The Sunday News
Pabalelo Tlou Sunday Leisure Reporter
IT seems the request by the Zimbabwe International Book Fair (ZIBF) for authors to bring more indigenous language novels has fallen on fertile soils as more and more writers have started rising to the challenge. Khumbulani Maphosa is one of the authors to respond to ZIBF as he has released an iSiNdebele anthology titled Vuka Mthwakazi.
The book was released last month and comprises 50 poems.
Maphosa said he started working on his first poem, Ngiyesaba in 2000.
He said some of the poems were inspired by real life events of everyday life especially in Bulawayo.
“I first worked on my first poem in 2000, Ngiyesaba, this poem was inspired by the socio-political situation in Zimbabwe where there were so many strikes and demonstrations, these events were really frightening and I thought of expressing my emotions in words,” he said.
Born in Nkazhe in Gwanda, Maphosa said he decided to write in SiNdebele so as to preserve the Ndebele language and culture.
He said when he writes a Ndebele poem he is able to tell various stories in that single poem unlike when he writes an English prose.
“I have realised the gap in Bulawayo — there are a few Ndebele books hence I am there to fill in.”
“Writing in Ndebele also helps me to express myself easily as I can use various idioms. My objective in Ndebele is to tell three stories in a single poem.”
Maphosa said he had worked with teachers and lecturers to produce the book as he wanted it to portray a reader’s point of view rather than the writer’s point of view.
“I never worked with professional writers, I wanted the book to come from a readers’ point of view hence I have worked with teachers and lecturers,” said Maphosa.
He said his vision was to send the book to the curriculum zone and the Government for verification so that the it can be used in schools as he believed it had enough material for pupils to use.
Maphosa said the book was not yet on the shelves. However, he said he is promoting the book with the aid of his friends and people close to him who are selling copies on his behalf.
Maphosa said he was also working on another Ndebele novel, which he said had already passed the first stage of editing.
“I am working on another novel, Ngisakhumbula, but this time it’s not poetry, the book is progressing well and it has passed the first stage of editing,” he said.
