Online Reporter
Takunda Gambiza
Herald Reporter
UNIVERSITY of Zimbabwe third-year law student and human rights activist Nodeshah Maingehama on Saturday launched her debut book Five Faces, a publication aimed at raising awareness on the hidden social barriers affecting women and promoting intergenerational mentorship.
Ms Maingehama, who is also a spoken word artist and gender champion, said the book was inspired by her desire to document women’s experiences across generations and encourage young women to confront challenges affecting their lives.
The launch, held in Harare, marked the culmination of a project she began in her first year at university and took over two and a half years to complete.
Speaking during an interview, Ms Maingehama said she wanted the book to speak directly to young women navigating university life and broader societal expectations.
“What really inspired me is the issue of wanting intergenerational mentorship because I realised that the things that we are facing as women today are things that have been faced by our mothers and are going to continue being faced by our children,” she said.
She said writing the book while still a student allowed her to draw from real experiences within a university environment, making the story more relatable to readers.
Ms Maingehama said Five Faces explores what she termed “quiet forces”, subtle but deeply rooted practices and behaviours that limit women’s participation in society.
“In life, there are some things that do not stand out at first. They appear in small moments,” she said.
She cited examples such as people using acts of kindness or opportunities they provided as leverage to manipulate or take advantage of women.
“These are quiet forces because when people look at the things that are limiting women, they only think of bigger systems like unemployment, yet there are other things that have been normalised but are not normal,” she said.
The young author said her legal studies played a major role in shaping her writing style, particularly through research and evidence-based storytelling.
“You need to really do a background check of the story. You need to know your agenda and research who else has spoken about it,” she said.
Ms Maingehama described storytelling as one of the most powerful forms of advocacy because it allows writers to connect with people emotionally and speak on issues affecting communities in a relatable manner.
She also stressed the importance of women’s voices in Zimbabwean literature, saying female writers were better positioned to articulate challenges faced by women.
“It is important to have many women’s voices so that we demystify some of the things, raise awareness and encourage intergenerational mentorship,” she said.
Ms Maingehama said she is already working on another project, although she intends to take time conducting research before releasing her next book.
She expressed hope that Five Faces would spark conversations around issues that society has remained silent about for years.
“I hope this conversation brings people closer to something they have already felt but never fully understood,” said Ms Maingehama.
