Online Reporter
Ray Bande in MUTARE
RESTING on one’s laurels is one huge mistake that many people make after achieving something in their careers, but for 2024 Presidential Innovation Fair Award winner Joseph Bhasera, last year’s success story is a trampoline, not a chair.
Bhasera, a versatile artist and author of Chibongo CheShwiro Ndau poetry book, the book which came second in the Presidential Appraisal Award 2024 Innovation Fair for the Best innovation in Arts and Humanities, is now a proud owner of studio equipment that he is using in promoting fellow artists as well as his own artistic works – a project established from the proceeds received after winning last year’s Presidential Award.
The Marymount Teachers College student, Bhasera, said: “I am happy to say I managed to secure studio equipment that I am using to record music for other artists as well as my own works of art.”
Joseph was born on October 13, 1988. A married father of two children, a boy and a girl, he came from Chipinge and is now based in Mutare, where he is attending studies at Marymount Teachers College.
Apart from writing, he is the producer of documentary films such as Inside Ndau Culture (sponsored by the Zimdigital Migration program) and Manicaland Attached Instruments and Dance Exploration (MAIDE), sponsored by the Culture Fund of Zimbabwe Trust.
Apparently, Bhasera is a dancer, choreographer, adjudicator, song composer, poet, traditional and modern instruments player, traditional dancer and trainer.
But who inspired Bhasera to be an author? He said: “As a Ndau person with the love of his mother’s language, I am proud to keep this language alive.
“I am complementing the Government’s efforts for being articulated in putting the Ndau language among the sixteen languages of Zimbabwe.
“I read several books written by the Shona gurus like Professor Magwa, texts like Tsika dzeva Shona by Gombe, J. C Kumbirai. Those people wrote their books in the language they understand better. So as an author, I found it possible and exciting to write poems in my mother’s language Chindau.”
For the award-winning Chibongo CheShwiro Ndau poetry book, the themes of love, encouragement, gospel, shunning pride, general enjoyment of life, laughter, and danger warnings permeate the different poems in the book.
He said: “The book Chibongo CheShwiro talks about the good way of living with others. This life needs co-operation, unity and harmony, so the author seeks to reach the message of shaping a good person who is accepted and helpful in society.”
On helping out others and nurturing of talents, Bhasera said: “Since I have a lot of experience in the arts sector, I helped my fellow students in training them in some traditional dances for dance and theatre lessons, mbira playing, marimba and guitar playing.
“I also help those who love doing poetry, the likes of Rudo Tambandini, a third-year student and Magret Zvoushe, a first-year student and others.
“I am also a resource person on traditional dances in schools like Mutare Junior Primary School, Victory Primary School, Chikanga Primary School, Tilbury Primary School, Checheche Primary School, New Years’ Gift Primary School among others.”
On his future plans, Bhasera said: “I wish to have a vibrant culture centre where the youths will come and learn more about Zimbabwean cultural diversity, knowledge in language, traditional dances and theatre arts.
“I wish to have a library that displays many books of Ndau and other languages so that people would appreciate the power of writing. It is my wish also to partner with some tertiary institutions in training their students for dance and theatre. Also on how to write some books and also to have a chance of reciting my poems on our community radio stations and ZTV.”
