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Elliot Ziwira, At the Bookstore
Zimbabwe’s Independence, which will be celebrated for the 45th time on April 18 under the theme, “Zim@ 45: Devolve and Develop Together towards Vision 2030,” testifies to the power of freedom and the human spirit’s ability to soar when unencumbered.
The country’s liberation struggle was a long and arduous one, marked by sacrifices, struggles, and triumphs. At the heart of this struggle was the issue of land ownership, which remains a contentious issue to this day.
As Stephen King so eloquently puts it in “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption” (1982): “Some birds are not meant to be caged. . . Their feathers are too bright, their songs too sweet and wild. So, you let them go, or when you open the cage to feed them, they somehow fly out past you.”
This sentiment echoes the struggles and triumphs of Zimbabwe’s liberation heroes, who fought tirelessly for the freedom to determine their own destiny.
Concerning the essence of the soil, Mary Brave Bird poignantly remarks, “The land is sacred. These words are at the core of our being. The land is our mother, the rivers our blood. Take away our land and we die.”
Bird’s words sum up the significance of land ownership to Zimbabwe’s identity and politics.
This sentimentality about the land reverberates in Nilene Omodele Adeoti Foxworth’s “Bury Me in Africa” (1978), where she notes: “A people without land is like cattle on naked ground with nothing to graze.”
The struggle for land ownership was a dominant theme in Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle beginning from the 1890s, and it continues to shape the country’s identity and politics today.
Land is a key factor in achieving economic empowerment and self-determination.
One of the most powerful voices to emerge from Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle is that of Freedom Tichaona Nyamubaya.
A poet, writer, and exponent of freedom, Nyamubaya’s work demonstrates how art impacts communities, and shapes collective destinies. Her poetry and prose capture the intricacies and different shades of the liberation struggle, offering a commanding exploration of the human cost of war and the struggle for freedom.
Nyamubaya accentuates the importance of land and self-determination. She also sheds light on the experiences of women in the liberation struggle, and the ways in which they were affected by the war.
To her, freedom transcends mere liberation rhetoric; it’s a deep, existential awakening that grants access to a dignified life. Freedom, for her, means owning the means of production and living, not just existing.
Having fought for independence, Nyamubaya realised that the enemy of freedom is not external, but internalised, and colourblind.
She traded her combat gear for the pen, unleashing a masterful poetic voice in works like “On the Road Again” and “Dusk of Dawn”.
The freedom fighter-poet understood that for the African, the war never truly ends; only the weapons and adversaries change—coming in different guises.
Nyamubaya’s poetry and prose pay tribute to the men and women who fought for Zimbabwe’s independence, and exemplifies the enduring power of the human spirit. The poet insists that patriotism, being rooted in firm loyalty to a principle, transcends geographical boundaries.
As a prominent figure in Generation Two of Zimbabwean writers, as categorised by Viet-Wild (1993), alongside Alexander Kanengoni and Thomas Sukutai Bvuma, Nyamubaya’s experiences during the liberation struggle offer a unique perspective on the war.
Her writing, much like her counterparts, humanises the guerilla fighter, stripping away the notion of an invincible hero. Instead, they reveal the brutal, dehumanising, and disillusioning realities of war.
Nyamubaya conveys the atrocities of war, evoking emotions of sadness, anger, and disgust. In “That Special Place” (2003), she recounts her time in Mozambique, exposing the vulnerability of women during wartime. War, she maintains, is far from glorious; it’s a traumatic experience that leaves an indelible mark on those who have lived through it.
She recounts a harrowing experience of rape by a superior, Nyati, at the tender age of 15. This heinous act was motivated not by her gender, but by her educational background, having attended school up to Form Three. This poignant narrative underlines the complexities of war and its impact on the individual psyche.
As a gifted poet, Nyamubaya skillfully employs connotative and denotative levels of poetry in “A Mysterious Marriage”. On the surface, the poem tells the story of two children whose ideologies are disrupted by “armed robbers”, leading them to seek refuge in violence. However, upon closer examination, the poem reveals a deeper examination of the human cost of war and the quest for freedom.
In “Dusk of Dawn” (1995), she presents a shaded portrayal of freedom fighters, emphasising their humanity and vulnerability. She explores the psychological toll of war on individuals, as seen in “The Works of Mudzepete”.
This story follows Temba, who seeks solace in a potent illicit brew, mudzepete, to escape the traumatic effects of battle.
Though the defeatist tone pervading “That Special Place” is also prevalent, especially in the poetry section, as reflected in the metaphorical title, the guerrilla fighter is not portrayed as sadistic, implacable, and brutal, but humane and fallible.
Heedlessly intoxicated, Temba directs the enemy troops to their hiding place, calling out: “Hey! We are here! You are lost! Please come this way!”
In his drunken stupor, he challenges his fellow comrades: “Hey comrades! Don’t be cowards. We are here to fight! Why are you hiding in the bush and every day demand sadza and chicken from the povo when you are such cowards?”
Using the first-person narrative technique, Nyamubaya exposes the other side of duplicity as the narrator exonerates Temba, yet blames him for selling out.
With the Rhodesian soldiers in hot pursuit, the “rogue” fighter miraculously hides under “a long 30-metre drum which had been brought for cleaning.”
The author skilfully plays on this scene, as the guerrilla fighter is saved by a young woman, who pleads ignorance of his whereabouts.
Nyamubaya writes: “Trembling and urinating deliberately to save the comrade, she pleaded, clapping her hands and then the soldiers went away.”
Such is the nature of collective sacrifice spurred on by hope and unity of purpose as the masses join the struggle on the side of their liberators.
Freedom T. V. Nyamubaya’s “On the Road Again”, is available at Typocrafters Book Shop at Herald House, corner George Silundika Avenue and Sam Nujoma Street in Harare. Grab your copy today!
Contact: Mercy—0771537929, Rose—0776131480, or Leon—0733100191.
Online Reporter