Londile Moyo
Mbulelo Mpofu [email protected]
The poetry scene in Zimbabwe has been rocked by an unsettling event as award-winning poet Tinashe Tafirenyika has reported her car stolen.
Tinashe, known for her groundbreaking contributions to spoken word poetry, is now seeking assistance from the public to recover her vehicle, a white Honda Fit (registration number AFH 5222).
According to Tinashe, the vehicle was last seen at her father’s home on Tuesday night, in the Gwabalanda suburb of Bulawayo.
She recounted the unfortunate incident: “So, this car was with my dad at home in Gwabalanda, and was last seen last night when people went to sleep. We then woke up this morning, and found that the gate key was broken, chains taken, and the car was gone.”
Adding to the distress, Tinashe said, “My dad slept throughout the night, didn’t hear a thing, only woke up to go out and find the car gone.”
The family has reported the matter to the police, who are investigating the theft.
Tinashe has made a significant impact on the Zimbabwean arts landscape. In 2017, she became the first woman and youngest person to receive a National Arts Merit Award (NAMA) in Spoken Word Poetry. Her accomplishments that year also included winning a Bulawayo Arts Award (BAA), showcasing her talent and dedication to her craft.
Starting her poetry journey at the Book Café in Harare, she quickly became a fixture at events like the House of Hunger Poetry Slam and Sistaz Open Mic. Tinashe’s accolades continued to grow; in 2016, she won the Shakespeare 400 Year Commemoration Slam in Bulawayo. By 2018, she had made history again by becoming the only individual to win a NAMA twice in the Spoken Word Poetry category.
Her artistic prowess does not end there—Tinashe ventured into filmmaking with the release of her first poetry video, “Sarah Baartman,” and her written works gained widespread recognition. At the beginning of 2019, Tinashe published her account of the Zimbabwe Shutdown in Brittle Paper, one of Africa’s leading literary websites, and later became one of the new columnists for Konya Shamsrumi, a Nigerian poetry blog.
Despite her rising stardom, Tinashe maintains her roots in Bulawayo, where she works as a Medical Laboratory Scientist when not crafting her poems.
Anyone with information regarding the stolen car or who may have seen suspicious activity in the Gwabalanda area is encouraged to contact Tinashe or the local authorities. – Follow on X @MbuleloMpofu
Online Reporter