adminWilson Waison
CHITUNGWIZA poet, Mandhla Mavolwane, is set to publish a second offering titled “The Politics of Life”.
The new project comes after his debut anthology named “Ghetto Symphony” published in 2019.
He said the latest offering will also come in audiobook technology, in an effort to interact with audiences, who have visual impairment.
Mavolwane, an award-winning contemporary author, compiled a rare anthology which includes drama extract, prose passages and poems in this new project.
“The Politics of Life is birthed after a thorough introspection of the persona that egged Ghetto symphony.
“Ghetto Symphony is an orchestra of short stories and poems that vividly portrays the socioeconomic situations affecting the teenage and young adult groups across Zimbabwe,” Mavolwane said.
“It’s time I started focusing on my growth, finding new ways of writing and deriving my own style that will set me apart from the person I was when I was working on Ghetto Symphony,” he said.
The subject of his latest offering is a manifestation from the events which the author experienced on a daily basis.
Mavolwane ridicules life as a political canvas, which can be drawn in black and white, hence the book title, “The Politics of Life.”
Previously, the author faced challenges in publishing his debut as publishers found his style of writing as alien.
“Firstly, it was rejection then I had to rework the whole project.
“After approval by the publisher, there was shortage of finance to print copies but then I managed to get paperbacks later and created a targeted audience ready to explore the writing,” said Mavolwane.
“Online marketing is still low as locals are used to just accessing free portable document formats,” he said.
He also takes a new leaf in the digital era and embrace audiobook format for his forthcoming anthology as an inclusion measure of the sensory stimulation when reading.
“With the current trends of audio books, I’m considering The politics of Life changed to audio to accommodate the visually impaired audience.
“That’s the new normal I will consider doing in an effort to increase customer base and audience,” he added.
Mathew Masinge
Online Reporter