Outstanding Reading Spirit by Bookshelf

The story of a book lover Costa Shizha (60), a resident of Epworth, Harare, is testimony that ordinary Zimbabweans have not yet lost appetite for reading literature for leisure.

Book purchasing habits may have undeniably diminished due to economic factors but the craving for books still exists. Neighbours, friends and relatives have resorted to informal borrowing or sharing of books because they find no library or book club in the vicinity to quell their desire for literature.

Shizha, commonly known in his neighbourhood as ‘Sinyoro’, frequents the Epworth home of Writers International Network Zimbabwe (WIN) director Beaven Tapureta with incessant requests for books to read. He borrows and later returns the books, and at times, the two sit under a tree to generally talk about bookish issues. Sometimes when broke, he sells to the director those books he would have stumbled on during his adventures and would have finished reading them all. In Epworth, there is another friend of Shizha, identified as Chikwanda, who owns a personal library and also lends him books.

However, it is his undying reading habit which dates back to his youth in the Rhodesian era that one finds impressive. For him, age and education level are not stumbling blocks if one has faith in the written word.

During the oppressive colonial regime, literacy was the pursuit Shizha and other youths of his time had to take seriously, for they believed knowledge is the key to mental liberation. And this meant plunging in the world of books. It so happened that academically he could not advance to secondary level as schools had to be closed because of the war. But still the desire to explore knowledge bound in books burned in him.

His first boss, James Jollif, who owned a supermarket in Gokwe discerned the strong love of books in the young Shizha, who was then a till operator. When Shizha asked for help from him to further his education, the boss promptly bought him a table and chair and assisted him to correspond with ICS up to Form Two.

Reading helped him, and came with a benefit that changed the course of his life as he was, soon after Independence, recommended for a job as bank clerk at Beverly Building Society in Kwekwe.

Although he later stopped working for the bank, his relationship with books kept gaining momentum until he came to Harare to stay with a brother at the railways security camp.

He found a new job at the Jameson Hotel as a bar-man but the tight shifts stole his reading time.

He ventured into motor mechanics, first as a trainee at Monomotapa Technical College, and then worked as a qualified mechanic at various companies in Bindura and Harare.

During this period, Shizha had only newspapers as reading material.

“I was a daily newspaper reader. And at weekends, when I came back to Harare, I would visit the travellers’ bookshop situated at the railways station. I would try to borrow or read for free. I remember seeing the late Canaan Banana, a politician and writer, buying his books there,” Shizha says.

The bookshop led him to another source of reading matter, this time a broader source, the Rottenrow city library, now called Harare City Library.

“Since I had my education cut short because of the war, I sought knowledge in books on my own. Up to now, I am still reading,” says Shizha.

Even though he has forgotten some of the names of writers popular during his hay days, Shizha says he was closely exposed to literature as his brother, Morgan Shizha, wrote a book titled Mhandu Yemunhu Munhu in the 60’s.

As for today’s youths getting swayed by phones and social media, thus giving up reading time, Shizha urges society to educate them about the importance of education and reading for leisure.

True, but the question often asked is how to draw these young people back to reading again. Many studies have shown how mobile phones can be used to inspire reading culture. However, the physical book cannot be denied space in whatever attempts to enhance a reading culture and Shizha proposes the introduction of libraries, particularly in the private colleges which are blooming all over the country.

“If you look around, you will see many private colleges. Some of them have no books at all. Libraries should be introduced in those private schools or colleges and also in rural government schools,” he says.

Organizations such as Writers International Network Zimbabwe, the Harare City Library and Zimbabwe Reads have in the past come together to donate books to school writers clubs in Epworth. Such efforts, with the aid of local authors and publishers, are bound to produce fruit.

About Bookshelf: 

Bookshelf is a column run by writer Beaven Tapureta, a long time contributor to Munyori  and the director of Writers International Network Zimbabwe.