Chronicle Editor
Stanely Mushava: Literature Today
Music maintains its round-the-clock social interface, most art forms have a consistent profile in the showbiz circuit, but not much is underway to promote the public celebration of literature. The setting in of Literature Festival (LitFest) as one of the keynote carnivals of the written and the spoken word is, therefore, a significant incentive for the art form.Now in its third year, the festival, headed by one of the most credible names in Zimbabwean literature, Chirikure Chirikure, returns to Harare with an early Christmas treat for students and culture connoisseurs. The three-day annual festival, designed to converge stakeholders in the literary industry, will be staged at Theatre in the Park and Harare Gardens starting on Monday, November 30.
This year, creative and academic notables including Cont Mhlanga, Prof Kizito Muchemwa and Prof Rungano Zvobgo will share their insights from a podium previously commanded by Stanley Nyamfukudza and Prof Robert Muponde.
The festival will be opened by fast-rising poet Philani Nyoni’s madness-themed one-man performance, hopefully not a mental forecast of the three-day affair.
Recent participants include the controversial Shepherd Mutamba who was at pains to ward off the vulgarian label attached to his biography, “Tuku Backstage”; Tendai Maduwa, who launched his second poetry anthology, “Marry My Language”, fast-rising Afrofusion artiste Gary Tight, Diasporan poet Barbara Mangami-Ruwende and evergreen imbongi master Albert Nyathi.
More than 60 presenters, including writers, actors, storytellers, musicians, comedians, script writers, radio presenters, publishers, producers, academics and critics, are slated to participate with readings, performances, recitations, interviews, debates and community outreaches.
Literature Today tracked down organiser Chirikure who shared on the educational import and creative essence of the upcoming literature galore (and off-the-record patent negotiations). Chirikure said the festival’s main purpose is to allow writers to present their work, and to allow academics, critics, other writers and the reading public to hear and discuss it.
“Students of literature and the general public will have an opportunity not only to meet with writers, but to engage with them in discussions and readings,” Chirikure said.
One of the exciting things about the festival is that it rejects a protectionist definition of literature, allowing for a vastly diverting print, visual and aural convergence.
“We take literature as broadly as possible, including prose, poetry, both print and spoken, storytelling, theatre, film scripts as well as lyrics. With that broad approach, the festival offers both adults and students opportunities to enjoy literature. It also helps the audience to develop intellectually,” Chirikure told Literature Today.
The veteran poet jointly runs the festival with Robson Isaac Shoes Lambada, Elizabeth Muchemwa, Rudo Chakanyuka and Robert Mutsindiri, all seasoned artistes and administrators, backed by a board of trustees.
“Literature is one of the backbones of the art and, as such, an integral part of most academic pursuits, in schools and in tertiary institution. In the last two years, LitFest has worked with high schools and tertiary education to help bring literature and literary practitioners closer to the students and staff,” Chirikure said.
Last year, LitFest worked in partnership with the British Council in a workshop for high school students selected from a number of Harare schools.
The students were trained by professionals who imparted them with writing and social media skills. After training, some went on to write and then perform their own works, while fellow students recorded the presentations and for social media.
“One of the major aims of that process was to encourage youths to us social media in a more meaningful way, for intellectual development,” Chirikure said.
LitFest has previously taken local and international writers and critics to the University of Zimbabwe where they discussed topics of interest to both the university students and staff.
The sessions offered the students and staff opportunities to engage in discussions with the presenters, while writers read or perform their works.
This year, LitFest has also gone into partnership with the Great Zimbabwe University (GZU).
“Vice Chancellor Professor R.J. Zvobgo will present a keynote address at the festival. His presentation is expected to cover issues to do with morality, taboos and ethics, and how these impact on literature,” Chirikure said.
GZU academics Salachi Naidoo, Henry Chiwaura and Prof Muchemwa will also be part of the festival proceedings where they will function as discussants, panellists and moderators.
Two students from their university will perform their poetry in other sessions.
“In the past two years, we managed to bring Zimbabwean writers based in the Diaspora to the festival. Stanley Nyamufukudza, Zukiswa Warner, Robert Muponde and Barbara Mhangami- Ruwende have all participated.
“We realise that a number of Zimbabwean writers are now based abroad and locals rarely get opportunities to engage with them. That facility also gives the audiences opportunities to learn from the writers’ experiences and knowledge acquired abroad,” Chirikure said.
The festival has previously drawn writers from Norway, Burma, Kenya and South Africa.
“The international writers invited to the festival are also meant to help local audiences gain insights into global developments related to literature and the arts in general.
“However, each year, the majority of the festival participants are locals, eminently writers whose works range from biographies, theatre scripts, poetry to prose.
“The works are in all the different languages of Zimbabwe, with a number of them being on the study lists at high school and in tertiary education institutions,” Chirikure said.
The LitFest director said his team plan to tour with writers and critics to various parts of the country during the course of the year beginning in 2017 as a build- up to the main festival which comes at the beginning of December.
“These activities will open up more platforms for writers to interact with their readers. People always appreciate such opportunities, mainly because it is not easy for writers to get the facilities to interface with their readers,” Chirikure observed.
2016 has been a good year for literature, with a number of positive steps in the right direction by the educational sector. The new curriculum has occasioned the production of new content and looks to enhance the canon of literature African languages. Chirikure lauded the new development as a boon for the celebration of literature in the country.
“Writers will also be heavily involved in producing new educational books. As such, there is need for more opportunities for writers to engage with the communities, sharing ideas and enriching the process of creating new materials as well as the process of meaningfully consuming literary works,” he said.
Literary notable David Mungoshi said LitFest was a welcome addition to the country’s cultural landscape as it will facilitate the public celebration of literature.
“In my view, public celebrations of literature as with public celebrations of other art forms, help to demystify literature and place the writer in the realm of interaction with readers,” Mungoshi said.
“It’s no good for people to just know there is a book out there which they have never read. Books should not be treated like holy objects that are revered and never touched. Festivals like LitFest are necessary enterprises for increasing the visibility of the book value chain,” he said.
Noted writer and literary critic Memory Chirere said book festivals promote authors’ books and foster a love of literature and writing.
“Sometimes at such events, academics, pupils and writers, publicly discuss contemporary literary issues on a face to face basis. This is an opportunity to clarify issues that may have arisen from reading the book far away from its creator.
“Reading privately behind closed doors is a wonderful thing but it has its many challenges and at such a festival, authors are brought together to specifically link their work with their social environment.
“It is also likely that many of those who attend literary festivals, nourish literary aspirations of their own, and feel that they may get some inspiration and useful advice from listening to successful writers discussing their work,” Chirere said.
Topics up for discussion this edition include “Claiming Spaces Using Writing”, “Sex and Sexuality and How They Impact on Literature”, “The Novel As a Cultural Resource” and “Poet – Prose Writer Conversation”.
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