Sundaymail Editor
Book Review
Edmore Zvinonzwa
MOTIVATIONAL writing, a practice that is in vogue today, comes in many different forms and impacts differently.
“I’m in Charge of My Narrative: A Memoir of Resilience” seems to be self-explanatory as it is about determination and resilience, and how the two lead to success.
The writer Dr Mejury Chipato’s work is meant to uplift communities.
“Success respects those who not only make a decision to never give up no matter how young or disadvantaged you are in the script of the journey you are embarking on and shelving the fear of failure,” writes Dr Chipato.
In the book, determination and resilience — positive qualities that breed success and the resolve to challenge oneself to do more — reward abundantly.
For the author, her success happens against odds — a young woman in a patriarchal setup who nonetheless continues to fight her way through.
“I grew up in Harare, Zimbabwe, in a ghetto called Mbare: Nothing good can ever come out of Mbare.” (p16)
“Since I was a child, I wanted to be someone who people could look up to.”
True, she has grown to become someone people look up to both socially and professionally.
She runs a charity organisation — Patience of Hope Foundation — whose objective is to raise and pay school fees for disadvantaged young learners.
On the other hand, she is a medical doctor. Her story is unique not because she eventually becomes a medical doctor, but perhaps as a result of the adversities she had to battle to get there.
“Got false HIV positive results at the time she was about to leave the country for university under a fully-funded Government scholarship, which led to her almost losing the scholarship.” (p24)
This is over and above the fact that she had initially studied commercials at high school after results came out late, studied for a microbiology degree in French for five years and failed to make it into medical school four times before eventually making it at age 25.
Dr Chipato is a typical African child who went through the experience of walking long distances to school early on in life when she attended Hundudza Primary School in the Gutu District, Masvingo Province.
Her story of resilience is also plucked from the experiences of her own parents.
First, it was her mother who worked very hard and went to evening school to write her Ordinary Level exams.
“She was very intelligent in school but due to family circumstances, she couldn’t complete school. I watched my mum rising from the bottom, educating, empowering, equipping and building herself from the bottom regardless of being a full-time mother and wife.” (p48)
Her father was also not different.
“I witnessed my father walking every day, all the way from Mbare to town, going for work in order to save transport money, yet he never complained. He owned the least of everything in our family . . . From work, he would go to sell sacks . . . ” (p49)
Setting oneself both a short-term and long-term vision can be very beneficial as we see in Dr Chipato’s story.
“I have set goals in all the areas of my life, including my business, my spiritual health, my health and what not . . .” (p96)
Born at Chitando Clinic in Gutu District and spending her early years in Mafuratirwa Village in the same district, Dr Chipato attended Hundudza and Nharira primary schools, Harare High School before proceeding to Oran University (Algeria), University of Science and Technology in Algeria and the Gannan Medical University in China.
She is also a microbiologist, a businesswoman and philanthropist who is passionate about transforming her community by empowering young people.
Her book “I’m in Charge of My Narrative: A Memoir of Resilience” is one way in which she is trying to drive young people towards success.
“This book is dedicated to all the young people coming from underprivileged backgrounds who aspire to be successful in life and who are desperate to change their life narratives,” she said.
The book was published in 2021 by Atcumbre Publishers.
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