BWAZ Young Readers Review, Issue No 3

Profile: Neville Nyoni

Thirst
By Neville Nyoni

Long queues
Still getting longer
Shrivelled men and women
With twenty-litre containers
Wait under the scorching sun
For a chance to get water
From the unprotected wells they dug
Out of desperation for water
Despicable thirst!
Yet even the wells begin to succumb to thirst

Babies cry behind their mothers’ backs
They too can tell from their mothers’ milk
Turning yellow
Turning powdery
The wells of their breast dry up
Lullabies from the mothers’ biltong tongues
Have since lost meaning
They are raspy grants and groans of pain

Taps have since gone rusty
Not a trickle out them drops for years
“The pipes are burst’, water authorities say
“We are working flat out to rectify”
Same decade-old song

Nothing changes
Wells are filled up with sand
Because they say they are illegal
As if it’s more legal for people
To die of thirst

The sun has had its day
Tired of hanging in the sky
It retires
The mothers too head home
Faltering under heavy load of hard-won water
Musing and sighing

The men too
Loads on both shoulders
Shake their heads
As if to say:
We are simply ordinary people, what can we do?

(Above poem he performed at the 2009 NANGO Expo)

Neville Nyoni (pictured above)

Performance, as it is, requires a great deal of enthusiasm and word power, and Nyoni, through practice and participating in various poetry functions and contests in Harare, sharpened his skills that now he can look forward to becoming Zimbabwe’s great.

Since 2007 Nyoni has been performing his poems at different functions and contests, such contests as the Padare Schools Poetry and Drama contest (2007) in which he became 2nd, Power in the Voice (2007-2008) in which he was finalist (he also appears on the DVD produced from the PIV programme by the British Council), the BWAZ Poetry Contest (2008), and functions like the Manica Arts Festival, the African Youth Arts Festival and this year’s NANGO Expo.

Nyoni has a short story titled “Far Away Hills” in the 2009 NAMA nominated anthology called “Children Writing Zimbabwe” (edited by Ruby Magosvongwe, Jerry Zondo and Memory Chirere) published by the Zimbabwe Standard newspaper in 2008. Children Writing Zimbabwe is a compilation of short stories selected from the Cover to Cover writing competition which drew entries mainly from schools in Zimbabwe. Nyoni was at Churchill Boys’ High when he participated in the writing competition. It was also at Churchill that he learnt his skills of orature in the Public Speaking and Drama/Writers Clubs.

Asked what he thinks of BWAZ, Nyoni said “BWAZ helps us to realize our dreams. It has taught me to believe in myself. I wish to say to other young writers and poets that they should do what they do to the best of their mettle. Nothing should limit talent.”

The 19 year old poet is currently doing Draughting and Designing Technologies at the Harare Polytechnic.


A Dream
By Barbra Anderson

Zimbabwe
I dreamt of you
In deep slumber
I dreamt of you
You came to me, a bright lady in the sweet night
Took my hand and led the way

You, Zimbabwe, gave me wings
Made from the leaves of your beautiful trees
You gave me wings to fly
Over the Zambezi
White and foaming, crashing down
The great Victoria Falls

I walked in your forests
Became one with your creatures
I lived with the baobab
And heard her unborn child scream
Inside her belly never to know
The African sun

I ran like the cheetah
Jumped like your impala
And blundered forth like the elephant
I walked on your mountain
Wrapped in a blanket of sand on your hills
I saw un-ending plains

Zimbabwe
Beautiful goddess
I fell in love with you

BWAZ Young Readers Review, Issue No 2

PROFILE: BARBRA ANDERSON

Reform
By Barbra Anderson

Thud and thump! Her body falls on the floor
She lies there
Beaten, bruised
Battered and sore
The beastly brute stands above her
Satisfied

Blood scarlet spurts out
As she laughs hysterically
Recalling “reform” she has heard of
He stands unaware of the fate
That awaits him behind steel bars



INTERVIEW

When the “Power in the Voice” programme done by the British Council last year involved her school Hatfield High, Barbra Anderson was dithering about taking part. Then she made up her mind and wrote a story for presentation. It was her first time to view herself as a storyteller. She was nervous. Although she proceeded to the semi-finals she felt she needed to write much better poems and stories. Having studied Literature at school, Anderson already knew how to criticise literary texts and she began developing her writing skills with the help of teachers and friends.

It was through a friend in the PIV programme that she heard about BWAZ and decided to join. Today Barbra is content with what she has learnt and enjoys the writing functions at which BWAZ constantly ask her to do her poetry.

Born in 1991 in Kadoma, Barbra Anderson did her primary learning at Eastridge Primary School in Hillside; she proceeded to Hatfield Girls High for her secondary education. She then did her Advanced Level at Girls High School (Harare) where she affiliated to a Debate Club.

Barbra says she is interested in themes which deal with young women’s place in society, love as understood or misunderstood by the youths, Africa and its problems, its superstitions and hopes. “But recently I have tackled issues of self-expression. I believe that women are sometimes made to live life in a straitjacket, questing for freedom which patriarchy believes can provide and yet the opposite is true,” she says.

She has participated in events such as Magamba, Poetry Slum and Sistaz Open Mic sessions run by Pamberi Trust at the Book Café in Harare.

To other young women Barbra has this to say: “Find yourself. One must have talent. After all, every body was blessed with talent. And then lets make a difference where HIV/AIDS is concerned. I know this is a boring subject to many youths but it is important that we learn to understand it and prevent its spread. On the other hand, AIDS educators should make the subject more acceptable to youths by engaging in imaginative approaches when they facilitate educative AIDS programmes,’ says Barbra.

While she waits to get to university, Barbra spends most of her time in the Harare City Library reading local literature and literature from different countries. “I am taking my time to learn my craft.”
With much encouragement and support Barbra believes she can transcend and do her country much proud.

(name spelling is correct because there are so many Barbara Andersons some who are writers one way or another)

Transition
By Barbra Anderson

Africa from days of war:
Liberation from oppression
Now to days of woe
No liberation from suppression
Leaders befitting Africa
”Where art thou?”

A continent succumbing to pain
Suffering and hate
Rise again
To a new dawn of celebration
“Viva Africa!”

Rise again Africa, my beautiful woman
Take away the pain and once gain
Reclaim your dignity