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NOVEMBER was the month. Not just another calendar month but “the MONTH”.
The great month of 2017 that saw people, like ants or a great swarm of bees, running into the streets — black, white, Indian, young and old, their faces screaming with joy and new hope. It was the month that saw thousands, if not millions of people finally coming together and calling for a new political order.
November was the month in which Robert Mugabe, our father of the liberation, finally listened to the people and stepped down from the presidential seat. It was unprecedented. It was surreal.
November, according to many Zimbabweans, in and outside the country, was the month of our second independence. It was the month that brought with it a new hope and new feelings among many. The events of November got everyone dreaming again.
Since Mugabe’s resignation all sectors of the economy, including the arts, have been excited. Key word being REVIVAL. Meanwhile, the social media has been abuzz with wish lists — lists full of dreams. Artistes have their wish lists too, they too are talking about their new dream Zimbabwe.
Intwasa, together with Patsime Trust, Pamberi Trust and other partners have put up a platform for young poets to use their creativity to speak about their new Zimbabwe vision.
Ten young poets are set to do battle in a competition to express their dreams of a new Zimbabwe. I had the opportunity to sit with some of the poets, young and still trying to break into mainstream platforms, and asked them what the so called new era means for them and what they wish to see come January going forward.
Since poetry is one of the finest forms of communication, specialising more in brevity, the young poets were very clear on what they wished for. Their positive projection of Zimbabwe’s future was clear and well-articulated.
Young Lisa Ncube’s vision is as clear as her poetry. She says she wishes to see youths and young people working together in peace and harmony so as to improve the country’s economy.
She envisions a Zimbabwe with better infrastructure and jobs for youths and young people. All things being equal she would like to see a Zimbabwe with strong cultural values.
She would also like to see increased productivity, fair labour practices and the complete eradication of corruption. She hopes the President Mnangagwa administration will deliver.
Eighteen-year-old Babongile Mhlanga says the future is female. She says this with a straight face, it’s more of a dare, a challenge than just an innocent statement. Mhlanga strongly believes that a leadership that fails to realise that the time for women has come is doomed.
She would like to see a lot of women in critical positions and not just there for window dressing but to make change. Listen to my poetry on the day of the competition, she says, and you will understand my vision better.
There is also Racheal Ncube who wishes nothing but prosperity for the “new” Zimbabwe. She wishes the country goes back to being the bread basket of Africa, to being a giant in Agriculture.
As for Sondlane Nyamezela Dube, 22 years, she wishes for nothing but an environment that allows for self-actualisation, an environment that encourages young people to reach for their full potential.
Anita Moya prays for a new leadership that will invest in young people and groom them for the future.
All the ten young poets in the competition have their own specific vision, the common thread among these being the desire for change, change for better, the desire for revival, for inclusion and prosperity for the country. The Open Mic Poetry Session during the Intwasa Extra is an arts platform meant to amplify and elevate young people’s views on the “New Zimbabwe”.
Online Reporter