Online Reporter
Maria Chiguvari
Zimpapers Arts and Entertainment Hub
VETERAN playwright Aaron Chiundura-Moyo wants 2026 to be a year of relentless creativity, driven by a newfound sense of purpose.
Chiundura-Moyo believes that, at the moment, age will not dictate his artistic trajectory.
Late last year, the 71-year-old, a veteran filmmaker and novelist, received a Toyota Fortuner GD6 and US$50,000 in cash from businessman Wicknell Chivayo as a token of appreciation for his decades of art.
“This year is going to be my hard working year since age is not on my side. I have to try my level best and come up with at least two drama serious, two books and get back into acting so as to give my artistic works a final push since I have been honoured in such a big way. It’s no longer time to call it quits. The desire to go on has been oiled.”
Last year, the veteran had a bad start as two of his A’ level and O’ level set books were cancelled for being outdated.
“I am a person, who devotes his time on literary works and screen productions. So, whenever the other side is not doing fine for me I ignore it and put effort on the other side.
“So when the new leadership at ZBC decided not to pay for drama productions about ten years ago I had no choice besides going back to my literary works where I thought of lasting at that corner and was very pleased when in 2024 my two books were selected as set-books for “O” and “A” levels and the said books are Chabvondoka and Kuridza Ngoma Nedemo. I was so excited to hear that these books were going to be used in schools up to the year 2027.
“Come last year, I was told by my publishers that the syllabus had been changed, and my two books were thrown out just like that and no reasons were given to me. I got heart broken and came to the point of wanting to quit arts once and for all. This time I had nowhere to turn to.
“To make matters worse all of my publishers except just one, decided not to pay me even one dollar royalty. Two more projects were cancelled at the last minute. I then decided to do other arts works in order to keep going. However, when I had lost hope things started shaping in towards the last quarter of 2025 when some projects started falling on my way. I am so happy to say the year ended at a very high note.”
As fate was on his side, Chiundura-Moyo’s doors opened for him when he least expected.
“In early October last year, Culture Fund and EU Zimbabwe accepted my proposals to run three Creative Voices for Policy Engagement (CVPE) with Stakeholders Workshops in three provinces the first of which was to happen in Harare on the 14th of October, 2025.
“On the very first day of the workshop, heaven’s doors opened for me! I got the shock of my life when my daughter in-law brought me the exciting happy news that Sir Wicknell Chivayo had offered me a brand-new Fortuner and a lot of money as a reward for the work of art I created and produced over a period of over 50 years.
“I can’t describe satisfactory how I felt then or how I am still feeling about this wonderful offer and what a wonderful way of ending the year which had proved to be my best year,” he said.
During the festive season, Chiundura-Moyo took a break from the spotlight, opting for simplicity and time alone.
“This holiday I was pretending as if I had no money in my pockets or special food. I wanted to keep it simple by watching a lot of television, this time around watching soccer matches,” he said.
Londile Moyo