Online Reporter
Mbulelo Mpofu, Zimpapers Arts and Entertainment Hub
FORMER Chronicle intern and avid showbiz journalist Angela Sibanda is channelling her passion for the written word into a powerful new venture aimed squarely at unlocking the literary potential of Zimbabwe’s rural youth.
Departing the corridors of Zimpapers, Angela has launched Pen Pals and Prose, an ambitious initiative featuring a national short story writing competition. The project is designed to discover, mentor, and publish talented young writers from disadvantaged backgrounds, culminating in a significant anthology set for release this December.
The initiative is deeply personal for Angela, rooted in her own formative experiences navigating rural education.
“Growing up, I used to write short stories and what I believed were poems. At school, my compositions used to do rounds; teachers seemed to enjoy the creativity, so I began to give myself topics and write. I still have a collection of all these at home, but now that I am older, they don’t seem relevant,” she said.
It is this sense of unfulfilled potential – a path not taken due to lack of opportunity — that fuels Pen Pals and Prose.
Angela poignantly stated, “Had I gotten access to such platforms as a child, with nothing to worry about, I could be a published author by now, I believe. I believe so much of my potential was lost because I had no access to the right platforms and the right people.
“I went to rural schools, so I relate to what an aspiring writer might be facing. The talent and creativity is only limited to compositions and getting As. In the end, nothing comes out of it.”
Pen Pals and Prose directly tackles the isolation and information deficit facing rural aspiring writers.
“The project seeks to open writing opportunities for young people in disadvantaged communities. Through the project, they will have chances to compete in writing competitions which, most of the time, they won’t even know about.
“There are writing competitions that pay and offer international features that a young person in rural Zimbabwe is capable of being a part of, but they barely know about those or lack the support and confidence to partake.”
The core offering is the inaugural short story competition, open to rural students or recent school leavers, inviting submissions between 3 000 and 5 000 words.
Crucially, embracing linguistic diversity, stories can be submitted in English or any indigenous Zimbabwean language.
Themes are broad and deeply relevant: tradition and modernity, reality and technology, love, family, relationships, cultural identity and belonging, alongside culture, technology, and even magic.
The winning entries will be featured in a professionally published anthology slated for release in December.
Recognising that writing thrives alongside reading, Pen Pals and Prose incorporates a vital community element inspired by the Bulawayo Book Club.
“We are supporting the reading of local literature among young people. Because young people in school may find buying books expensive, we are utilising readily available literature in local libraries. We incorporate books written in our native languages,” Angela stated.
The project has already established its first book club at Magwegwe Library, actively supporting members by paying library subscriptions.
“The idea is to have them across the city,” Angela added, outlining a vision for a network fostering a love for local literature and building vocabulary.
Currently funded through Angela’s personal resources and support from friends, the project is a labour of love and conviction.
“I have faith that it has the ability to grow and have an impact on students from disadvantaged backgrounds. This is a personal initiative, close to my heart. It is a way of achieving my childhood dream through supporting those who are in a position to take advantage of the platform and resources.”
Angela, who attended Gwambe Primary School in Plumtree, Mncumbatha Secondary in Bulawayo, Kapane Secondary School, and Sipepa High School both in Tsholotsho, understands the landscape intimately.
Her initiative isn’t just about creating authors; it’s about preserving narratives.
“We read works of people who came before us. Our generation needs motivation to write about today so that those of tomorrow can trace their origins.”
Budding rural writers are now urged to channel their creativity into the Pen Pals and Prose competition, with submissions open — offering a tangible pathway from the classroom to publication, transforming those solitary “As” into shared stories for a nation, and finally giving voice to talents that might otherwise remain unheard.
For many young Zimbabweans in the villages, the dream of seeing their name in print just became significantly more attainable.
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