Speaking Out Women/Girls Resilience through poetry- Journal

December is a very busy month for poets and creative arts organizers. This the time when poets and artists showcase their solidarity with women ,girl empowerment organizations and other community development project to realizing the resilience displayed by these organizations in fighting against gender based violence/16 days of gender activism, resilience against HIV/AIDS pandemic/World Aids Day, Conservation of environment/National Tree Planting Day.

Women have played a very scintillating role in defending the lives of their communities through various activities. A group of poets both male and female Poetic License 365 are complimenting the excellent and resilient work women are doing with a well packed , iconic poetry evening, a volcanic mixture of known and unknown voices. The event will take place at the book cafe on the 6th of December 2013 from 5.00-730 pm. The Program Poetic License was founded by Young rising poet Tendai Maduwa aka African Kid , the Curating Consultant of the program especially the 6th of December event is international poet/creative/literary projects Expert Mbizo Chirasha.

The Speaking Out Women/Girls Resilience through poetry event will be hosted by Zanele Manhenga aka Uzah Uzah- one prolific and rising Afro Jazz fusionist and Lexta Mafumhe Mutasa aka Dapi- Prominent actor , poet , script writer and dancer and a mesmerizing events presenter. The Poets of the day include Umind/ Peggy Shangwa, Karen Mkwasi , Tinashe Tafirenyika , Sharon Andrew , So profound ,Ticha Muzavazi , Shoes Lambada ,Derreck Mpofu ,Orator,Dapi , Black Poet , Afrikan Kid,Muzvare Betty Makoni,Sista Zai,Mutumwa Pavi, Dzonze the Poet.

Who is Who Speaking Out Women/Girls Resilience through Poetry.

Tinashe Tafirenyika- rising up young female poets with a sweaty, crispy ,resonating voice.Regular winner of the Poetry Slam, Zimbabwe. Perfomed at 100 Thousand Poets for Change -Zimbabwe Chapter 2013. Tinashe Participated at the 2013 Protest Arts International Festival University Zimbabwe.

Dege- Iconic , mesmerizing , award winning , intellegent , funny filled and dramatic poet , filled with great maturity and artistic exuberence.
Peggie aka Umind - Strong Voice in Poetry circles , contributed much of her poetry at thebook cafe , Women and Gender Official programs .One of the official poets at Macfest Zimbabwe 2012.She is part of the Poetic License 365 December theme- she will bring new feeling and unique touch to the festival .
Sista Zai- She is an international having graced Australian stages with her mesmerizing volcanic voice , a poetry touch and she makes vivid experimentation with poetic forms. The poet exudes with talent and great motivation as well as confidence.

Muzvare Betty Makoni- An iconic women/global activist, teacher, counseller, poet and a writer , award winning human and girl child activist. She is bringing a new leaf and breath to the festival.Will be represented by a young girl on the day.

Uzahh UzahhUzah-Uzah- Afro Jazz Fusionist, Poet , Presenter, Writer. Uzah is a well travelled young female musician and artist. She have worked with Dudu Manhenga , Victor Kunonga and other established names. She is bringing her presenting and artistic skills to the festival.

Mbizo ChirashaBlack Poet /Mbizo Chirasha- Curating Consultant/Producer of the Speaking Out Women /Girls Resilience through Poetry-Poetic License 365 Event , He is the Administrator of the Poetic License 365 Facebook group. He is the Founder/Creative Director of GirlchildCreativity Project,Country Coordinator of 100 Thousand Poets for Change-GirlchildVoicesFiesta. He is a member of World Pulse. International Poet ,Writer, Creative /Literary Projects Expert.

Ticha MuzavaziTicha Muzavazi- Celebrated Shona Poet , Coordinator of Special Schools arts festival , Mbira teacher and producer. Well travelled in Southern Africa . His last international show was in Botswana at a Poetry Festival. Ticha Muzavazi is a soft spoken poet with deep metaphors and double shona irony.He is bringing maturity and depth to the festival.

Tinashe MuchuriMutumwa Pavi- Well known Shona Perfomance Poet . The popular poet have graced and intertained at a number of festivals, gatherings, book fairs and was one of the founding poets of the House of Hunger poetry Slam. He is well published and well travelled. The poet is bringing sharp simplicity and pricking laughter to the Festival.

Sharon Sherlize AndrewSharon Andrew- Young epitomic, confident and futureful poet. She believes in commercializing poetry and taking to a higher level . She is also a professional Model , Event organizer and good speaker. The Poet is bringing ambiance and glow to the festival.

So-Profound- Iconic , volcanic and fast rising young poet with a fusionist voice that resembles celebrated poet of the United States of America ADDISA.The poet is full of intellect ,wit and optimistic. The young poet graced a lot of vital and official events.He got a lot of awards from the Poetry Slam Zimbabwe. He does his poetry with exuding passion.

Karen Mkwasi- A film maker, Film events Manager, Writer ,Poet and WFOZ chairperson. The poet graced a lot of events with her work. She is a major contributor to the processes of International Images Film Festival. She is bringing resonance to the Festival.

Marshall SangoOrator- Young generation poet with unquestionable talent and passion. The young man touches on a lot of themes from environment, love , politics ,cultural and social issues. He have performed at 2013 Shoko Festival and very much contributing to the growth of poetry in Zimbabwe. The Poet is bringing bloom and a youthful touch to the festival.

Vokal Da Poet- Husky voiced, wit , intelligent , unpredictable poet . Well socializing, flexible and easy going. His Poetic art is full of thunder, hope , depth and literary wizadry.The poet is full of strong jargon. He is verbose, he experiments truly with poetry . He is in love with English Language, metaphors, irony and satire. The poet brings literary prowess to the Festival.

Robson Isaac ShoesLambadaRobson Shoes - Lambada- persistent poet , hardworking , Coordinator of Zimbabwe poets for human rights , country representative of global experience , well travelled , highly recognised and popular in poetry circles. Will bring poetic beauty and ambiance as well as maturity to the festival.

Xapa- International acclaimed female poet , have grace a number of both international ,regional and local festivals. She is endowed with great love and deisre to see the rising of women and girls in all spheres of life. An excellent and educative perfomer . Icall her our Zimbabwean Maya Angelou. She brings motherly passion to the festival.

Tendai MaduwaAfrikan Kid- Founder of the Poetic License , represented Zimbabwe in Kenya in a big international Poetry festival . Poetry works published in various journals exudes with a lot of zeal and passion for developing poetry in Zimbabwe . Travelling for an Indian festival in this month of December.

Edward DzonzeEdward Nzonze- High rising poet will to participate in unique programs of creativity and arts . Exudes with detail, intellect and verbose very proud of his art . A regular artist/poet at House of Hunger Poetry Slam and Zimbabwe Poets for Human Rights events.

Dapi - Humorous, well thought , thought provoking dramatist , writer , poet , lecturer and presenter. He is the Poet of hope , very popular of highly recommended vocci and syntax. His rhyme, assonance and rhythm is strong. The Poet exhibit a lot of maturity, creative touch He is the Director of Shagada Productions and featured on a number of Television Soapies and Production. He will be presenting on the Festival as host.

Dereck MpofuDereck Mpofu - Singer extraordinaire, artist par excellence, patriot. Well known for his powerful, educative song CHISIKANA ZIMBABWE. Good will Ambassador for environment. The Green Ambassador. Well Known for his hypnotic creativity and artistic excellence.

We have a strong belief and Zeal to see more people taking part in this program Speaking out Women Resilience through Poetry.

Written and compiled by Mbizo Chirasha
Curating Consultant- Speaking out Women Resilience through poetry

About Mbizo Chirasha:-Biography

Mbizo Chirasha is an internationally acclaimed Performance poet, Writer, Creative /Literary Projects Specialist, an Advocate of Girl Child Voices and Literacy Development .He is the Founder and Projects Curator of a multiple Community, Literary, and Grassroots Projects including Girl Child Creativity Project, Girl Child Voices Fiesta-100 Thousand Poets for Change, Urban Colleges Writers Prize, and Young Writers Caravan.
Mbizo Chirasha has worked with NGOS and other institutions as an Interventionist [using creative arts as models of community education, information dissemination and dialogue].The interventions include HIV/AIDS Branding Project [Social Family Health Namibia 2009 - 2010 ], HIV/AIDs Nutrition Project[Catholic  Relief Services 2006] , Arts for Drought Mitigation[Swedish Cooperative Centre2006]
He is widely published in more than Hundred Journals, Magazines, and Anthologies around the world. He Co-edited  Silent Voices Tribute to Achebe Poetry Anthology , Nigeria and the Breaking Silence Poetry anthology,Ghana.His Poetry collections include Good Morning President ,Diaspora Publishers , 2011 , United Kingdom and Whispering Woes of Ganges and Zambezi,Cyberwit Press ,India ,2010.
 He was the Poet-in-Residence from 2001-2004 for the Iranian embassy/UN Dialogue among Civilizations Project; Focal Poet for the United Nations Information Centre from 2001-2008; Convener/Event Consultant This Africa Poetry Night 2004 - 2006; Official Performance Poet Zimbabwe International Travel Expo in 2007; Poet in Residence of the International Conference of African Culture and Development/ ICACD 2009; and Official Poet Sadc Poetry Festival, Namibia 2009.In 2010 Chirasha was invited as an Official Poet in Residence of ISOLA Conference in Kenya.
In 2003 Mbizo Chirasha was a Special Young Literary Arts Delegate of Zimbabwe International Book Fair to the Goteborg International Book Fair in Sweden. He performed at Sida/African Pavilion, Nordic African Institute and Swedish Writers Union. In 2006  was invited to be the only Poet /Artist in Residence at Atelier Art School in Alexandra Egypt. In 2009 was a Special participating Delegate representing Zebra Publishing House at the UNESCO   Photo –Novel Writing Project in Tanzania..
Mbizo  Chirasha works as a   Performing Poet for Educational, Diplomatic, International, National, Media and Cooperate organizations .He also works as a Proof Reader/Editor , Poet /Writer in Residences for Institutions , Media Relations Strategist for  projects,GirlChildVoices /Talent Advocate, Literacy Development Activist and Creative/Literary Projects Advisor/Specialist.

The Poet and Writer in the Library Concept

The Poet /Writer in the Library Concept.

 

The Zimbabwe Library Association Mashonaland Branch is rapidly preparing for the International Schools Library Month in conjunction with National Library and Documentation Services to host a number of events around Harare for the promotion of reading culture and literacy development. Several meetings and interventions are being organised to prop up the whole concept that have to  to with the importance of libraries in Schools and reading  . On the 18^th of October   2012 the Zimla mashonaland Branch and other stakeholders are going to  a district  library  event  in Glen view where they will be a number activities and speeches marking the importance of literacy and libraries. The Chairperson of Zimbabwe Library Association Mashonaland Branch is working flat out for  the library month to be a fruitful month that will bring  another face of the readership culture in Zimbabwe

 

Of note is that the celebrated poet and literacy advocate, Mbizo Chirasha the Black Poet is conducting workshops, poetry trainings and creative gatherings in various school . The main School the poet is working is Buddiroro3 Primary School. The program is dubbed Poet/Writer in the Library. It seeks to give first hand information and cultivation to young pupils in schools , It is a catch them Young Program  and seek to engrave a readership DNA in  young people. The Poet is far much experienced because he is the founder /creative director of GirlchildCreativity Projects  which is also another Creative motivation, talent realisation and literacy development concept. The Poet once worked as An Outreach agent of the Zimbabwe Book Development Council and as a Programs Director of Young Writers Caravan.

 

Mbizo Chirasha,the BlackPoet with Children  in Budiriro3 Primary library and Pamela Murambiwa the School Librarian

At Budiriro3 Primary School, Mbizo Chirasha Poet is working with 2 members of staff Pamela Murambiwa  the School Librarian and Grade six teacher Karima Tsitsi  where a lot of reading club students are from.

Murambiwa Pamela is a qualified Secretary and now Librarian at Budiriro 3 Primary School. She holds a certificate in Library and Information Science and is pursuing her Diploma this year. She works extensively with children at the school library and helps mostly the non-reading pupils.

Tsitsi Karima is a qualified English teacher who has taught in different primary schools for the past 12 years. She has worked with children cultivating in them a rich reading culture as well as propagating their creative abilities in writing short stories. In her quest for Arts she studied Chinese language at an international level. These two women are instrumental in the  Library ,Writing and reading project . The Head and the Deputy  head at the school are fully behind the whole idea.

On the 17^th of October   The American Embassy in Harare is hosting  a library seminar where a number of ideas will be shared ,issues on  school libraries importance , Writers in Residence in library and issues on Social Media  in our communities.

This month of October the world celebrate the Schools Library Month promoting the creativity, Literacy  development.

By

Mbizo Chirasha , Poet , Library Development and Literacy advocate.

For more information contact Kenneth Mangemba

Email ktmangemba@gmail.com

 

Atta Wa Mills

Atta Wa Mills

Tireless tongue of mother earth

You painted our sunlight purple with bruises

Bruises of tears, sweat and grief, darkness abound

Dear motherearth your scorching tongue, burnt again our tender hearts

Daughters of Serengeti are weeping, sons ofNzinga are sweating

Children and grey heads withering in the hot desert of sorrow

Granite of hope exfoliated bydouble loss, loss of life and loss of a leader

Atta Wa Mills you last night you dined withghost of father Africa Nkrumah

I dreamt you dancing Mbaqangawith Sisulu,breakfasting sweet potatoes with father Tanganyika

You confided with the shadow of Kenyatta behind the black hills of once Ivory Coast

Atta Wa Mills you left scars of in the valleys of consciences

You also left blooms and buds of hope underneath the anthills of this generation

Today we sing you a eulogy not of goodbye, but on our poetic lips you remain

We embrace the soul of Ghana in the wings of our metaphor

Sleep well son of African daughter, Sleep well political grey horn

By

Mbizo Chirasha is an Internationally acclaimed performance poet, writer, and creative projects consultant. He is widely published in more than Seventy-five journals, magazines, and anthologies around the world including Ditch ,poetry Bulawayo ,ovi magazine ,phatitude,African writer.com,amabooks journal, rhythm international, Daily news poetry Column,Saih Website ,Full of crow ,forward press ,poem2day ,Ofi Press ,Forward Press ,Poetry.com ,One Ghana One Voice ,Miracle Ezine and many others. He was the poet-in-residence: from 2001-2004 for the Iranian embassy/UN Dialogue among civilizations project; the United Nations Information Centre - 2001-2008; Convener/Event Consultant THIS IS AFRICA POETRY NIGHT 2004 - 2006; official performance poet Zimbabwe International Travel Expo in 2007; Poet in Residenceofthe International conference of African culture and development/ ICACD 2009; and official Poet Sadc Poetry Festival, NAMIBIA 2009. A delegate to the Unesco photo novel writing project in Tanzania, Mbizo is the Official poet in residence for the ISOLA/ international conference of oral literature 2010 in Kenya.Mbizo is Chirasha is widely profiled in both local and abroad media institutions. His poetry books Good Morning Presidentis Published in UK and Whispering Woes of Ganges and Zambezi is published byan Indian/American Publisher Cyber wit Press. A lot of more anthologies are under review by other publishers.Mbizo Chirasha the Founder /Operations/Creative Director of Girl child Creativity Project and the newly founded Urban Colleges Writers Prize.www.mbizotheblackblogspot.com

Iowa Creative Writing Fellows dating Zimbabwe

Creative exchanges are a vital tool of artistic and writing development. Of late Zimbabwe have been recieveing a lot of enthusiats in areas of arts mostkly in visual arts and music .Reggae musicians like Sizzla Kalonje have been in the country for a long time.Film and Visual arts experts also played their part in sharing their creative expertise to Zimbabweans in the feild. In 2009  and 2011 Poetry descended in Zimbabwe with poets of note  in the likes of Dj Dema from Botswana, Kwame Dawes [Ghana/Jamaica],Lebo Mashile from South Africa and many other prolific and  well recognized african Poets and wordsmith.

August 2012 is  a turn of events in creativing writing  industry . Proffesors of the art of writing are gracing Zimbabwe in both Harare and Masvingo  they will hold workshops ,seminars and poetry recitals  with journalists ,writers , poets and other stakeholders at the Zimbabwe international Book Fair and the Youth Cultural festival in Masvingo.

Some  of the notable voices coming into country Kelly Bieden ,the program officer of Iowa University Writers Program,Christopher Merill  Director of the Iowa Writers Program.

The team also include Camile Dungy and Ellen Dore Watson,

Jason Merritt/Getty Images North America

Camille Dungy is author of Smith Blue (Southern Illinois University Press, 2011), winner of the 2010 Crab Orchard Open Book Prize, Suck on the Marrow (Red Hen Press, 2010), and What to Eat, What to Drink, What to Leave for Poison (Red Hen Press, 2006). Dungy is editor of Black Nature: Four Centuries of African American Nature Poetry (UGA, 2009), co-editor of From the Fishouse: An Anthology of Poems that Sing, Rhyme, Resound, Syncopate, Alliterate, and Just Plain Sound Great (Persea, 2009), and assistant editor of Gathering Ground: A Reader Celebrating Cave Canem’s First Decade (University of Michigan Press, 2006). Dungy has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Virginia Commission for the Arts, Cave Canem, the Dana Award, and Bread Loaf.

She is a two-time recipient of the Northern California Book Award (2010 and 2011), a Silver Medal Winner in the California Book Award (2011), and a two-time NAACP Image Award nominee (2010 and 2011). She was a2011 finalist for the Balcones Prize, and her books have been shortlisted for the 2011 Foreword Magazine Book of the Year Award, the PEN Center USA 2007 Literary Award, and the Library of Virginia 2007 Literary Award. Dungy is currently a Professor in the Creative Writing Department at San Francisco State University. Her poems and essays have been published widely in anthologies and print and online journals.

		Ellen Doré Watson was hailed by Library Journal as one of "24 Poets for the 21st Century." Director of at Smith since 1999, Watson balances edgy tempos and sassy rhythms in poems as likely to address a rat on the path as to celebrate a peach or meditate on a truckload of guns. Former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky wrote of her first book, We Live in Bodies: "Ellen Watson is an eloquent, passionate poet,” and Ruth Stone praises her “tough, ingenious lyricism.” In her most recent volume, Dogged Hearts (Tupelo Press 2010), Watson lends her voice to a multiplicity of characters, each with his or her own dilemma, distraction, or disarray. “The poems are wild, delirious—they go every which way,” writes Gerald Stern. Earlier books include Broken Railings (winner of the Green Lake Chapbook Prize from Owl Creek Press), We Live in Bodies and, winner of the New York/New England Award, Ladder Music (fromAlice James Books, 1997 and 2001, respectively), and This Sharpening (Tupelo Press, 2006). Her journal appearances include American Poetry Review, Tin House, Orion, Field, Ploughshares, and The New Yorker. Watson’s honors include a Massachusetts Cultural Council Artists Grant, a Rona Jaffe Writers Award, a MacDowell Colony Fellowship, the Zoland Poetry Fellowship to Vermont Studio Center, and National Endowment Translation Fellowship. She has translated a dozen books from the Brazilian Portuguese, including The Alphabet in the Park, the selected poems of Brazilian Adélia Prado (Wesleyan University Press), and she has also co-translated contemporary Palestinian poetry from the Arabic with Saadi Simawe, most notably in the volume Iraqi Poetry Today (Zephyr Press). In addition to creative writing at Smith, Watson’s teaching includes the Colrain Manuscript Conference (core faculty), the Drew University Low-Residency MFA program in Poetry and Translation, and a generative writing workshop in Northampton. She also serves as Poetry and Translation editor of The Massachusetts Review.

This cultural exchange is organized by  the United States Embassy Public Affairs-Culture and Exchange team in Zimbabwe in conjuction with the IOWA University Writers Program ,United States from the 30th  of july to the 8th of August 2012.

by Mbizo Chirasha, Perfomances poet,blogwriter,writer and Creative Projects Specialist

www.oneghanaonevoice.blogspot.com

Road to Damascus

.

Road to Damascus

Good Morning President Poetry Anthology / Reading and Discussion Forum

2011 defined the branding  of one  of the most popular  , active
perfomance poet and writer  in zimbabwe  .He is also the founder of
a number of creative , cultural and literary projects  including  the
Writers Caravan Project 2003-2005, This is Africa Poetry Night
2006-2007 , African Drums Poetry Festivals  2007 , Girl
ChildCreativity Project 2011- Current . The Poet/Writer is published
in more 50 journals around the world , his reviews/profiles  are
published in  national papers , magazines and broadcasting
programs.Mbizo  have worked with a number of organizations and
institutions which inlude diplomatic  , educational , media , youth
and cultural organizations.

2011 defined the growth and  the branding  of the   internationally
reknowned poet, Mbizo Chirasha .He managed to publish his debut poetry
anthology GOOD MORNING PRESIDENT

Product Description



A collection of captivating poems from a prolific Zimbabwean spoken
word poet who is active in cultivating creativity in Zimbabwe
(girlchildcreativity)and abroad. His appearances in worldwide
publications are wide.This is his first solo collection including
poems he has recited worldwide.

The publication is  one among   poetry works the poet have published
around world , tours as a poet in resident , guest poet , advisor ,
festival manager  ,live literature producer.This is exhibited by the
long journey the poet have travelled in his  work , the poet toured
ghana , zimbabwe arts , literary festivals , zambia , egypt ,
sweden.south africa , namibia,tanzania , malawi , mozamibque and other
countries.

0n the 15th of februrary 2011  , the poet  Mbizo Chirasha will be
reading the poetry Anthology Good Morning President published by
Diaspora Publishers 2011 in the UK.On this day the American Corner at
the Gweru Memorial Library will be blazing in verses and metaphors.all
are invited  at 230 pm  onwards

Contact Bevan Hungwe/Education Advisor

or Mbizo Chirasha /Author  + 263 734 332 309