Heroes Day holiday

It is Heroes Day holiday,
To commemorate those
Who put their country first
And thought nothing of themselves.

It is Heroes Day holiday,
Beer-halls are packed to bursting,
Beer mugs and bottles are dancing in hands
As carousers drink beyond drinking.

It is Heroes Day holiday,
Some have already paired off illicitly,
The bush is on fire – some in dongas, others in cars
As they exchange STDs in the false name of love.

It is Heroes Day holiday,
The rich and powerful
Dance their intrigue games round braais
As they weave new plans for the next plunder.

It is Heroes Day holiday,
The whole nation is awash with joy,
Somewhere, worms are feeding on the heroes,
The heroes’ families are in deep mourning.

It is Heroes Day holiday, is it?

- Chirikure Chirikure

Written in 1989

This project is created by enthusiasts with purpose to broadcast artistic and social statements, thoughts and texts in forms that are independent of institutions, galleries and museums: more

This is Mugabe’s driveway said my colleague. And what a long driveway too. I guess many of you have noticed how the Borrowdale Road is being resurfaced? It was in brilliant shape next to the many other roads that are pot holed and falling apart. But of course Mugabe’s motorcade comes first and as we all know the Borrowdale Road leads to his mansion. We’re all saps was her next comment. Because if you think about it, the upgrading of the Borrowdale road stinks. And what are we doing about it? Sweet F A as my ma would’ve said.

Then we passed a Zimbabwe Independent newspaper advertising billboard that said that our PM is being probed about a $1.5 million fraud. With not much more of a headline to go on I jokingly said well how do you reckon he got the money to renovate his mansion on Kew Drive? Tsvangirai doesn’t have the money himself to live so large so who exactly is footing the bill? Zanu PF needs to keep him under their thumb, so there’s a thought. Or maybe there’s a foreign hand involved. Or maybe its just that big egos can’t live in modest houses, so fuck the povo.

Either which way, what is it with big men in power, and mansions. I know some of you are thinking about that joke about men needing to make up for size in different ways but we won’t go there.

And then we talked about the comments starting to roll in about the Big Brother contestants getting cash from Mugabe. Someone suggested that Mugabe may well be changing sides having given a pale face some dosh, Vimbai, whose mother is out of favour, a kiss, and congratulating Chamisa for being a “supersonic” minister. Hmmm. What’s up with all that.

PRESS RELEASE

A Temporary Inconvenience
By Andrew Mutandwa

Poignant poetry collection distils the lonely ache of displacement experienced by those forced to flee political turmoil in their homeland.

Andrew Mutandwa’s debut book of poetry charts the struggle to escape oppression and the difficulties the journey presents to those forced from their homes, lives and families by domestic troubles. This heart-wrenching volume initially draws on the harrowing experiences faced by those living in the iron grip of a brutal regime. Contracting the pain and suffering of oppressed faceless millions into the compelling testament of one man, the poems evoke the violence of life lived under a military dictatorship. Swinging from the loss of self at home to the loss of self abroad, the poetry brings to light the traumatic erosion of individual identity that confronts refugees who flee one type of violence only to be confronted with another deeper violence – the defacement of individual identity and the erosion of cultural expression amid the lonely diaspora. This powerfully moving collection lays bare the pain and pathos of politically displaced individuals, articulating the lifelong effects of what initially seems like a temporary inconvenience.

With striking realism Andrew Mutandwa portrays the emotional battle to carve out a new home for one’s family when ‘home’ becomes a hostile and dangerous place. Providing an insight into the erosion of freedom in Zimbabwe, Mutandwa offers a powerful testament to the bravery of individuals in the African diaspora and of displaced peoples around the world. Providing a much needed exposition of the cultural tensions that repeatedly rock Africa to the core, A Temporary Inconvenience is a must-read for anyone who wishes to understand why this rich land is failing its own progeny.

About the Author: Andrew Mutandwa is a former civil servant, diplomat and journalist who has specialised in international development, the HIV/AIDS epidemic and human rights issues. He was in the first group of journalists to be formally trained when Zimbabwe gained independence in 1980. He currently lives in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.

The book is currently being sold on line through a number of distributors such as Amazon, WH Smith, Waterstones, Barnes & Noble, and Author House.

Will a stone or a poppy sprout between my shoulders, will the animals caged inside me escape, will I doze off and betray my limbs, will I make plugs out of dirt to stopper my lungs and lie on the black stone of obedience, will I anoint myself with engine oil and stuff my throat with yes, yes, no, no?
Adonis, from Desire Moving Through Maps of Matter

There is a crack in everything: that’s how the light gets in.
- Leonard Cohen