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Beaven Tapureta Bookshelf
When young, multi-talented, award-winning artist Tendai Humbasha Maduwa aka African Kid was called to the stage at the crucial 2015 ZIBF Great Indaba, before he performed he said, “I make it a point that wherever I perform around the world I do poetry that have something to do with the plight
of children.”
He also announced the official launch of his motivational book “Nuggets of Success” that was to happen a few weeks later. In poet-singer style, he then started to croon a sorrowful song which pleaded with a departed mother to come back to life and rescue her son faced with difficult circumstances.
His voice, when he burst into the actual poetry, embodied an orphaned child who, although in desperation, knows he/she has to be strong as realisation dawns that he/she is but all alone and survival depends only on something great within him/her.
Though Maduwa finished his poem, its echoes flew around the conference room, especially the words “dzokai/dzokai kani Mhai/ . . . Nhasi chandinodya chondipa nzara . . .”
For those who know the young poet and listened to this poem at the Great Indaba, their thoughts were unmistakably dragged back, far back to the source of this gift now unveiling itself to the world, their minds drifted back to the inspiring story of this gifted African child in the poem as well as in life. The poem actually carried a real life story which has inspired many children who have come in contact with Maduwa to witness his performances.
The story hidden in the poem started exactly on October 27, 1989, in a small village in Mutoko, where a baby boy was born. Loving-kindness abounded naturally from those around, especially from mom and dad and siblings. The village celebrated, though no one knew yet that to it a gifted poet has been born whose first name is Tendai (be thankful) and that the celebration would end only eight months later as death comes to take away the mother from her child. Mother died and thus began ‘‘the poem of struggle’’ for the African Kid.
Tendai grew in the village, playing with other village children. While other kids knew how their mothers look like, Tendai knew nil. The art of photography reserves memories and serves posterity. The reason why people keep photographs of their beloved ones is mainly to maintain lively memories but for Tendai, there were no photographs of his mother.
Even today, almost twenty six years later, Tendai Maduwa says he knows not how his mother looked like.
“I don’t even know how she looked like because there is no picture or portrait of her that I have seen except a certain faded black and white photo I was given by my uncle which didn’t stay long in my possession because someone took it from me. But I was told I have her many features and resemblance,” says Tendai.
As Tendai the boy grew and started attending primary school, he was exposed to traditional childhood games with an element of entertainment, games like ‘‘chimuhwande-hwande’’ (hide and seek), ‘‘sarura wako’’, and many others. There were also real fights between the boys.
But something suddenly happened again that would change the track of the boy’s life. Maduwa, aged nine years, lost his father when he was nearly finishing Grade Three at Makosa Primary School. A kind relative took custody of Tendai and transferred him to Tafara in Harare in a bid to assist him complete his primary education.
This was the trip that would mark the anointed time for his gift to show. In a short period at Tafara Primary School, Tendai began to exhibit thespian qualities.
At high school, his gift was spotted by the school head Ben Sibenke who also at that time happened to be starring in a popular local TV soap “Studio 263”. The ‘‘things’’ great within the two creatures converse and a tacit agreement of minds is sealed that one will mentor the other. Talent identified talent!
The journey that Tendai then walked after the contact with Sibenke confirmed his calling in poetry and drama. The label ‘‘orphan’’ lived far off and if it existed, Tendai did not let it stand in his way up the summit of his dreams. Even though difficulties came his way, such as when a relative who had begun taking care of him announced there were no moneys for his secondary education, he moved on.
“I started to buy sculptures and selling them to generate money for my school fees but each time I got a few dollars and handed them over to my guardian, they would use all of it for themselves,” remembers Maduwa. The abuse could not end as the relative even denied Maduwa the scholarship opportunity offered by the principal!
He dropped out of school eventually, and for about a year he engaged in repairing shoes for people.
“I did this for almost a year just to occupy myself as I never enjoyed the money because it would be manipulated as usual,” Maduwa reminisces.
Finding he could not take it any longer, Maduwa was swayed by desperation to start a life in the streets. Yet, poetry kept calling him back to sanity. He would perform his poems to other street kids who then would drop a few things for him to survive. A relative was told about his situation and came to take Maduwa to Murehwa. He stayed not for a very long time with the relative because he had now learnt not to trust anyone. He went back to the village and finished his ordinary level.
As a budding writer, he at some point lost a manuscript he had written titled “Vakamboonana Havashayane”. As he believed in education, Maduwa says it was a dream come true when the late national hero Dr. Sikhanyiso Duke Ndlovu offered the intelligent young poet a scholarship to do his advanced level at ZDECCO.
“Honestly speaking, Dr. Ndlovu was a real father to me. He welcomed me into his life and gave me a status. He is one of the people who have helped to build my name. He guided me and I never saw him angry, he would smile always, like a father,” says Maduwa.
The late celebrated educationist Dr. Sikhanyiso Ndlovu was described by the President Robert Mugabe as distinguished “man of ideas” and a sharp mind.
In his well-researched, motivational book “Nuggets of Success”, Maduwa aims to inspire other young people and change lives through helpful ideas about how to succeed amidst negative factors. Ten chapters are dedicated to inspiring various behaviours and attitudes needed for one to succeed.
The topics covered are ‘‘Identifying your Potential’’, ‘‘Dream Development’’, ‘‘Career Planning’’, ‘‘Decision Making’’, ‘‘Stress Management’’, ‘‘Mastering Communication Skills’’, ‘‘Leadership’’, ‘‘Role Model’’, ‘‘Model Status’’ and ‘‘Relating with Followers’’. The book is a testimony of the wisdom which the author drew from his own life.
Rabison Shumba, an accomplished author, speaker and coach who had an influence on Maduwa’s life, says in his foreword to the book, “It falls into the realm we call self-development books or self-help books. Reading the chapters it gave me an even better understanding of the subject of success.”
By diversifying writing skills, particularly around motivation and poetry, Maduwa leads the pack of young life coaches such as James Nyamajiwa, CJ Mylton, Llyodd Machacha and others who have also shown that a link exist between motivation and poetry.
Today, Maduwa is a name to reckon with in the arts and culture sector. He is an actor, a life coach, a founder of various projects such as Awake Zimbabwe. Maduwa is also a brand ambassador for Saidia Watoto Africa Children Centre in Kenya and an organisation called Youth Arise Productions which covers whole of East and Central Africa. In 2013 he won an international poetry and theatre award at the Kenya Kistrech Poetry Festival where he represented Zimbabwe and made his country proud. He has participated at various arts festivals in and outside the country.
Apart from “Nuggets of Success”, Maduwa has also co-authored “The Enchanted World” which was published in India and features poets from different parts of the world, and a solo poetry anthology called “Marry My Language” (2014). Early this year, Maduwa married his beloved Nobuhle Dube, who managed the publication process of “Nuggets of Success”.
Online Reporter