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September 14 to 20 2014 THE STANDARD STYLE / ARTS 27 Melgin Tafirenyka up for an award Silence Charumbira South Africa based film-maker Melgin Tafirenyka has been nominated for the Zimbabwe Achievers Awards South African chapter in the personality-ofthe-year category. Tafirenyika told The Standard on Friday that he was humbled by the nomination after years of work. “Seeing myself being nominated in this category to me is not just a nomination, but a dream come true,” said Tafirenyika. “It was not easy to be nominated because there were judges who were there to look at the profile and see if you really deserve to be nominated and that I made it I feel elated.” He will be battling it out for the award with Leeroy Gopal of the Yellow Card fame. Tafirenyika is currently riding high after the success of a video he features in. The video by Nigerian singer Simi is currently doing well on the chats and on social network You Tube, where just after two weeks, it has a steady 13 000 hits. In the video, he plays the role of a hunky police detective chasing elusive robbers. One night he literally bumps into a beautiful woman whom he asks for her contact number. In the investigation one of the leads is a little paper that the thieves leave as a way of identifying themselves and it so happens that it is the same paper on which woman writes her number. The filmmaker said he is already working on his third film titled, My first boyfriend, although he refused to get into the details of that movie. Tafirenyika’s first movie was l will marry myself which is showing on DStv’s Mzansi Magic while the second one, Sour Milk, was supposed to have been launched this month before the producer decided to enter it for various film festivals around the world before release. BIG BROTHER HOUSE HAS BEEN FOUND AND OFFICIAL LAUNCH DATE REVEALED M-Net and Endemol SA are delighted to confirm that a new Big Brother house has been found in Johannesburg, South Africa following the devastating fire that demolished the original house on 2 September. The search was concluded after exploring all possible options both locally and internationally, for a suitable venue to produce the 9th season of Africa’s biggest reality show. M-Net and Endemol SA are pleased to announce that Big Brother Hotshots will officially launch on Sunday 5 October at 7pm. As they countdown to the launch, fans across the continent can look forward to some pleasant surprises in true Biggie fashion. The producers wish to thank fans far and wide for all the patience and continuous support over the past few days. For more information, follow the action in the lead-up to the Premiere on social media by following @BigBroAfrica, liking facebook.com/BigBrotherAfrica or go to the official website at www.bigbrotherafrica.com
28 THE STANDARD STYLE / ARTS / BOOKWORM September14 to 20 2014 By Bookworm I HAVE known Memory Chirere for many years – as a mentor, writer and colleague. He is one of a few versatile local writers who can maneuver between English and Shona easily. When news filtered through that he had a collection of Shona poetry coming, I eagerly anticipated its release. Perhaps, it was because his previous groundbreaking collection of short-short stories Tudiki-diki tickled me so much that I could not wait to see what he had done with the Shona language this time. His new book is oddly titled, Bhuku Risina Basa nekuti rakanyorwa masikati (The useless book because it was written in the afternoon). The unusual title for the book was inspired by the fact that the poems were written in between chores. For a man who is a full time university teacher, Chirere, had to sneak in poetry lines during breaks. This is a characteristic of the new Zimbabwean writer. In fact, the temperament of the creative writer in contemporary Zimbabwe evolves out of a preoccupation with concrete, practical matters, and a tendency to rush and hurry, thus demanding that its literature be terse and to the point. And, since most writers gaining prominence today work other jobs and do not depend on writing alone, they only write when they have the time and space and this could be one major reason why for Chirere the gestation period was long. The book is a journey that spans over two decades of life experiences. In an interview with Beavan Tapureta, Chirere explained that the book “… is a way of putting together so many things that I have said to myself and others for the past 20 years so that they do not get lost.” While many young writers now feel that there is more honour in writing in English than their mother tongue, Chirere is one of a handful of writers celebrating the beauty of their language and the beauty of the philosophy their own language. In an almost show-off like manner, there is a way in which Chirere’s exuberant dance in the rhythm of his language is infectious. Reading Bhuku Risina Basa is like a dance in the rain. Instead of merely using the Shona language as a cultural relic, he uses the language to interrogate many issues. In their breadth of perspective and depth of scrutiny, the 70 The useless book with useful lessons poems in the book strike a balance between private sentiments and public themes to a point where some of them render individual feelings as public sentiments. Chirere skillfully bridges the gap between the living poem and its written counterpart. If you know the man, as you flip from one page to the other, it is easy to imagine him reading it. Some of these poems were recited to live audiences as part of real events. That probably largely accounts for the easy flowing rhythm to have an immediate appeal to the reader. The only other Shona poet who gives me goose bumps when I read his work is the inimitable Chirikure Chirikure. His collection, Hakurarwi, is a particular favourite. Perhaps due to colonial influences and limitations Shona literature has always been seen to be didactic and moralistic. But with Chirere, he tears away the old script and writes a new kind of poetry that has humour and message infused in a clever way. Good poems should be able to lift the reader out of the ordinary and give glimpses of a more illuminating reality. This is where the contradiction in Chirere comes out. Though he insists that his book is useless, it is a combo of delicious poetry. He does not give too much or too little, but just enough. Chirere thinks deeply about both his message and method. If Bhuku Risina Basa is the future of Shona poetry, then Zimbabwe is truly blessed. Reading a lot of tepid poetry floated around by “wanna be writers” we face the danger of failing to develop or consolidate a clear tradition of written Shona poetry because it appears that the current crop of Shona poets does not read one another, or those who came before. Chirere uses his mastery of English in the book to his benefit. Most of his poetry clearly shows that his influence by English. He has a tendency to use the mode of writing of English using regular lines and rhyming schemes, which is not found in traditional Shona poetry. Traditional poetry doesn’t use that kind of meter or beat but depends on repetition, which is the basic unit of Shona poetry. Shona poetry typically uses a lot of repetition and a lot of imagery. The subjects of the book are as varied and rich, private and public. Because the book grew with the writer, it is a journey full of nostalgia and retrospect and forward looking. If there is anything Chirere has always ably done, it is to make his readers laugh out loud at themselves and the world around them. He is a genius of humour. The preface to Bhuku Risina Basa was written by another Shona writer and Chirere’s publisher at Bhabhu Books, Ignatius Mabasa. It is not easy to translate but must be best read in the language it is written in. In short, he says, “nhetembo (dzaChirere) dzinofamba nemakumbo dzichibva pamakadzirongedza, dzichienda kunogara pamaifunga kuti hapagarwe kana kusvikwa nenhetembo.” [the poems defy the stereotypes to rest in places people thought were unreachable] Chirere is a genius and Bhuku Risina Basa is a manifestation. Don’t be fooled by the title, it’s a book worth rekindling your love affair with Shona. Feedback: bhukuworm@gmail.com LILIAN MASITERA masiteral@yahoo.com 0772 924 796 Usave Saskam, verenga udzore pfungwa
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