries in Africa.”
Thanks to kubatana.net for the use of inputs from their interview with Aura.

Morten Søndergaard

One of a golden generation of Danish poets, Morten Søndergaard is as versatile as he is memorable. Having gained renown across Europe and the US for his organic adaptation of poetic form, his output over the last several years has been varied and remarkable. His humorous, sensory poetry is a major contribution to this art form in Northern Europe.
“I approach poetry and the world by making the two phenomena collide, and then see what happens,” he says, describing his creative process as the reaching of “an understanding of the world or myself by going on a detour through the language.”
Critics have observed in his work, a deliberate return to wide-eyed curiosity, and an observant humour. Søndergaard describes himself as being fond of scientific information and philosophical explanations of the world’s condition – of any intense attention to the things that surround us.
“Good poetry is an example of such intense attention”, he says. “As a child, you live with a wide-eyed curiosity, you see everything around you with open eyes and everything can go deep into you without filter. As a child, all senses are alert. The child is a scientist, shipwrecked, and a philosopher. As a child you discover that language is crucial. Poetry is language that require a particular kind of childish reading, a slow, intensely observant and playful reading. Just as you read the world when it was full of feelings of wonder.”

Nevanji Madanhire

Nevanji Madanhire, born 1961, has lived a varied life reflecting the restlessness of growing up in an amorphous fledgling Zimbabwe. As a teenager, during the war of liberation, most of his classmates ended up fighting on either one side or the other.
During the first two decades of independence he worked as a teacher, curriculum theorist, educational book publisher, public relations executive and a journalist.
He has published two books, Goatsmell, (1993) and If the Wind Blew, (1995) and was also published in Writing Still (2003).

Pitika Ntuli

Pitika Ntuli combines a vast store of African mythology and history, a keen awareness of the contemporary and an astonishing ability to improvise in his evocative poetry. A South African sculptor, poet, writer and academic spent 32 years of his life in exile in Swaziland and the UK. A Master of Fine Arts (Pratt Institute in New York) he also has an MA in Comparative Industrial Relations and Industrial Sociology.
While in exile in the UK he helped establish one of Europe’s leading poetry circuits, Apples & Snakes in London, where he also lectured in Fine Art and English Literature. He taught at Camberwell College of Art, Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, the London College of Printing, Middlesex University and the University of East London. Since returning to South Africa he has taught at The Universities of Witwatersrand and of Kwa-Zulu, Natal (UKZN), and is currently a professor at Tshwane University of Technology.
He has exhibited in several individual and group exhibitions in many countries in Europe and in the USA, and has organised numerous international art and cultural events in Britain. His sculptures are in several collections and some of his public sculptures can be found in the Swaziland National Bank, Matsapa International Airport and St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Lobamba.
Pitika Ntuli is an expert in African indigenous knowledge systems. He is a regular political and cultural commentator on SABC 2. He is a well-known poet and speaker who has been a keynote speaker at numerous high profile events and has read his poetry in many fora.
He was the main organiser of the KwaZulu-Natal Millennium Parade and a key figure in the African Renaissance Annual Festivals in Durban. A frequent guest on TV and radio, he was also a judge for the Sunday Times Literary Awards (2009). He recently chaired the 2010 Task Team that advised the Minister of Arts and Culture with regard to cultural programmes associated with the World Cup, including the opening and closing ceremonies.
While in London he also worked closely with Amnesty International and Index-on-Censorship. Ntuli sits on several boards including the Universal Creative Arts and Artists for Human Rights. Pitika Ntuli has performed his poetry with leading musicians like the late Dudu Pukwana, Mervin Africa, Julkian Bahule, Lucky Ranku and Eugene Skeef.
BancABC Day, Tuesday 26 April, $6, 3 – 4 pm – Programme 1
Here we go! Opening the week of poetic celebrations, a taste of what’s coming.

Hosted by Chirikure Chirikure
Featuring: Pitika Ntuli, Valerie Tagwira, Bhekusa Moyo, Thanda Richardson, Namatai Mubariki and Charles Chipanga.
CABS Day, 27 April, $6, 3 – 4 pm – Programme 2

Theme – Rhythm in the voice – Celebrating the vibrancy of our diverse languages.
Hosted by Aura
Featuring Q. Malewezi, T.J. Dema, Quaye Kojo, Mgcini Nyoni, Mbizo Chirasha and Clare Nyakudyara

Stanbic Bank Day, Thursday 28 April, $6, 12 – 1 pm – Programme 3
Theme – Reflecting, expressing! Looking deep down the inner soul, with sincerity.
Hosted by Blackheat deShanti
Featuring Ngwatilo Mawiyoo, Pitika Ntuli, Quaye Kojo, Nevanji Madanhire, Mgcini Nyoni, Steve Chikotie, Morten Sondergaard

Lion Lager Day, Friday 29 April, $6, 4.30 – 5.30 pm – Programme 4
Theme – Future in our hands! The younger voices, mature now, gearing for tomorrow.
Hosted by Upmost
Featuring Ewok, Q. Malewezi, Bhekusa Moyo, Thanda Richardson, Blackheat deShanti, Clare Nyakudyara
Coca-Cola Day, Saturday 30 April, $6, 3 – 4 pm – Programme 5

Theme – Vende – Missing tooth! Tribute to Julius Sekai Chingono
Hosted by Linda Gabriel
Featuring Pitika Ntuli, Morten Sondergaard, Daniel Mandishona, Mbizo Chirasha, Aura, Phillip Svosve and Aaron Yafel
Alliance Insurance Day, Sunday 1 May, $6, 12 – 1 pm – Programme 6
Theme – Basa sebasa – My poetry is my job. Celebrating the worker!
Hosted by Chirikure Chirikure
Featuring Ngwatilo Mawiyoo, Quaye Kojo, Morten Sondergaard, Q. Malewezi, Upmost featuring Outspoken, Linda Gabriel and Andy Brown

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

HARARE POET OF HOPE

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Harare’s Poet of Hope Print
Written by Stephen Tsoroti
Friday, 15 April 2011 13:11
pas_chirashaHARARE - Take a charming black prince, add decadence and straight face, and you have an unforgettable time and twisted stories of a country. Mbizo Chirasha is an iconic performance poet who has earned himself the title ‘The Black Poet’. (Pictured: Mbizo Chirasha, ‘The Black Poet’.)

Born in 1978 in Zvishavane District in Zimbabwe, Mbizo was inspired by his social surroundings at a young age. As a young man, Mbizo quickly gained prominence as a performing poet and writer both in Zimbabwe and internationally.

The themes of his poetry include children's rights, politics, social lives, gender issues, praise and protest, culture and African pride. Mbizo's poems can be read in print, but are even more powerful when performed by the dynamic poet himself. With a vision of using his poetry to promote peace, healing, stability, and cultural freedom, Mbizo is a poet with commitment, talent, and a desire to perform whenever and wherever he can.
On March 22, 2011 The United States Embassy hosted Mbizo Chirasha for a discussion of the ‘metaphor of voices and rhythm of words’ featuring a scintillating recital of his works to mark World Poetry Day.
“The Embassy is pleased to mark this important day. Poetry calls forth those voices in society that would otherwise go unheard and gives them a powerful tool for expressing their deepest feelings, thoughts and beliefs. Poets have the power to influence hearts and change minds,” said Michael Brooke, Public Diplomacy Officer at the US Embassy in Harare.
In typical poetic form, Chirasha told his audience, which included students from Westridge High School in Harare, that, ‘metaphors are the lotion drying political syphilis from the manhood of the state, my pen is a broom sweeping vendetta pebbles from talk tables, and my ink is a detergent cleansing political stains from parliament overalls.’
Chirasha, whose work is featured in over 40 journals and anthologies around the world, says the common theme in most of his poems has been respect for women and recognizing their suffering and endurance.
Chirasha read some of his published works, including ‘Identity Apples’, ‘Anthem of the Black Poet’, ‘Decade of Bullets’, ‘Haiti My Generation’, and the popular ‘African Names’.
Asked why he preferred publishing outside the country, Chirasha bemoaned the lack of structures to support writers in Zimbabwe, saying, ‘We lack that administrative connection in terms of writing. We lack consensus as writers, and publishing houses are closing shop.’ Contributing to the discussion, another poet, Thando Sibanda, said the study of literature should be made compulsory at all levels of education in Zimbabwe so as to promote an environment that supports writers and poets.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

black oranges

xenophobia my son
i hear a murmur in the streets
a babble of adjoining markets
your cosnscience itching with guiltness like
genital leprosy
your wide eyes are cups where tears
never fall
when they fall the storm wash down bullet drains
and garbage cities
come nomzano with your whisper to drown,
blood scent stinking the rainbow altar

darfur ,petals of blood spreading ,
perfume of death choking slum nostrils
slums laden with acrid smell of mud and
debri smelling like fresh dung heaps
fear scrwaling like lizards on darfur skin

kibera ,i see you scratching your mind like ragged linen
smelling the breath of slums and diesel fumes
the smoke puffing out through ghetto ruins is the fire dousing the
emblem of the state

belly of zambezi ache with crocodile and fish
villages piled like heaps of potatoes aganst the flank
of eastern hills
farmlands dripping golden dripping dew
sunshine choking with vulgur mornings
dawns yawning with vendetta filled redemption songs
drums of freedom sounding fainter and fainter , blowing away in the wind

when streets rub their sleep out of their eyes
villagers scratch painful living from the
infertile patches of sand on this earth whose lungs
heave with copper and veins bleeding gold
ghetto buttocks sit over poverty,kalinga-linga
corruption eating breakfast with ministers,kabulonga
with shrill cries of children breaking against city walls

shire river tonight your voice rustled dry , like the scratching of old silk
politicians grow everywhere like weeds
land of ngwazi,yesterday crocodiles breakfasted on flesh
owls and birds sang with disginated protocol
ngwazi your cough drowned laughters and prayers
your breath silenced rivers and jungles

mozambique
the belief and gift of my poetry
sweat wine poured to absent , long forgotten gods and godesses
soft kiss spent on golden virgins before they aged into toothless grannies
the rhythm of samora
heartbeat of chimurenga
drumbeat of chissano
today mornings blight in corruption
a social aneroxia

abuja guns eat you more than disease
iloved you before you absorbed poverty as sponge
soaking out water
before rats chewed your roof
before you concieved men with borrowed names and totems
ghost of abacha guzzilling drums of blood and galons of oil
wiwa chasing shadows of babangida past delta of treasures

bugand cruelty is a natural weapon of a dictator
poor lives buried under rubbles of autocracy
pregnant mothers with eyes gouged out by bullets , pushing their guts
back into their bellies

luanda
a roar of old trucks
a whine of motor cycles
arumble of dead engines
america frying its fingers in oil pans of your kitchen
where europe fry , america roast
angola , if you cough , america catch a fever
angola quench my parched lungs with a spoon of oil

i see the naked thighs of your desert hills
barosteland sestwana
a servant positioned with trust
american green bloomed your desert shrubs
your loyalty is sold to she who offers the next meal
barotseland of seretse

somalia
yourlips burnt brown with exposure of rough diet
you are muffled voice , cursed and drowned into deep silence
the smell of aged incesnse and stale coffee
a tune piped by the sheperd on moutainside,only
to be half heard by and quickly forgooten by villagers

ghana
the anthill of black seed
coast blessed with gold
once a tyoung girl full of sap and strength
once perfumed with richmess and sacredness
you shared your salt and sweat fro freedom
today you a like a woman who sleep with a pillow
between her legs anticipating a miracle of man

coast of ivory
i see faces tight as skin of drum in moonlight
ivory coast, once the smoke and smell of human excitement
tonight bullet burrow into your belly like rats into sacks
of thai rice
you are the broken pot we patch to put on shelf again.




flesh of children roasting in your belly , darfur

MBIZO PRODUCED AFRICAN DRUMS POETRY FESTIVAL

Art & Advocacy in Zimbabwe

Mbizo Chirasha has expressed satisfaction with the recent Zimbabwe poetry festival. In an email, Chirasha shared information about future plans for similar events, one of which can happen as soon February 2008. What was obvious at the December 10-12 festival, he added, was the hunger for the arts that the participants showed. He also expressed his gratitude for the participation of distinguished speakers. One in particular, the Australia-born Celia Winter Irving, presented a paper entitled “The Arts As a Tool for Advocacy in Zimbabwe”.
In this paper Irving argues that artists in Zimbabwe “have a strong relationship with society, taking their bearings from their local community.” So, it seems, talk of an artist being a loner and not caring so much about what the society thinks would not stand a chance here. The issue of social responsibility appears in different art forms.
In a bold statement, Winter Irving states, “Today because of the situation (in Zimbabwe), artists have no time for dreams and schemes; they want results.” Irving works with artists as a consultant at the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe, a position which often involves travelling to all provinces of Zimbabwe to work with artists ranging from poets, sculptors, actors, singers and others. Her essay catalogues these experiences and makes a case about how art is a form of advocacy.
The full text of the paper may appear under the Essays section of Munyori Poetry Journal

Update: Festival Attracts 60 Poets

The Herald of Zimbabwe has given the following report about the Zimbabwe Poetry Festival:
THE African Drums Poetry Book Tour – a poetry gala attracting some regional artists – was on Monday inaugurated at Alliance Francaise in Harare ending this evening.
More than 60 poets are taking part in the festival that is running under the theme: Celebrating the Energy and Culture of Words.
A brainchild of poet Mbizo Chirasha, the festival which seeks to promote collaborative efforts among Sadc artists, has also attracted some big names in Zimbabwean literature as guest speakers.
“This programme is the first of its kind in Zimbabwe by young poets who want to see the culture of appreciation and growth of poetry in Africa.
“This is the time for poets and writers to be innovative, progressive, idealistic, creative, ” said Chirasha.
Susan Haimbala, a performance poet from Namibia, said the festival was instrumental in integrating regional poets.
“I am very excited to be taking part in this festival that helps in building relationships among regional artists. I have learnt at this festival many things that I did not know,” said Haimbala who doubles as a musician.
Haimbala, who performs in Oshiwambo, said she hoped to persuade some Namibian artists to come to Zimbabwe using her own initiatives in order to collaborate with some locals when she returns home.
Simon Longwe, a University of Zambia student, who hailed performance poetry as an expressive genre of art, echoed similar sentiments.
“Performance poetry is one genre of art that helps in educating and informing people about what is happening in their societies,” he said.
He praised the state of poetry in Zimbabwe saying in Zambia, it was beginning to take shape.
Longwe also described Zimbabwe as peaceful despite negative media reports meant to tarnish the image of the country.
Some of the guest speakers who deliberated at the festival since Monday include Musaemura Zimunya who spoke about the response Zimbabwean literature and his poetry has garnered abroad.
Dub-poet Albert Nyathi tackled the issue of originality in relation to performance poetry and how it has developed in Zimbabwe.
He also handled the issue of choreography as a necessity in performance poetry.
University of Zimbabwe lecturer and social commentator Dr Vimbai Chivaura deliberated on a broad spectrum of issues that include the relevance of culture in poetry.
Tonight, more than 35 artists will perform under one roof at Alliance Francaise as the curtain comes down at 10pm.

Friday, April 1, 2011

US EMBASSY HOST MBIZO CHIRASHA ON WORLD POETRY DAY

U.S. Embassy welcomes the Black Poet to celebrate

Close Window Mbizo Chirasha
Mbizo Chirasha

“My pen is a broom sweeping vendetta pebbles from talk tables.”


Harare, March 22, 2011: The United States Embassy hosted Mbizo Chirasha, popularly known as ‘The Black Poet’ in performance circles, for a discussion of the “metaphor of voices and rhythm of words” featuring a scintillating recital of his works to mark World Poetry Day.

“The Embassy is pleased to mark this important day. Poetry calls forth those voices in society that would otherwise go unheard and gives them a powerful tool for expressing their deepest feelings, thoughts and beliefs. Poets have the power to influence hearts and change minds,” said Michael Brooke, Public Diplomacy Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Harare.

In typical poetic form, Chirasha told his audience, which included students from Westridge High School in Harare, that, “metaphors are the lotion drying political syphilis from the manhood of the state, my pen is a broom sweeping vendetta pebbles from talk tables, and my ink is a detergent cleansing political stains from parliament overalls.”

Describing his works, Chirasha said the common theme in most of his poems has been respect for women and recognizing their suffering and endurance. “It’s a coincidence of creation and creativity, that’s what I believe in,” said the poet whose work is featured in over 40 journals and anthologies around the world.

However, Chirasha’s poetry cuts across issues to include children’s rights, politics, social lives, gender issues, praise and protest, culture and African pride.

Chirasha read some of his published works, including “Identity Apples,” published by the Memorial University English Department in Alberta , Canada; “Anthem of the Black Poet” and “Decade of Bullets,” published in India; “Haiti My Generation,” published in United kingdom; and the popular, “African Names.”

“This poem reshuffled cabinet; the rhythm resigned the president and its metaphors adjourned parliament,” said Chirasha reciting his poem, “Letter to my daughter,” published locally.

Asked why he preferred publishing outside the country, Chirasha bemoaned the lack of structures to support writers in Zimbabwe, and said he was thinking seriously about writing his poems in Shona for local audiences.

“We lack that administrative connection in terms of writing. We lack consensus as writers, and publishing houses are closing shop,” he noted. Contributing to the discussion, another poet, Thando Sibanda, said the study of literature should be made compulsory at all levels of education in Zimbabwe so as to promote an environment that supports writers and poets.


World Poetry Day is celebrated on March 21st, as declared by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1999, to "give fresh recognition and impetus to national, regional and international poetry movements."- ZimPAS © 2011

ZimPAS is a product of the United States Embassy Public Affairs Section. Queries and comments should be directed to Sharon Hudson Dean, Public Affairs Officer, hararepas@state.gov Website: http://harare.usembassy.gov