french conference in the drc - Jabulani Mzinyathi

laugh your lungs out
but that is where we are
not a fatalistic acceptance
a backhander from reality

then it got into the marrow
this poem is part of the evidence
dreaming no longer in my mother tongue
perhaps now a cultural bat

still in the spider's web
the entanglement gets deeper
now that was total surrender
celebrating growth of the french language

against the backdrop of abject poverty
in the background foreign gunfire
a french conference in the jungles of africa
this is an avalanche of questions

Author Profile - Jabulani Mzinyathi

Biography:

Jabulani Mzinyathi was born on 01.09.65 in Ascot high density suburb, Gwelo, Rhodesia (now Gweru, Zimbabwe), to working class parents. He is a qualified primary school teacher turned magistrate, and he holds a diploma in personnel management. In 1997 he was awarded a diploma for excellence by the panel of judges of the Scottish international open poetry contest. He has had several poems and short stories published by magazines in Zimbabwe and abroad. He also once wrote humour pieces for some newspapers in Zimbabwe, and was a columnist for Moto magazine, Gweru. He has served both as the vice-chairman of the Budding Writers Association of Zimbabwe, and as chairman of the Zimbabwe Poetry Society.

Jabulani blogs at: jabulanimzinyathi.blogspot.com.

Five Questions with Jabulani Mzinyathi:

1. Did you follow this year's Francophone Summit closely? What were your attitudes about it before the conference? Did they change at all as you watched the conference unfold?

i followed the summit though i would not say very closely. i was put off by the fact that it was hosted in africa and in the drc in particular where the people are still saddled with foreign interests disrupting their lives as the dog fights over resources continue unabated. it was a disgrace per my view for the kabila regime to host such a conference which is clearly not very beneficial to the people of the drc. africans should not really be promoting the agendas of their colonisers. instead they should, among other things, be finding out how kiswahili, which is widely spoken in central africa, can be propagated and used widely in africa. i have noticed that chishona and isindebele, spoken in zimbabwe, also have words that are found in kiswahili. that may become the language for africa. my attitude was of righteous indignation before and after the conference.


2. Did you respond to the Francophone Summit in other ways? Other types of writing, or discussions with others? Why did you choose to explore your feelings about the Summit in verse?

i discussed this matter with colleagues. of course as a poet i then decided to capture my feelings, intentions, tone etc in this genre. perhaps it comes naturally to me. i am a highly sensitive person and the best way for me to let off steam is to do so poetically!


3. Do you think there is a way that African countries can host colonially symbolic events or activities in a positive manner? Or are such events always inherently compromised?

as stated above africa should never have space to celebrate the colonial heritage at all. it is a fact that we are daily faced with the harsh reality of these adopted cultures but we should be taking a look back in order to step forward into the future as equal partners in a global village. so far it is conquest all the way. kabila sees it fit to celebrate our uselessness! that is my view. i am not preaching a romantic view of our african past but we have a unique identity. we have our downtrodden ways. i have spoken before about alien religions that divide our people. our religions have been hot iron branded as "pagan". this is the fight i am in! african languages should not be allowed to die. to me an african leader should not be at the forefront of spending the country's resources on celebrating something colonial. there is very little positive about it. the disadvantages far outweigh the advantages. let me leave this for another day!


4. How do you feel about Zimbabwe, and yourself, being part of the English-speaking world? Do you think that is something worth celebrating? Criticizing?

being zimbabwean and also part of the english speaking world has always been a contradiction i live with. the harsh realities of life. i cannot advocate for the hosting of a conference celebrating the growth of english. even as i grapple with the language question, like my compatriot marechera did, i am keenly aware of the need to develop indigenous languages and put them on the same pedestal with english. these languages are what make us what we are. i have called myself a cultural bat. that symbolises that i have an identity crisis. yes i have. i have been taught that to use english is the way. i accept and reject that. confusion reigns here. that should not be!


5. It's been more than six months since we last spoke with you. How has your life been going since then? Your writing?

i have been deeply involved with masvingo arts platform. that group has lots of vibrant artists. we are going on. i am the chairperson of the group. i have been writing a lot. i have also been involved with leeroy gono of yocaf. it is a youth and cultural arts festival. i am bubbling with energy!

Contact Jabulani:

Email:jmzinyathi1(at)yahoo.co.uk
Website: http://jabulanimzinyathi.blogspot.com/

veiled eyes - Jabulani Mzinyathi

having gobbled the diet
the diet of befuddling religions
having swallowed hook, line and sinker
the gospel of apostasy
now with their warped minds
they denigrate themselves unwittingly
enveloped by the darkness of foolishness

the essence of our ways is warped
labelling our ways ancestral worship
conveniently forgetting they are our intercessors
hacking at the roots of our confidence
defiling all our sacrosanct shrines
but the resilience is plain to see

Author Profile - Jabulani Mzinyathi

Biography:

Jabulani Mzinyathi was born on 01.09.65 in Ascot high density suburb, Gwelo, Rhodesia (now Gweru, Zimbabwe), to working class parents. He is a qualified primary school teacher turned magistrate, and he holds a diploma in personnel management. In 1997 he was awarded a diploma for excellence by the panel of judges of the Scottish international open poetry contest. He has had several poems and short stories published by magazines in Zimbabwe and abroad. He also once wrote humour pieces for some newspapers in Zimbabwe, and was a columnist for Moto magazine, Gweru. He has served both as the vice-chairman of the Budding Writers Association of Zimbabwe, and as chairman of the Zimbabwe Poetry Society.

Jabulani blogs at: jabulanimzinyathi.blogspot.com.

Five Questions with Jabulani Mzinyathi:

1. Can you speak a bit more about the "resilience" you speak of in that last line? In what ways is it "plain to see"?

the ways my ancestors worshipped the creator refuse to die. most of our people faced with life crises will abandon adopted religions and go back to the ways that have been wrongly labelled "ancestral worship". as a black african i do not believe all this crap about ancestral worship. it is a phenomenon that comes out of sheer ignorance and that unbridled desire by some who espouse superiority to denigrate what black africans find spiritually satisfying. i make no apologies! africa was not a dark continent at all. our people knew of the existence of God long before missionaries came with a warped version of christianity that glorifies subjugation. when i at forty-seven still look back and speak out against this i realise that the ways of my ancestors live on in my blood hence 'resilience'. the same resilience is seen in the teachings of rastafari. slavery and colonialism have not been able to annihilate us!


2. Who are you most interested in reaching/influencing with this poem? If you could present this poem to only one person or group of people, who would it be?

the poem is a bomb to be dropped among those that convert my people to a version of christianity that treats black people as sin. it is also aimed at those who sheepishly follow alien gods that leave them empty deep inside. it is aimed at those who label us "ancestor worshippers". that is not what we do. we worship God and the messages get to the maker via our ancestors. the poem is also aimed at those who sow divisions against my people along christianity and islamic lines. these are the alien religions befuddling my people.


3. "sacrosanct shrines" has a great sound to it. What inspired that phrase? Did it come early, or late, in the composition process?

it hurts me deep inside to know that rhodes brazenly chose to be buried at matopos which is know to be a holy shrine by our people. here are the remains of a coloniser defiantly at our sacrosanct shrine. we talk about maintaining the status quo for the sake of history. what? the story must be told this way: the remains of the coloniser were removed and shipped to Britain to be interred there. that is making history!


4. What is new for you in 2012? How do you see your prospects over the coming year?

in 2012 and beyond i will be working with singers to see whether some of the poems i have worked on over the years can assume a new dimension for me. i love reggae music so the beat will have to be that.


5. Similarly, how do you see the prospects for Zimbabwe in 2012?


the darkest hour is before dawn. looking into my crystal ball i see a great zimbabwe emerging. the recipe is there. look we have a highly educated population. we are richly endowed with mineral and other resources. we need to shape our poly ticks right. that means we need a new constitution for a future zimbabwe. we need to open up more democratic spaces that includes encouraging artistic endeavours - even those that may be called anti-establishment. the birds will freely twitter in the trees! a new zimbabwe is on the horizon. look yonder and you will see!

Contact Jabulani:

Email:jmzinyathi1(at)yahoo.co.uk
Website: http://jabulanimzinyathi.blogspot.com/

Dambudzo - Jabulani Mzinyathi

‘Troubling’ the racist Rhodesian system
That one man demonstration
Little David against Goliath
‘Trouble’ in faculty corridors
From the University of Rhodesia to Oxford
Pursuing prancing poetry and prose.

‘Troubling’ them at the Guardian fiction prize
‘Troubling’ those that could not cross
The racial divide in matters of the heart
‘Troubling’ the greedy and the corrupt
Seeing the revolution derailed
Were you trouble, Dambudzo?

With those allusions to Greek mythology
Still ‘troubling’ us in symposiums
The person that became the poetry
That immortality secured
Dambudzo you cannot be remembered
That is the beauty of your art.

Author Profile - Jabulani Mzinyathi

Biography:

Jabulani Mzinyathi was born on 01.09.65 in Ascot high density suburb, Gwelo, Rhodesia (now Gweru, Zimbabwe), to working class parents. He is a qualified primary school teacher turned magistrate, and he holds a diploma in personnel management. In 1997 he was awarded a diploma for excellence by the panel of judges of the Scottish international open poetry contest. He has had several poems and short stories published by magazines in Zimbabwe and abroad. He also once wrote humour pieces for some newspapers in Zimbabwe, and was a columnist for Moto magazine, Gweru. He has served both as the vice-chairman of the Budding Writers Association of Zimbabwe, and as chairman of the Zimbabwe Poetry Society.

Jabulani blogs at: jabulanimzinyathi.blogspot.com.

Five Questions with Jabulani Mzinyathi:

1. You have written a series of poems dedicated to Dambudzo Marechera, of which this is but one example. What was it about Marechera that makes you so passionate about him?

to begin with marechera was or is my compatriot. that alone is great. secondly the man was a conundrum. he was a genius who was hardly understood. i still have not fully understood him. him? yes for he was a true artist. he lived his life to the fullest. he reached a very high level of self-actualisation. this is what i find fascinating. a child-like innocence permeated his work. when children are in the presence of adults mostly we fear being embarrased by their utterances. marechera had no sacred cows.


2. Do you think you've learned more from Marechera as a political/social actor, or as a poet (i.e. from his actions or his words)?

marechera lived the way he wrote and wrote the way he lived. he used words as bullets in his struggle. it is very difficult to say whether the actions or words influenced me. there is a close relationship between word and deed if one has the honesty of marechera. paulo freire calls it praxis: action - reflection - action. it is an endless cycle. it sounds confusing but then, as the bible says, "in the beginning was the word"!


3. Looking back to your first interview on OGOV, at that time you listed Marechera first among the poets who influenced your writer. Would you say this is still true?

marechera will forever influence me. he left an indelible mark in my life. i still treasure his works. each time i read his work i gain useful insights. a friend who wanted to sound erudite just lost my copy of House of Hunger. am not able to lay my hands on another copy. what a shame that his work is not readily available in his own country of birth.


4. Previously, you've written a tribute to Dennis Brutus that was published here at OGOV. Brutus, too, made your list of poets who have influenced your writing. Have you written tributes to other poets on that list? Is it a personal goal of yours to compose poems to all of those influential poets?

i have written poems celebrating the lives and works of mzwakhe mbuli, jack mapanje, chipasula, etc. i do not really plan these works. there is some level of spontaneity. i cannot say i have really set a goal to compose poems in tribute to great poets or influential ones. i just find myself doing what i have to do. the road is long!


5. Do you think younger Zimbabwean poets have an appreciation for those who came before them? If not, what can be done about that?


the system of education must change really. yes, young poets appreciate the works of marechera, zvobgo edison, chenjerai hove but a lot still needs to be done. the system of education must undergo a revolution. shakespeare should come later. local works must take precedence!

Contact Jabulani:

Email:jmzinyathi1(at)yahoo.co.uk
Website: http://jabulanimzinyathi.blogspot.com/

Time Up - Jabulani Mzinyathi

What did I expect
They do this to each other
Am now balanced on bricks
Like a pensioner on three legs
The many journeys I undertook
Now I lie abandoned here
Like a pensioner waiting for a pittance
Now am a rodents' paradise
A prop for children’s plays
What did I expect
They feed each other on ingratitude
The long lonely hours in old people’s homes.

Author Profile - Jabulani Mzinyathi

Biography:

Jabulani Mzinyathi was born on 01.09.65 in Ascot high density suburb, Gwelo, Rhodesia (now Gweru, Zimbabwe), to working class parents. He is a qualified primary school teacher turned magistrate, and he holds a diploma in personnel management. In 1997 he was awarded a diploma for excellence by the panel of judges of the Scottish international open poetry contest. He has had several poems and short stories published by magazines in Zimbabwe and abroad. He also once wrote humour pieces for some newspapers in Zimbabwe, and was a columnist for Moto magazine, Gweru. He has served both as the vice-chairman of the Budding Writers Association of Zimbabwe, and as chairman of the Zimbabwe Poetry Society.

Jabulani has a blog at: jabulanimzinyathi.blogspot.com. Some of his poems are featured in the upcoming Mensa Press anthology Whispers in the Whirlwind: A collection of Poems about Socio-Economic Challenges in Africa.

Five Questions with Jabulani Mzinyathi:

1. This is your second profiled poem to be connected with a picture you took. Is this a new trend in your writing practice? What motivated you to start pairing photos and poems?

poetry and photography for me go hand in glove. they are about images. poetry involves painting images with words. on the other hand photography is painting images with light. i have always loved combining the two. i have kept some of the works in drawers for there was little appreciation. a fellow poet mgcini nyoni has pioneered a project in zimbabwe on this combination. he has greatly inspired me. now the works are out. the confidence is growing.

2. In the case of this poem, which came first, the photo or the poem? Is the process for this poem representative of your general process (i.e. do you always start with the photos, or always start with the poems)?

i saw the station wagon and immediately decided to write a poem which kind of personifies it. so yes the photo triggered the thoughts that became the poem. usually the photo comes first then the words follow. at times the poem and photography happen simultaneously. at times the photo is taken then serious meditation takes place. rarely does the poem come first.

3. Do you expect the poems you write with accompanying photos to stand on its own without the photos, or should they always be displayed together?

when poetry meets photography, the two should be displayed together. viewers and readers will enjoy both and even come up with their own poems or stories based on the photos. there has to be that engagement. i will have accomplished my task if readers and viewers enjoy both the poetry and the photography.

4. What is the state of care for the elderly in Zimbabwe right now? What simple steps, if any, can be taken to improve the situation in the short term?

there is per my view very little being done to care for the elderly. those that have no children are put in old people's homes - these are not really homes, they are human dump sites. the elderly are tucked away and forgotten. this is an alien concept to most of us in africa. those with childrean are no better either. the children grapple with economic hardships and fail to fend for their aged parents. the family unit is severely battered. maybe the powers that be should have the elderly access water, electricity and other needs at reduced rates. that is why i have advocated for a senior citizens act. for want of space it is enough to state that the elderly should also get benefits from social welfare.

5. In your last interview, you talked about the important role of politics in African poetry. Do you consider "Time Up" to be a political poem? Why or why not?

given the above stance this poem is political. the policy makers must realise that the elderly who have been active economically all their lives deserve better than the paltry slave peanuts termed pensions. many pensioners now do not even bother to go to the banks to access the pittance, as the cost of travelling to the bank far outweighs the pittance. my people are educated enough to do a cost benefit analysis. are we not the country with the highest literacy levels on the continent?

Contact Jabulani:

Email:jmzinyathi1(at)yahoo.co.uk
Website: http://jabulanimzinyathi.blogspot.com/

african drum - Jabulani Mzinyathi

the demonised drum
speaks to my soul
soothing my african soul
sweetly caressing it

invoking those spirits
the restless spirits of my people
hot iron branded pagan
those that dangled at noose ends

reverberations of the drum
spelling out my happiness
at times messages of strife
the demonised drum

Author Profile - Jabulani Mzinyathi

Biography:

Jabulani Mzinyathi was born on 01.09.65 in Ascot high density suburb, Gwelo, Rhodesia (now Gweru, Zimbabwe), to working class parents. He is a qualified primary school teacher turned magistrate, and he holds a diploma in personnel management. In 1997 he was awarded a diploma for excellence by the panel of judges of the Scottish international open poetry contest. He has had several poems and short stories published by magazines in Zimbabwe and abroad. He also once wrote humour pieces for some newspapers in Zimbabwe, and was a columnist for Moto magazine, Gweru. He has served both as the vice-chairman of the Budding Writers Association of Zimbabwe, and as chairman of the Zimbabwe Poetry Society.

Jabulani has a blog at: jabulanimzinyathi.blogspot.com. Some of his poems are featured in the upcoming Mensa Press anthology Whispers in the Whirlwind: A collection of Poems about Socio-Economic Challenges in Africa.

Five Questions with Jabulani Mzinyathi:

1. You took the photo of the drum that is featured with your poem. Can you tell us the story behind the drum in the photo and its connection, if any, to the poem?

the drum in the photo is found at great zimbabwe hotel, masvingo. it is used to alert guests about meal times. it is a traditional african drum (zimbabwe style). african drums are of different types depending on location. the one in the picture is the one type used among the karanga speaking people. it is one type of the many kinds they play. the drum in african societies was used to pass on messages of war, death, peace, joy, etcetera.

the drum in the picture is connected to the poem in that it is meant to establish a visual connection with the poem. it is also meant to contrast it with the western drums that phil collins, for example, plays very well.


2. How are your personal drumming skills?

am not very proficient but am keen to play the congas and bongos as accompaniment for my poetry and reggae lyrics.


3. What do you think is the role of poetry, and literature in general, in the politics of Africa?

poetry brings a different kind of aesthetics than other literary genres. it also is used to painting pictures in words about the various physical and metaphysical worlds of human beings. hey, i hope readers are not bamboozled! in poetry we try to capture human emotions in words. a difficult task as my compatriot and poet par excellence, the late dambudzo marechera, said. the poet per my view is a thinker, a philosopher, a prophet... ah... an explosion and an implosion too. expressing feelings in words is a mammoth task.

in africa we have not really reached that level where we can just marvel at the sunsets and beautiful flora and fauna we have. largely our poetry is poetry with a message. some have said at times it borders on propaganda - the thin line between art and propaganda. i do not think we have art for art's sake, the poetry carries messages. this is organic in the sense that we continue to grapple with issues around slavery, colonialism, neo-colonialism and recolonisation. i have read the works of jack mapanje, frank chipasula, chenjerai hove, taban lo liyong. these are some african poets, all of whom have taken up an unmistakeable engagement with political issues. many poets have ended up in detention without trial or in exile for singing the "wrong" songs!


4. You seem to enjoy symmetry in your stanza lengths - each stanza of a given poem having the same number of lines. Do you do this intentionally, or does it come naturally? Do you manipulate or shorten lines to make them fit the form?

it seems to me that the style you refer to comes naturally. the poems assume their own shape as i grapple with poetic devices like imagery, assonance and alliteration. my writing style is that i compose in my mind, discard what i do not need the put the final product on paper. at times i just get my laptop and "think in ink and explain the text afterwards" (marechera style spontaneity). the editing happens in the mind!


5. How did you like sharing your name with the "demonised" ball from the World Cup?

the jabulani ball was demonised by those who were not able to do
well! a bad work man blames his tools. my grade three teacher taught
me that. there was nothing wrong with jabulani. there is nothing wrong
with this jabulani. blame him not for these messages. do not shoot the
messenger. i am not anti- this or pro- that largely. i keep an open
mind. i do not sing praises where dirges are appropriate!

Contact Jabulani:

Email:jmzinyathi1(at)yahoo.co.uk
Website: http://jabulanimzinyathi.blogspot.com/

africa day reflections - Jabulani Mzinyathi

behind it all
our unmistakeable resilience

the abundance of hope
for we are no pessimists

the reality plain to see
africa bleeding profusely

fires of discord fanned
the beneficiaries in glee

robbed of childhood
playing fields bereft of children

high on lsd, heroin, mandrax...
raping, robbing, killing with impunity

the hidden hand at it
propping unpopular regimes

the ever widening chasms
bickering over foreign ideas

africa bleeding profusely
somewhere they drink the blood

the prophets long said it
the richest place, home to the poorest race

in somalia, sudan, ethiopia
everywhere the bloody feuding

the scramble for blood diamonds
everywhere death and destruction

beneath all this desolation
the undying hope sprouting

Author Profile - Jabulani Mzinyathi

Biography:

Jabulani Mzinyathi was born in 1965 in Ascot high density suburb, Gwelo, Rhodesia (now Gweru, Zimbabwe), to working class parents. He is a poet first and a writer in general. He is a qualified primary school teacher turned magistrate. He also holds a diploma in personnel management.

In 1997 he was awarded a diploma for excellence by the panel of judges of the Scottish international open poetry contest. He has had several poems and short stories published by magazines in Zimbabwe and abroad. He also used to write humour pieces for some newspapers in Zimbabwe. He has been a columnist for Moto magazine in Gweru, and wrote a legal column under the pen name ‘pro deo’. He was the vice chairman of the Budding Writers Association of Zimbabwe, Midlands branch and the chairman of the Zimbabwe Poetry Society.

He is still am writing. He has a blogspot; jabulanimzinyathi.blogspot.com. He writes poetry because it is how he feels he can better express himself and leave a legacy. All his work is organic in the sense that it is derived from his direct experiences. He draws a lot of inspiration from the events that happen daily around him.

Five Questions with Jabulani Mzinyathi:

1. Africa Day was this past Tuesday. Did you do anything to mark the occasion?

on africa day i composed yet another poem entitled "africa day introspection." it addressed the issue of repressive regimes on the continent and also the phenomenon of child soldiers. our children are wrenched from playgrounds and end up with minds befuddled by drugs and other intoxicants. they are taught to kill with impunity. we are robbed of the future in the senseless wars that are daily waged by greedy and corrupt rulers [not leaders]. at a personal level i also put messages on face book. i listened to reggae music and realised as i have always done that the link between the jamaican artists and the continent - africa has always been great. i urged people to listen to peter tosh who sang "i am not gonna give it up... i will be fighting 'til africa and africans are free." i listened to marley wail "africa unite." i proudly had my red, gold and green bracelets around my wrists.


2. If you care to expand on your poem, what feelings does Africa Day invoke in you?

africa day makes me have a deep desire to get back to leaders like abdel nasser and kwame nkrumah, that great ghanaian and fellow african. they gave us lots of lessons we may draw from. the continent largely is bereft of visionaries. this is a debatable point. i must salute the ghanaians though for their somewhat smooth transfer of power. i am not saying they are perfect but they have done commendably well!


3. Do you think all corners of Africa view Africa Day with the same regard? Do you think Zimbabweans may view the day differently than others?

africa day is not viewed the same everywhere on the continent. there are some of our brothers and sisters who have engaged in xenophobia in a shocking manner. they do not even view themselves as africans. how sad? there was not much hype in zimbabwe but i saw a pleasing level of awareness. the local media was awash with stories about africa day.


4. Yours is our second profile of a Zimbabwean poet in two weeks. What do you think of Mbizo Chirasha's account of the state of the country? The state of poetry in the country? Do you have any fresh observations of your own to add?

ah mbizo my compatriot is known to me at a personal level. he is an incisive social political commentator. i read his views and agree with him largely. the politicians should stop the senseless bickering and get on with the business of good governance and "bread and butter" issues (or is it "sadza issues," our staple diet). the power struggles do not seem to help the ordinary man on the streets.

about the state of poetry i can only say we are busy and are hopeful that as we come out of the economic morass we have been stuck in enterprising publishers will find it prudent to resurrect poetry. the genre has like other genres been badly trounced by the sad state of affairs. as society opens up and we espouse more tolerance for divergent views we may see the works getting published. do you hear me out there davy mungoshi, nhamo mhiripiri, memory chirere, chenjerai hove, hleko vuma, dillion banda and many others i know have been taking notes as we trudged through the difficult times starting around the late 1990s. the worst will soon be over!


5. Do you have any news or updates from your own writing life that you think our readers might be interested in?

i am working on several literary projects. i am working on numerous poems as well as a collection of short stories entitled "turning point" thanks to the encouragement of christopher mlalazi my compatriot and acclaimed writer. i am yet to do a collection of poems with emmanuel sigauke. we undertook to do it but we have been busy with other commitments.

i urge readers to check out jabulanimzinyathi.blogspot.com and do constructive criticism. i am not looking for praise singers. i will be writing still.

Contact Jabulani:

Email:jmzinyathi1(at)yahoo.co.uk
Website: http://jabulanimzinyathi.blogspot.com/

Tribute to Dennis Brutus

On December 26th of last year the great South African poet, activist and former political prisoner, Dennis Brutus, died. He was 85. We decided to dedicate a week to his memory. What follows is not a biography or obituary (that can be read here), but instead the personal responses of two of our regular contributors, Jabulani Mzinyathi and Prince Mensah, to the news of Brutus' passing.


Jabulani Mzinyathi's Tribute:

in one of my poems, 'erasing my memories', i wrote as follows:

how can i forget dennis brutus
choose to forget ruth first
choose to forget umkhonto we sizwe
separate me from that struggle
that african struggle for freedom

i was trying to show that there are many heroes of the bigger african struggle. dennis brutus was one of them. i remember meeting him at the zimbabwe international book fair in harare way back in 1993. i had as usual attended the z.i.b.f in order to meet my kith and kin in the writing fraternity.

it was great to meet the grizzled poet. i did not unfortunately have an opportunity to sit down and talk at length with this hero! it was however quite inspiring to meet a great poet in person and hear him speak with a certain directness and simplicity. i detected a streak of humility in him.

i am the least qualified to sing praises to this anti-apartheid activist but let me share with the readers one of his poems which is in the book fair book in a day. this book was published on 6 august 1993 by the z.i.b.f trust.

the poem quoted in extenso reads:

See the garbage heaps of our time
are corpses:
the bodies will be buried
by bulldozers pushing mounds
of bank notes:
Greed pollutes our planet.
Corruption extirpates
our humanity.

if this does not sum up our general state of affairs in very simple terms then i do not know what will. in these few lines there really is the expression of profound thoughts by a poet with a prophetic vision. readers be the judges!

in closing, it is only befitting to send off a poet with a poem:

in the beginning was the word
in the end will be the word
for you used words to confront
confronting the truncheons
confronting the racist jack boots
for yous was righteous indignation

posterity will treasure the words
the struggle is not yet over
'greed pollutes our planet'
there are the old and new foes
your words will be our compass

did you leave poetic attacks on xenophobia
the reversal of the gains of struggle
you must have shed a tear or two
somewhere on the pages must be the tear drops
the activist in you did not die
the activist in you secured immortality

Prince Mensah's Tribute:

To Dennis Brutus


The one who stabbed caesars of apartheid
With words sharper than swords, is dead –
This prison could hold him no more –
No longer shall sorrow rule.

Yes! Yes, the minions of myopia tried
Filling us with death and dread
But we did not obey their crazy law –
They forced us to lose our cool!

We rose because we got sick and tired,
We faced the guns we once feared –
The anger was real, the poetry was raw,
It took the goons back to school –

Back to the college of common conscience,
To the fact that oppression cannot win
Where the love of justice is the ambiance
Of our heart and soul, of our will and being.

O’ Brutus! Not the one who killed Caesar
But the one who seized senseless
Institutionalized racism in
Our own land South Africa
By the horns and said, Enough!

O’ Dennis, we have called but no answer
Has come from your once-restless
Hands or the defiance that drove us to win,
To rise and heal the canker,
To prevail against the tough

Intransigence of the brute abuser –
Praises for you are endless,
Our gratitude is in the dance and din
You hear as winds speak waka
In the land of sacred stuff

Where you are now an honored citizen,
Where no one riles at you because of race
And the many things on the horizon
Are colors of a world we all embrace.

Arise, Afrika arise! - Jabulani Mzinyathi

siphoning our raw materials still
while in abject poverty we wallow
taking away our gold, diamonds and platinum
while we adorn our bodies with fake jewellery

propagating their anglophone ideas
spreading their francophone thinking
somewhere lusophone ideas held supreme
african philosophies on the dung heap

the poisoned and stunted present crop
choosing to forget marcus mosiah garvey
choosing to forget kwame nkrumah
choosing to remove reggae from airwaves

that dream should now bear fruit
these chasms have to be bridged
the senseless bickering should now end
africa with mud and spittle get your sight

Author Profile - Jabulani Mzinyathi

Biography:

Jabulani Mzinyathi was born in 1965 in Ascot, Gweru, Zimbabwe. He calls himself a poet-prophet-philosopher. His pan-African ideals and the teachings of Rastafari greatly inspire him. He is also driven by an immense sense of justice.

His works have been published in numerous magazines in Zimbabwe and elsewhere. You may read his works at: http://jabulanimzinyathi.blogspot.com.

Five Questions with Jabulani Mzinyathi:

1. How can we ensure that African philosophies are returned from the "dung heap"? Can poetry help? If so, how?

african philosophies have to be returned from the 'dung heap' by africans. in essence i am echoing what bob marley said in one of his timeless songs. he says 'emancipate yourselves from mental slavery none but ourselves can free our minds.' we africans should dispel myths about us. our stories should be told everywhere including the internet. we are low on pride! it is about time we sing our own songs. we do not to continually say according to Plato when we can say according to our elders. wise sayings in africa were not attributed to individuals but elders. the rest of the world must learn this!

poetry can help indeed. there we should capture our past, present and future. poetry has always been a vehicle to pass on messages to the present and the future too.it is for this reason that this poem talks of some great africans. our people will be jolted to sit up and take note of where we have been and where we want to be. there are lots of our unsung heroes while we hold in high esteem david 'deadstone' [livingstone] and others who discovered what we already knew.


2. Do you write primarily for your poems to be read on the page or aloud?

when the word is on the page i call it 'dead on the page' i however write poetry for performance and also for the solitary reader in the comfort of his home or while on a bus or train journey.


3. When you write, who is the primary audience you are considering? Zimbabweans? Africans? Anyone?

i am a zimbabwean, an african and also a world citizen! i write for anyone. i however have a background that i cannot easily escape. my ultimate goal though is to communicate with the world.what a lofty ideal! if i reach out and touch the world i will have achieved my ultimate goal. as human beings we have lots of shared experiences whether we are yellow, brown, black or white or whatever we call ourselves.


4. Why do you choose to write all in lower case letters?

i write in lower case and not capital letters. ah, i am not a capitalist so i cannot use capital letters! i use lower case letters in order to shatter conventions. i am a rebel!


5. Are you currently working on any poems or projects that our readers might be interested in?

of course my spirit is indefatigable. i am like a beast of burden. i am working on a collection entitled yearning voices. i also am still posting some works on my blogspot: jabulanimzinyathi.blogspot.com. there are other works available on the internet. readers can simply enter "jabulani mzinyathi" and do a web search. i have been working now for some time on some prose pieces entitled 'turning point.'

Contact Jabulani:

jmzinyathi1(at)yahoo.co.uk

erasing my memories - Jabulani Mzinyathi

mutabaruka then you moved me
to take up arms against apartheid
the killings in soweto, in sharpeville
the bombing of exiles in zimbabwe
the bombings in mozambique
the bombings in zambia and elsewhere

peter tosh you moved me to tears
moved me to fight against apartheid
that callous jailing of nelson mandela
the hanging of little talked of benjamin moloise
the mysterious death of steve bantu biko
the deaths of all heroic sons and daughters

how can i forget dennis brutus
choose to forget ruth first
choose to forget umkhonto we sizwe
separate me from that african struggle
that african struggle for freedom

those so-called attacks on foreigners
the smell of burning human flesh
those all too familiar photos
the infamous necklacing of fellow victims
fellow victims of poverty, ignorance and disease

the shocking violence on fellow africans
the displacement of fellow africans
europe dismantles her borders
we slavishly cling to colonial legacies

who alienates me from my struggle?
who seeks to erase my memories?

Author Profile - Jabulani Mzinyathi

Biography:

Jabulani Mzinyathi was born in 1965 in Ascot, Gweru, Zimbabwe. He calls himself a poet-prophet-philosopher. His pan-African ideals and the teachings of Rastafari greatly inspire him. He is also driven by an immense sense of justice.

His works have been published in numerous magazines in Zimbabwe and elsewhere. You may read his works at http://jabulanimzinyathi.blogspot.com.

Five Questions with Jabulani Mzinyathi:

1. How long have you been writing poetry?

I have been writing poetry since I was about thirteen years old, if not earlier.


2. Who are your favorite poets? Which poets have most inspired and informed your work?

The list of my favourite poets is not exhaustive but I deeply respect Dambudzo Marechera, Chenjerai Hove, Dr. Edson Zvobgo, Dennis Brutus, Lebo Mashile, Benjamin Zephaniah, Mutabaruka, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Frank Chipasula, and Jack Mapanje.


3. What do you hope to accomplish with your poetry?

My poetry is part of the bigger struggle for African emancipation. I consciously seek to propagate the spirit of pan-Africanism. I also seek to propagate internationalist ideals. I view myself as a citizen of the world but what hurts me deeply is the petty divisions that are based on the colour of a man's skin.

My poetry is meant to be an exercise in exorcism - there are evil spirits to be exorcised. These manifest themselves in tribalism or racism, in misrule and all forms of discrimination.

My poetry is about pride. My poetry seeks to spread the message that we black people are not inferior at all. I seek to remind fellow blacks to stand up and be counted. "None but ourselves can free our minds."


4. It's interesting that your listing of powerful African political figures and events begins with calls to Mutabaruka and Peter Tosh, Jamaican-born musicians. What does this say about the roll of these artists, and Rastafarianism in general, in African history and politics?

Rastafarianism is a powerful force that raises the consciousness of Africans in general. It is a struggle for emancipation. It is a constant reminder of what has happened to the black race. The worst crime against humanity per my view is slavery, and the beneficiaries of this crime have not wholly acknowledged this!

Reggae music, which is an integral part of Rastafarianism, condemns injustices. It spreads the message of love and black man's redemption. Rastafarianism provides an important link connecting Africans in the diaspora and those at home. Rastafarians have supported the revolutionary struggles on the continent. Listen to the lyrics of Peter Tosh, Bob Marley and others too numerous to mention here.


5. How do you think Africa can move closer to "dismantl[ing] its borders" like Europe? How, for instance, do you think that the African community should be responding to the current struggles in your home country?

Our present crop of leaders has surprisingly not moved fast enough to realise the ideals of a great son of Africa, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. Africa is one. The partitioning of Africa was done at the looters' conference in Berlin in 1884. Black people were not consulted and African states of old were destroyed at the stroke of a pen. Social,cultural,economic and political links were severed. Divisions were sowed.

Africa should go on and strengthen the African Union. That body has not reached its full potential because of silly perceptions that some Africans are anglophone, some are francophone, etc. These are all divide and rule tactics. It baffles me that our leaders have tenaciously held on to colonial boundaries. It is a shame!

The African Union should play a very important role in solving the challenges in my home country. Africa should make a clear analysis of the challenges that we face and should have mechanisms to bring solutions that are legally binding. The time for blind praise singing should be a thing of the past. Africa should be at the forefront telling our leaders that their personal interests are subordinate to the will of the people!

Contact Jabulani:

jmzinyathi1(at)yahoo.co.uk