international

Celebrating the Launch of ‘The Mad’ by Ignatius Mabasa

writers at the book launch

Beaven Tapureta, Reporting from Harare, Zimbabwe In the cool evening of October 10 a gathering of ‘the mad’ writers, publishers, artists, arts journalists, academics, friends and family enjoyed the memorable official launch of The Mad, a newly co-published English translation of Ignatius T Mabasa’s 1999 Shona novel Mapenzi, a classic. A charming mood prevailed at…

New Short Fiction by Tanaka Chidora

Tanaka Chidora is a Zimbabwean academic and writer, recognized for his bilingual works in English and Shona. He translated Tsitsi Dangarembga’s The Book of Not and published acclaimed poetry in Because Sadness is Beautiful? His forthcoming novel, Born Location, has garnered recognition, alongside his awards for short stories, including the inaugural Carnelian Heart Publishing award.

Primrose Dzenga on Afrofuturism: Celebrating Our Place in the World

Afrofuturism, or simply African Futurism, was the main theme for the 2025 National Arts Merit Awards (NAMA) in Zimbabwe. It was  an awakening, as it became clear that the judges made their selections for nominations and winners  according to this cultural trend.  Do Zimbabwean–or African–artists fully grasp the art of Afrofuturism? To look into the…

Harusiyi’s homecoming

A Short Story by Samantha Rumbidzai Vazhure It has been a year since Harusiyi died. The homestead is brimming with progeny from all over the country and abroad for magadziro aHarusiyi, the Karanga ceremony to bring back the spirit of the deceased into the home to look after the family. Mudzimu will, going forward, be…

The Nyanga Writers Retreat Sets Example

Story by Beaven Tapureta Some writers go on retreats with a specific structure which subtly or openly calls for participants to have a refined product at the end. There are benefits, of course, drawn from these retreats which involve working with experienced facilitators who closely follow your development for weeks or months. In terms of…

IIFF 2023 spotlights women’s stories of resilience

Story by Khumbulani Muleya  The International Images Film Festival for Women (IIFF) 2023, themed “Women of Hope,” took place in Harare from November 28 until December 2, while the Bulawayo edition is slated to run from December 8 to 10. The theme portrays stories of women who make choices about the paths they take at…

In the House with Fela Kuti, by Christy Alexander Hallberg

Christy Alexander Hallberg is the author of the award-winning novel ‘Searching for Jimmy Page’ (Livingston Press, 2021) and host of Rock is Lit, the first and only podcast devoted to rock novels, from Pantheon Podcast Network. She is a Teaching Professor of English at East Carolina University and serves as Senior Associate Editor of ‘North…

The crooning writer, by Moses Magadza

Tee Ngugi, the eldest of Ngugi’s offspring is a writer, columnist, and singer-songwriter of note. His short fiction, essays, and commentaries have appeared in several publications including New Orleans Review, St Petersburg Review, Kwani, Brittle Paper, Timbuktu, New Black Magazine, Jahazi, and The East African, among others.