Writing in Zimbabwe

Martin Goodman, who traveled to Zimbabwe to run writing workshops for the British Council, reports for The Guardian about what he has seen of the literary scene.

Shona is the majority language of Zimbabwe, and Ignatius Mabasa, a powerful performing poet, novelist and storyteller, is acknowledged as its top new voice. He explained to me the three generations theory of Zimbabwean writing: the first generation were the teachers, educated in missionary schools, writing with didactic zeal; the second generation wrote to praise the second chimu-renga, the civil war for independence – and then dealt with post-independence disappointments; the third are the “born-frees”. They are emerging from the chrysalis of the 20th century, blinking, self-consciously modern, hoping the world will pay them some heed.

Goodman mentions writers Virginia Phiri, Shimmer Chinodya, Fay Chung, and others, but the piece was too brief to satiate my appetite.

Thanks to David F. for the link.