... In the presence of greatness

so i hung out with three brilliant and great writers today, in an office once occupied by Nabokov. i was trying to be part of the conversation, but then i was also trying to listen to the air. coz there was something in it, something akin to the outer glow i used to see in the pictures of those golden boys with wings when i was a kid. besides that, there was this strange humanity, a solid stubborn grace of sorts. and tomorrow, i’ll be in the presence of Edwidge Danticat as she visits my class for 50 minutes. i am humbled, for i know, already, that it will be a transformative experience, that she bears her own kinds of gifts that will leave me fortunate. beautiful as it all is, these are also complicated and challenging moments for me coz somewhere in it all, i’m particularly aware that this is not supposed to be a time of awe and excitement for me, aware of how extremely expensive the moments and that I have to somehow earn them. 

... On Zimbabwe's women of Doors of Hope

This is for Zimbabwe’s political rape victims, most recently in the tragic 2008 election and its aftermath. For Zimbabwe’s leadership and justice system that failed and continues to fail them. For the perpetrators who walk free today while their victims live in prisons of trauma and justice denied, those men who forgot who birthed them, who cried for them, who raised them, who blessed them. This is also for our silence, then and now – may we remember that it will not protect us.

And finally, please read about Doors of Hope (here) from this amazing role model of mine whose blog post inspired this prose poem.

These great houses may be made of stone but these doors—these doors, Jesus, these doors are made of hope. Approach softly. Walk like whispering. Fold your wings, take off your shoes and wear flowers and feathers on your feet, hang your head, no, Do not. Dare. Walk. Tall. But first, Phakamisan’ iflagi, Simudzai mureza, Lift high this flag of Zimbabwe, lift-lift-lift, send it soaring to the sun so the fathers and sons of the soil can see this brilliant red stripe, song of the blood spilled during the war on these women’s bodies yes there is a country like that and it is my country.

 Or have you forgotten? Or do you remember? How in 2008, when bullets were pointed to the ballot, that weapons were poised between women’s legs. Picture Queens beaten and subdued, dressed in dark dresses of desperation the color of a crying Congo, made in Zimbabwe. By our own. Hear the country’s cock crow thrice and sons singing denial  songs with knife-like voices slitting grace in the throat—You are not my sister, You are not my mother, You are not my aunty:

And there, in the country of her skull, under African skies, she is battlefield, she is enemy. Lift high the flag of Zimbabwe, lift-lift-lift, send it soaring to the sun and open the gates and let the sons of the soil come marching in. Hail the black kings, beat the drums of war. Rip her dress of prayers, spread her legs, smash her cries against the houses of stones. It’s 2009, the red stripe of the Zimbabwean flag is for the blood spilled during the war on our women’s bodies. And beneath it, black. For. Our. Silences. 

language

Hitting Georgetown

“I always assume that a good book is more intelligent than its author. It can say things that the writer is not aware of.” Umberto Eco.

Word. So I am humbled by brilliant discussions of “Hitting Budapest” at Georgetown University especially for how they are confirming that yes, my work is more intelligent than I am, which I kind of already suspected. I guess a writer writes and the reader comes and flicks the switch, bathes the text in an awesome light. To that end this class called “Empathy and Activism” blew me away with some sharp readings. Like, I learned about the weight of Darling actually declaring her name toward the end of the story, to the significance of Stina saying “let’s run” … a moment of urgency that’s quickly undermined by the fact that they actually don’t escape the situation, they only run back to the dead woman, to the emptiness and ghostlike-ness of Budapest and the issue of who/what is real or not and why, to the significance of the mythical Dudu the bird story, a story that the kids hear from one of the grandmothers, coming into the larger narrative, to the significance of Budapest as a site where these kids not only come to steal but to articulate their dreams. Just delicious, delicious stuff, the problem is I’m tempted to take the novel apart (yet again!) coz I’m excited about some of the things I'm learning. 

Winners

Congratulations Zambia for clinching the Africa Cup of Nations, what an amazing, inspiring win. Chipolopolo, our new champions! They were small, they were unknown, they were not expected to prevail, they were against “giants,” but then they fought till the very end. And in that resilience, champions were born.

What an honor to the spirits of the original team who perished in the 1993 crash in Gabon— Efford Chabala, Richard Mwanza, John Soko, Whiteson Changwe, Robert Watyakeni, Estone Mulenga, Derby Makinka, Moses Chikwalakwala, Wisdom Chansa, Kelvin Mutale, Timothy Mwitwa, Numba Mwila, Samuel Chomba, Moses Masuwa, Kenani Simambe, Godfrey Kangwa, Winter Mumba and Patrick Banda - along with Zambian Football Association president Michael Mwape and coaches Godfrey Chitalu and Alex Chola. Close to two decades on, the new boys have written the first team in the sun. and our heads are tilted skyward... in respect.

Georgetown.

"Bittersweet memories that is all I'm taking with me. So, goodbye. Please, don't cry..."

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS FOR THE 4TH FEMRITE REGIONAL WOMEN WRITERS' RESIDENCY, NOVEMBER 2012

Uganda Women Writers Association (FEMRITE) calls for submissions for her 4th Regional Women Writers Residence to be held in November 2012. This is an inspiring initiative that brings together upcoming African women writers. The main objectives of the residency are: - To bring established writers to mentor upcoming African women writers - To give upcoming Ugandan women writers the opportunity to interact with women writers from the continent - To give African women writers conducive space and time pursue their writing projects - To create opportunities for inter-cultural discourse among women writers - To strengthen collaboration among women writers’ initiatives in Africa - To generate short stories for publication in an anthology At the end of the residence, we expect the writers to have: 1. had mentoring sessions with an established writer 2. improved at least one of their writing projects 3. enriched each other’s manuscripts through discussion 4. submitted their improved short story for the residency anthology HOW TO APPLY Interested women are required to submit; 1. Part of a novel / short Story collection in WORD document (40 pages, typed in Times New Roman, font 12, 1.5 spacing). 2. A short story for publication in the residency anthology 3. A brief bio (not more than 10 lines) This call is open to African women living on the continent. Writers already attached to writers groups in their countries are encouraged to apply. Deadline for submissions is 30th April 2012  Please Note: 1. All applicants will receive notification by email once their manuscripts are received. 2. The Residency targets 15 writers 3. The Residency will last two weeks in November 2012 4. Successful applicants will be notified by 30th August 2012. 5. Successful published applicants will be kindly requested to donate copies of their works to the FEMRITE Resource Centre 6. Applicants should not have published more than one book. 7. FEMRITE will solicit support to meet costs of travel, accommodation, & meals.  For inquiries and submissions, please email info@femriteug.org. Also check out their website here.

t.i.r.e.d.