adminGift Kugara Arts Correspondent
The long-awaited publishing ceremony of Zimbabwe’s longest novel “Footprints in The Mists of Time” by United Kingdom-based award-winning author Spiwe Mahachi-Harper was held at Croydon, Britain, last week. The book tells the story of the migrant labourers of Southern Africa who were recruited under the Witswatersrand Native Labour Association from Mozambique, Zambia, Malawi and Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia).
The plot follows five people spanning across three generations of the same family.
Harper, who moved to the UK in 1998 and lives in Shirley, said although the novel is historical fiction, the story was a familiar one for many families in Zimbabwe.
Speaking at the launch, Mahachi explained: “The patriarch leaves his home country to go and seek his fortune in the gold mines and hopes to be back after a year or so, but like most immigrants the world over, he is unable to go back.
“It was more difficult for most of the migrant workers to return to their countries of origin because the journey of several hundreds of miles (to Southern Rhodesia) was undertaken on foot.
“The trip was fraught with danger, although many survived to go on to the mines and farms to work for a meagre wage,” she said.
The book borders on two major historical events — the Burmese War and the Wankie Colliery disaster of 1972 which saw more than 400 killed — to demonstrate how the family and the country was shaped.
The ceremony was presided over by the multi-award-winning veteran broadcaster and media consultant and prime-time TV presenter Princess Deun Adedoyin-Solarin.
William Phiri walked revellers down memory lane with guitar renditions of classics by James Chimombe and John Chibadura.
Dumi Senda, Girl Child Network founder Betty Makoni, Dean Zhuwau and Grace Manyika lauded Harper for capturing the plight of immigrants not only in Africa but the world over.
Ian Musiyani represented the Malawian High Commissioner in London.
Award-winning documentary “Much to the Land of Promise” by Cosmo Itayi Zengeya, which also borders on the émigré experience, was screened at the launch.
Online Reporter