Celebrating people of Zimbabwe

Christopher Farai Charamba Literature Today
Book: People of Zimbabwe – This is My Story
Publisher: Gillian and Associates Publishers (2016)
ISBN: 978-0-7974-6900-6
Last month Zimbabwe celebrated 36 years of independence. More than a generation ago brave men and women risked life and limb in an armed struggle against the colonial regime that treated them as second class citizens denying them not only the right to vote but also the opportunity to participate in all facets of life – social, economic and political. While there were some Zimbabweans who managed to achieve personal success during the colonial period, the majority lived under oppressive circumstances. The coming of independence changed this situation and all Zimbabweans were able to break through the glass ceiling and reach whatever pinnacle they personally desired.

Zimbabwe is a country endowed with numerous resources and an educated people. Some of those people have achieved numerous successes and accolades both locally and internationally. Unfortunately, there is a dearth of biographical information on prominent Zimbabweans outside the political sphere.

Biographies are important as they share individual histories of a people that then contribute to the greater history of the nation. While there are a few political biographies and autobiographies by and on Zimbabweans the number of such works on persons outside the political realm is minimal.

The book “People of Zimbabwe” changes this. It shares the personal stories of successful Zimbabweans from various industries and sectors. The 50 individuals profiled in the book have all achieved great feats in their personal capacities and in doing so have contributed to the success of the Zimbabwean nation.

In the foreword to the book written by Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Walter Mzembi it reads: “The People of Zimbabwe Handbook recognises those amongst us who have excelled in various areas of human endeavour to the point where we can hold them high and say to the rest of the world ‘look how well Zimbabweans do!’”

The project was curated by Gillian Rusike, a marketing executive who felt that there was a need to tell the stories of Zimbabweans in different fields. The book comprises 50 accounts of Zimbabwean men and women, doctors, lawyers, media personalities, musicians, business people, politicians, judges, academics and sportspersons.

The profiles of the people in the book were compiled by a team of writers, namely Yvonne Dube, Jacque Mbayiwa, Eliah Ntali, Taffy Gotora, Michelle Chifamba, Don Makanyanga and Tonderayi Mukeredzi who doubled as the editor of the book as well.

Most of the profiles were compiled by means of interview and this gives them an autobiographical and personal feel as opposed to a distant biographical account of who these people are. The benefit of this autobiographical approach is that the reader gets to understand the individual better and get insights that might have otherwise been omitted had a different approach been used.

The first two profiles are of Zimbabwe’s most prominent individuals President Robert Gabriel Mugabe and the late Vice President Joshua Mqabuko Nyongolo Nkomo. While these were not done by means of interview they are accounts that came from the Office of the President and Cabinet.

These two short biographies are a suitable opening to the book as these two individuals were instrumental in bringing about Zimbabwe’s independence which then made it possible for the other 48 people in the book to achieve their various feats.

The other profiles are not listed in any particular order or categories but flow from one individual to the next. Each short biography starts with a brief introduction on the individual and then goes into their history and journey to where they are today.

Individuals profiled in the book include Shingi Munyeza, Captain Chipo Matimba, Professor Primrose Kurasha, Nigel Chanakira, Eve Gadzikwa, Oliver Mtukudzi, Gary Thompson, Albert Nyathi as well as Joseph Culverwell and Leonard Dembo posthumously.

The book is useful in that it documents stories of some of Zimbabwe’s icons whose histories might otherwise not have been known. Mai Chisamba is one such individual profiled in the book.

In it she explains how she got into broadcasting. “While I was teaching, my headmaster came and told me that the Audio Visual Studio wanted radio teachers and he had selected me. I wondered why he had chosen me, being a woman. I then went for the auditions and qualified automatically becoming a radio teacher, moving around schools teaching through the radio.”

Another individual who shares his story is football icon George Shaya. In the book he shares his journey in football from playing with his friends in Mbare to being one of the first black players to go for trials in Portugal and to play away from home. He also talks about how is father was not keen on his football career.

“My father was not impressed. He was never impressed with me playing football, he used to say football had no future, it was a pastime and not a career but later he felt proud when friend told him how good a player I was. At home he would not brook the football nonsense. He, however, began to appreciate it when I was in the twilight of my career when he watched me play.”

These stories show the various challenges that these people had to go through. There are human stories that sometimes people overlook when seeing an individual through their successes.

Not only does the book cover Zimbabweans from different sectors but also of different races, cultures and genders. It highlights the diversity that the nation has and the opportunity all Zimbabweans have at success. This is important as it makes it possible for any Zimbabwean to identify with one or more of the individuals within the book.

Editor of the book Tonderayi Mukeredzi writes: “People of Zimbabwe connects you to the extraordinary people of our time on top of their field, exploring their careers, lives and ideas with the objective of inspiring those of us who may be hobbled by many different circumstances in our lives.”

While the stories are those of success they also highlight the difficulties that these people had to go through to get there. This book further promotes the beauty of independence in the country as without it these people of Zimbabwe would most likely not have had the opportunities they have had.

The book style and format of the book is that of coffee table book with glossy pages and many pictures of the people profiled. It can be read in one sitting or perused through periodically as each story is a different unique offering.

One drawback from the book is that there seemed to be no clear criteria for the selection of the individuals in the book but rather it is a compilation of people who were willing to be profiled.

Project director Gillian Rusike has stated that this is the first edition of the project with many more books profiling the biographies of different Zimbabweans in the pipeline. Minister Mzembi in the foreword even urged the publishers to compile a book on the Who is Who of Zimbabwean politics.