RUDO DIANA MAZVITA MANYERE grew up in Zimbabwe. Her first literary contribution was three short stories to the Brilliance of Hope, an anthology of short stories compiled by Samantha R. Vazhure (of which two are included in this collection). She has written articles for 263 Africa Magazine and is a reviewer of African literature.

She is a bookstagrammer and booktuber who reviews African Literature on her YouTube channel, What’s Rudo Reading? and won the 2021 Afrobloggers Reviewer of the year. Rudo is also part of Tandem Collectives and is among a group of black women and marginalised groups who read and review books written by white people about black people to make sure they are correctly represented.

Lazarus Panashe is a Zimbabwean writer and editor. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering that he has not used for two years. His short fiction has been published online and in print in the anthology, ‘Brilliance of Hope.’ He writes from betwixt the four walls of his solitary bedroom, which unbeknownst to his family, is a portal to many worlds.

Samuel…
What inspires you to write?

Everyday events. Things happening to me and around me. I am also inspired by the need to record incidents, in history, accurately for posterity.

I grew up among amazing story tellers; my maternal grandmother told the most fascinating ngano, while on the other hand my paternal grandfather was so adept at narrating his travels, every time he left the village to collect his pension. He could hold fort for hours narrating the journey of just 160km. The concept of kurondedzera is a key part of our way of life, as Karanga people. If you travel, you have to come back and narrate your travels to the rest of your family and friends, in granular detail.

Do you think there is a difference between a writer and an author?

We are all writers to start with, but when your work is published and you are credited for it, you become an author.

What is it about the diaspora experience that made you want to contribute to this anthology?

It’s mainly the problems that people in the diaspora face, and they never talk about, especially to their families back home. The pressure to keep the façade that the grass is greener.

The positive side is that travelling or moving can also open up opportunities you would have never had if you stayed in your village. In SeSotho they say, ‘if you do not travel, you will marry your sister’.

How do you think your works in this anthology contribute to the history and future of the Zimbabwean dispersion?

Telling accurate experiences about life in the diaspora and helping to set the right expectation level for those moving to the diaspora and their families.

Briefly describe your writing journey, from how you started to where you are today.

I grew up around books and newspapers. My father is a retired journalist and an avid reader. My mother forced me to join the Masvingo Library at the age of 9 and soon fell in love with Enid Blyton’s Famous Five and Secret Seven. As a teen I then discovered Achebe, Chinodya, Hove et al and these have to a great deal influenced my interest in writing African stories. In high school, my teachers noticed the talent and I was encouraged to write and possibly pursue a career in the creative arts. During my 4th year in high school, I edited the school’s year book and also started a column in that year book, which has continued to this day. In terms of career, I, however, took a different turn and ended up studying accounting and a career in finance which started at a big 4 auditing firm. My contribution to this anthology is my first published work, although I have been a blogger on a few platforms.

How do you want your work to be remembered?

I want to be remembered as someone who wrote stories for ordinary people to enjoy, nothing abstract.

Would you like to share anything about yourself to help your readers connect with you?

I am an ordinary guy, a husband, a father to two beautiful daughters. I have had the opportunity to travel, live and work in different countries, which has greatly influenced my outlook to life, other cultures, food and to value my own culture – our traditional foods and most importantly our language. I work in Finance and have never had any formal training in writing. Besides my interest in books, I am a sports-junkie. I am a social runner and crazy about Liverpool Football Club.

Who is your favourite writer and why?

I have two. Shimmer Chinodya and Chenjerai Hove. They are both compelling story tellers. Their books are written in simple language. They also go very far in recording accurately events in history. No embellishment and no pretentiousness in their writing.

What are your future writing aspirations?

I would love to move into writing stories that record events of human interest, written in simple language for ordinary folk to read and enjoy. Most books that record events end up being too academic, too political or too philosophical. In some instances the writing style is too complicated and the jargon very technical. To encourage our people to read, the first step is to write stories that they can read once, understand and relate to.

I am currently in the research stage of a biography of one of Zimbabwe’s most notorious criminals. His story deserves to be told accurately.

I also want to write in my mother language, Karanga.

What is your biggest dream?

To contribute to the writing of African stories by Africans, for Africans the rest of the world.

Priscilla…
What inspires you to write?
I write on the things that inspire me in my faith journey and how that plays out in family life, self-development, and entrepreneur life.

Do you think there is a difference between a writer and an author?

I’ve never thought about that, but I think a writer is someone who focuses on brief and complete short works, and an author develops a framework of ideas and makes sense of them altogether.

What is it about the diaspora experience that made you want to contribute to this anthology?

I think the diaspora community is very large, I’m sure we are in the millions, and yet we often feel isolated and alone in our experiences. This work validates our common experience and hopefully helps start important discussions on navigating this new norm for the better.

How do you think your works in this anthology contribute to the history and future of the Zimbabwean dispersion?

I hope my work adds to the conversation positively and shares hope, acceptance, and encouragement to thrive in our new homes.

Briefly describe your writing journey, from how you started to where you are today.

I started out blogging about faith, I would write for my own blog and other people’s blogs. I did that for a few years and enjoyed it, I still do. Then I wrote three short books which combined faith topics with entrepreneurship.

How do you want your work to be remembered?

I hope my work is remembered as bringing authenticity to our collective experiences.

Would you like to share anything about yourself to help your readers connect with you?

I’m of Christian faith. I also consider myself a feminist, and I’m a wife and mom. I’m passionate about entrepreneurship and business. Writing is the activity that brings me the greatest peace.

Who is your favourite writer and why?

My favourite writer is Maya Angelou. The first time I came across her books and poems I was a 1st year in College. I saw myself in a way that I had never before in her writing. I don’t know if I was not familiar with black female writers or the books I had grown up reading at that point were all written by people who didn’t look like me. But I fell in love with her writing.

What are your future writing aspirations?
I hope to write a series of books that are a reflection of my journey through life. That’s what I hope to gift my children and readers who connect with my work.

What is your biggest dream?

Impact. I don’t know the shape it will come in but I hope to have a positive impact in my communities.

Kudzi…
What inspires you to write?

What brings me to write? This is a difficult question, perhaps it is so because I have problems, challenges even, in conceptualizing the term inspire or inspiration. For me inspire and her sibling inspiration stimulate a certain degree of temporality. Inspiration comes and goes, even when the inspiration and all other factors such as a story needing attention, an emotion requiring to be evoked, one might fail to write. In this respect, I will answer the unasked question, what brings you write? What brings me to write is the opportunity to see beyond inspiration, it brings me closer to a pattern, my pattern. The interesting thing is that this creative pattern is a mist to me.

What brings me to write is an emotion. It is the voices of characters inside of my head conversing with me, telling me their narratives, the demons that keep them awake at night. What brings me to write is a strong belief that I have a story to tell – it creates an intimate relationship with my laptop. What brings me to write is the gratification of creating, even if I am the only one who reads my work. What brings me to write is the desire to be like the authors I position at a pedestal. What brings me to write is, life, living and existence.

Do you think there is a difference between a writer and an author?

For me a writer cannot be separated from an author. This is so because an author is judged though assessed is the appropriate term, through the works they would have written, published or otherwise. A writer is an author in motion, in transit creating and weaving stories that awards him the accolade of being addressed as an author.

What is it about the diaspora experience that made you want to contribute to this anthology?

To leave. The desire to leave the country in search of alleged greens is a reality that has gripped many people, young and old, not only in Zimbabwe but across the continent. The possible dislocation people experience, the joy of being away from death and incarceration as they navigate their lives in a foreign country, attracted me to the Brilliance of Hope. I found myself fascinated, being drawn to the Brilliance of Hope because it brings us closer to capturing our own voices, owning our experiences. Our experiences and voices might not mean so much when outside one’s border, so the only other option is to write!

How do you think your works in this anthology contribute to the history and future of the Zimbabwean dispersion?

I hope my stories in this anthology manage to reflect the experiences of Zimbabweans in diaspora. I hope I have shared our story, the story of us abandoned, alone and constantly dying because home was no longer home so we had to find home outside of home. As the voices continue to speak, reality taking away our voice, visions and dreams, I hope these stories manage to reflect on the Brilliance of Hope, in its entirety. I hope we will have a conversation on the legacy we are leaving behind when we decide to disown our home, identity and experiences. I hope home will be able to claim her children before they are chewed and vomited by a diaspora experience.

Briefly describe your writing journey, from how you started to where you are today.
A journey is usually associated with a beginning, a midpoint and a possible arrival to the intended destination, even though in several cases the destination might have been transmuted to an unintended one along the way. If one is daring, independence can be interrogated using the same lenses. A journey begins with traceable roots, places that carry significant memories, fond memories of having conceived dreams translating to the need to begin a journey. Embark on a journey. This hasn’t been the case with me. The beginning, end and state of progression are entangled in each other, it is difficult to ascertain where I am today let alone where I am coming from. In the midst of such confusion and thoughts united with smokescreen, perhaps. I could say I was drawn to reading from an early age, reading my elder sibling’s set books before I was five. I am not sure if this actually happened, it could be a figment of my imagination or memories of an unremembered past. I do have scripts written 16 years ago, when I was probably 16.

How do you want your work to be remembered?

I hope to push the boundaries of form and style. To be remembered for blending pain and the will to survive.

Would you like to share anything about yourself to help your readers connect with you?

Two of my three stories were initially intended as one story. Good thing these stories have a mind of their own.

Who is your favourite writer and why?

This is not an easy question especially for a reader and writer. This is so because a writer spends a significant amount of his time consuming, devouring with an insatiable appetite the works of people they generate inspiration from. This is not limited to the ones they love. A writer can be drawn to the books that frustrate and agitate them. All the same, the reading doesn’t stop, and in most cases it sets a certain creative fire ablaze. For me, a favorite writer is something that elusive and fleeting. When I finished reading Chimamanda’s Half of a Yellow Sun, it didn’t have any lasting effect on me at first. As is usually the case with reading, my own type of reading precisely, the characters Olana, Kainene, Ugwu and Richard began to whisper to me, flipping through the pages of their experiences of Biafra. Without rereading the book to confirm anything, I found myself with a renewed fascination and appreciation of the story. The same feeling was reproduced when I read Lady Chatterley’s Lover by DH Lawrence. Then there are other books that I have lost myself in, in an instant. These include Ngugi wa Thiongo’s Petals of Blood, House of Stone by Novuyo Rosa Tshuma and Waiting for the Rain by Charles Mungoshi, Butterfly Burning by Yvonne Vera among others.

What are your future writing aspirations?

To write a 1000 paged fast paced novel. Perhaps in an unending stream-less flood.

What is your biggest dream?

Dreams mean hope, commitment to a vision and remaining optimistic that like truth, the dreams will set us free. Unfortunately, I believe nothing germinates in these consecrated lands. But having dreadlocks that flow to my shoulders seems kinda cool.

Nobuhle N Nyoni, has over five years of  experience in content writing, web design, and virtual assistance.

She is a storyteller whose focus is on her cultural heritage. Nobuhle has produced work that touches diverse topics, from business innovation to mental health and relationships. She has written for publications such as Black Ballad, TAP Magazine, The Podcast Sessions, Metro UK and Adventures From, just to name a few. 

Ivainashe…

What inspires you to write?

“Writing saved my life”- I am inspired from a quantum leap of a plethora of innumerable inspirations. I am inspired to write because there are not enough writers of colour within the writing industry especially from Africa. I am inspired to write because I want to be part and parcel of the Afro-renaissance where Africans are asserting themselves and taking ownership of our legacy. African problems need African storytellers. Writing is a religion, writing is a pilgrimage, writing is a practice. The love of my mother inspires me to write as she has given me the talent and skill to tell our own stories. I am inspired to write because my creator gave me this talent and I am vessel fulfilling his intentions in this world.

Do you think there is a difference between a writer and an author?

To me there is a difference, but the blueprint is one in the same. I would say there is no difference for they all fall under expressionism. A gateway into the abstract being translated to the physical with the intention of amplifying a particular concern that one observes in their respective community.

What is it about the diaspora experience that made you want to contribute the anthology?

I observed that there are not enough Zimbabwean writers who are dabbling on the contemporary issues as writing has been associated with a discipline that does not earn a living. However, when one looks at it the voice of persons in the diaspora is not shared for all to learn. Therefore, the experience affirmed my purpose within the writing journey that I have embarked on.

How do you think your works in this anthology contribute to the history and future of the Zimbabwean dispersion?

The stories, first and foremost are for people to consume, learn and understand that it takes guts and bravery not to give up on your dreams. These stories serve as a blueprint for all those who believe in ‘anything is possible’, that when you leave your country, you are not going on holiday. You are leaving to build a future for you and your kindred. We are vessels for our loved ones and our community, that is to say, we are Zimbabwean whether you like it or not.

Briefly describe your writing journey, from how you started to where you are today.

Being a poetic and creative has been something that has been ingrained within me. There is a saying used by archaeologists and anthropologists – “the Shona tongue is poetic” – this literary means everything that Shona people do, there is that aura of creativity to it. My journey started back in 2018, when my best friend “Khanyisa Masinge” gave me a notebook and said, “Earn write anything you want in this book”. I took up the task and I ran with it to this day. The journey has been a Hajj for me as I sought my Zion that lies within I. A moment of soul searching trying to find where I belong and being able to slay my own demons. In that moment I realised one gracious blessing that lies within I. I am blessed beyond measure, this talent of writing it is not mine to toot my horn and brag, no, it is a gift for my people. I am a whistle I heed to the wind that my creator blows right through I. So far, I am at a place where I find solace and purpose in this titanic journey, “The journey is still on and I am grateful…”

How do you want your work to be remembered?

I would love my work to be remembered as the African literature that connected Africa and allowed the manifestation of new ideas that might help Africa to solve her own problems. Literature for the people, by the people, the same way we all reminisce about Patrice Lumumba, Thomas Sankara, Chris Hani, John Jerry Rowlings, Kwame Nkrumah, Winnefred Madikizela-Mandela, Solomon “Kalushi” Mahlangu, Josiah Magama Tongogara, Joshua Nkomo. Along that tangent you know, being able to write stories is not about Ivai, it’s about a lad who comes from a small town called Marondera, was nurtured by an African woman “His Mother”. To become whatever he wanted to become, rewrote the chapters of history and how students who study in universities are able to bounce back and get what they came to get and leave the University not with just a degree, no, with also a career in writing.

Would you like to share anything about yourself to help your readers connect with you?

I am an open-minded person, with a curious mind; I speak in metaphors, what you see and read is not at times what is being meant on paper. Open your mind – each phrase, scenario, statement and quote are a microcosm of the macrocosm. If you take what I say at face value you will be lost. Open your mind and be willing to learn.

Who is your favourite author and why?
Helen Tadokera – she is an amazing author her notes and lessons have made me who I am today. She is the number one author in my world – without her timeless books, honestly, I would never be here.

What are your future writing aspirations?
I am looking at releasing a line of collected poems starting in 2022 until the end of the decade, an anthology of stories, full feature length novels, collaborations with writers on a number of projects. It is going to be a busy decade for me when it comes to creative writing.

What is your biggest dream?

Education is key to success. I am going to be honest with you right now – I pray day and night to hold a Doctorate in Law from the University of Pretoria, a Professoriate in African Politics from Makerere University and other degrees. Education is key, knowledge is power, knowledge is freedom, the gift of knowledge is God’s blessing “in my view”. Getting some international awards to my name something around Pulitzer, Nobel Laureate among others you know.

Tah…
What inspires you to write?

The belief that words give voice and paint pictures. My hope is that my words will resonate with the deepest thoughts and questions that we all have, but don’t always have the platform, opportunity and / or confidence to express. In the process, I hope that every word I write inspires the reader to hope. I hope every expression ignites passion and leads to a fulfilling purpose in spite of the challenge or circumstance.

Do you think there is a difference between a writer and an author?

Whilst the two are often used interchangeably, I think the difference is that an author is one whose thoughts are published, whereas a writer words the thoughts. Not every writer is an author, and not every author is a writer, but either one can be both.

What is it about the diaspora experience that made you want to contribute to this anthology?

For me, it’s the preconceived ideas, the assumptions and subsequent expectations; it’s the culture shock, the experience of diversity, the challenges to one’s beliefs and biases; it’s the sacrifices, compromises and self-discovery; it’s the question of who I am and the extent to which my social, spiritual and economic environment shape me, and it’s the determination and hope for better.

How do you think your works in this anthology contribute to the history and future of the Zimbabwean dispersion?

For starters, I think assumptions about the livelihood of Zimbabweans in the diaspora are debunked. This, I anticipate, will lead to an appreciation and empathy towards each other. Secondly, anyone intending to migrate could possibly make better-informed decisions regarding what path to take and what to look out for. Lastly, I hope my contribution will inspire someone to keep dreaming and working to reach their goals, because, there is hope for success.

Briefly describe your writing journey, from how you started to where you are today.

Honestly, I never imagined I would be an author. I literally despised everything literary, but that changed when at 16 years old, I surrendered to reading novels to pass time. I thought it was amazing how words could evoke emotion and discourse. It wasn’t till I was 18 though that I put my first words to paper as an outlet for emotion. I found that I could better articulate and understand my feelings when I wrote. I also began to write to comfort and challenge in the hope of inspiring myself and readers to become our best. A blog https://tahncube.wordpress.com/ was birthed, and then in 2021, I met Samantha Vazhure who was gracious enough to offer me a publishing contract.

How do you want your work to be remembered?

I would want my work to be remembered as authentic and surgical.

Would you like to share anything about yourself to help your readers connect with you?

Sure! I am passionate, ambitious and down-to-earth. I am a very good, genuine listener. Consequently, I am not the hero in my writing. The heroes are the people I meet, and the people I hear, who inspire my writing through triumph, failure, pain and the pursuit for more.

Who is your favourite writer and why?

Is it odd if I am a writer without a favourite writer? I am loyal to great writing, and not necessarily to writers. I read everything from business, fiction, lifestyle, current affairs, leadership to academia.

What are your future writing aspirations?

Writing bestselling poetry and a fictional series, I aspire to make reading a joy.

What is your biggest dream?

Besides the above, my biggest dream is to have my work optioned and commissioned for the big screen! 

Flavian…
What inspires you to write?

Being an introvert I find my power and voice through writing. I am endlessly questioning things – what if, and it is through those questions that I find ideas and inspiration to write. It is in asking the hard questions that I create. Characters and words become a tool I use to articulate my experiences.

Do you think there is a difference between a writer and an author?

Whether you call yourself an author or a writer, when all is said and done, these are just rented titles we take up and I personally do not see the difference between the two. Both use written words to communicate ideas or share stories – officially published or not.

What is it about the diaspora experience that made you want to contribute to this anthology?

The culture shock and discovering how easy it is to forget or lose yourself and your values once you move to the diaspora. A lot of people outside Africa are so ignorant to the smallest facts about the continent and this is partly because we have taken a back seat and allowed the hunter to narrate the lion’s story. It is in telling our own stories that we will perhaps begin to recover the parts of ourselves that we lost on the way and this anthology is one way of getting back those important parts of ourselves.

How do you think your works in this anthology contribute to the history and future of the Zimbabwean dispersion?

I believe my work is a step in the right direction towards getting back to our roots and finding those parts of ourselves that we lost on the way.

Briefly describe your writing journey, from how you started to where you are today.

I cannot remember a time when I was not writing. Words have always been the equivalent to a best friend of sorts that allows me to create a world I want to be in. I used to ghost write love letters for my friends at school and back then I did not understand or realize the power words held. Thanks to people like Stephanie Kapfunde from Enthuse Afrika who saw my love for words and nurtured it. Currently I have a blog called Nashe Has Issues and I am also working on my first novel.

How do you want your work to be remembered?

My idea is not to build a fan base or a loyal audience, but a community that strives on communicating and encouraging each other. I want to be remembered as someone whose writings provoked conversations that matter to my people. I want my work to inspire the much needed conversations. Conversations that will make us better as a people.

Would you like to share anything about yourself to help your readers connect with you?

Being an introvert, for me writing is equivalent to a great friend and this way I get to bring out my points without someone else speaking over my voice. When not writing stories, I have a blog called Nashe Has Issues that I put some of my work and use as a platform to address and break African stereotypes.

Who is your favourite writer and why?

I have always been a huge fan of John Grisham’s novels and have with me most of his works. Thanks to African Book tubers like Rudo Manyere who are constantly promoting African authors I am now discovering my love for African literature as well. Writers like Yaa Gyasi and Jennifer Mansubuga Makumbi have become some of the best writers whose works I love.

What are your future writing aspirations?

To one day soon, publish my own book.

What is your biggest dream?

To create and be part of an Africa that supports its creatives, an Africa that allows its creatives to live off of their work and not need to get a ‘’regular job‘’ to make a living.

Tinashe…
What inspires you to write?

I write because I love doing so. There is an unmatched allure in painting new realities, reimagining old ones and just relating and documenting the human experience.

Do you think there is a difference between a writer and an author?

I think a writer is anyone who enjoys writing in whatever form and has been doing so for a while. An author is someone who conceptualizes an idea, brings it to live through words, then publishes it. I don’t know if I am making sense but yeah, that’s the thrust of it.

What is it about the diaspora experience that made you want to contribute to this anthology?

Being a millennial, I have been on both sides of the diaspora experience, or should I say, I have experienced many different sides of the multiple facets of the “diaspora experience”.

I have seen siblings, friends and relatives go overseas. I have stayed out of the country, away from family for sustained periods myself. I have observed from near and far, the effects of the dispersion. All these experiences and observation have compelled me to contribute to the anthology.

How do you think your works in this anthology contribute to the history and future of the Zimbabwean dispersion?

My hope is that my works will prompt people to reflect more deeply on the Zimbabwean dispersion. I think that’s the sincere hope of every contributor to this anthology, and by extension, every Zimbabwean writer who has written about the dispersion. We want readers to have access to the complete story of the diaspora experience.

Briefly describe your writing journey, from how you started to where you are today.

I started writing as a kid, ten thereabouts. My room was always strewn with scribbled paper. At 17, I attempted to write a novel, “Sprout a bud” about a kid living with albinism who defied all odds (partly inspired by Takadini — the main character from Ben Hanson’s novel, Takadini). Unfortunately, school got in the way and I abandoned the venture. Then, I virtually stopped writing fiction until 2017 when inspiration started flowing again.

My first short story was published in 2019 by Kalahari Review and since then, a couple more have been published by Kalahari Review, Shallow Tales Review, Africa Writer Magazine and Jay Literature. Currently, I’m in the process of putting together a short story collection which I am planning to publish by the end of this year.

How do you want your work to be remembered?

Well, I would just want to be remembered as a writer who wrote relatable things in a beautiful way.

Would you like to share anything about yourself to help your readers connect with you?

I am an ardent Football and Tennis fan. My favourite football team is Arsenal and I also have a soft spot for AC Milan and Real Madrid. I am also smitten with nature documentaries. And yeaham a hyper introvert, preferring to stay indoors

Who is your favourite writer and why?

I am an avid reader and I happen to have a lot of “favourite” writers. So my preferences are seasonal. Currently, my favourite writer is Don Winslow. His “easy going” writing captures the imagination quite like nothing I have come across before. Every time I read his work, I experience the same surreal feeling I got when I read it the first time. It’s something words cannot fully capture.

I am also a big fan of Mario Puzo, the author of the timeless, “The Godfather”. His writing style is impeccable and his story telling, immersive.
Chimamanda Adichie, Tsitsi Dangarembga, Buchi Emecheta, Chinua Achebe, Ngugi WaThiong’o, Khaled Hosseini, Shimmer Chinodya, Can Themba, Es’kia Mpahlele are also part of my quite comprehensive list of “favourites”.

What are your future writing aspirations?

Well, I would love to write a couple of short story collections. I don’t see myself being a prolific novelist. Not because I don’t believe in my abilities, but I feel I more drawn to the short form. I also aspire to venture into script writing with time.

What is your biggest dream?

Well, it is quite hard to give a definite answer to this question, mainly because I harbour a lot of dreams which I consider equally important. But If I have to come up with one, I would say my biggest dream is to be known for producing quality, authentic work and to provide a platform where marginalized writers can do the same.