VICTORY for Chikombera as he launches first novel highlighting evils of patriarchy
By Delicious Mathuthu
It is victory for Zvishavane based author, Masimba Chakombera, as he launched his first novel titled ‘Victory’ at Pote Hill Hotel recently, chronicling the life and struggles of his mother.
Born in Mutoko, but currently based in Zvishavane, Chakombera traces his childhood memories in the autobiography, in the form of a novel through the life of a character Kundai, representing his late mother Maodziwa Nyakanyanga.
The book highlights the life of a young woman deserted by her husband in the rural areas and left to fend for her children all alone.
Kundai decides to travel to the city in search of her husband but nothing much changes her fate.
The colourful book launch, attended by several dignitaries, invited guests, academics, friends, and family members saw the first copy being auctioned for US$200.
A sombre atmosphere prevailed at the Pote Hill Hotel conference centre as Chakombera recounted his life experiences, that of his mother and writing the book.
Almost in tears as he spoke, Chakombera said writing became his drug to cure his painful childhood memories as he witnessed his mother toiling through toxic traditions and institutionalised disadvantaging of women in society’s patriarchal set up.
“I really would like to express my heartfelt gratitude and joy to have you here with me and my family, and to witness the birth of this little book.
“See, this may just be a book to you, but to me this is a real story, and real life experience.
“This book represents redemption, restoration and suffices to say; this book saved my life literally.
“I never realized the power of words to heal, the immortality of words in inspiring rebirth and healing, until I painfully went through putting all these words on paper one by one.
“Writing it was like reconstructing my lost confidence, reclaiming my stolen childhood and regaining my power to survive and to dream.
“My siblings and I were devastated when our parents separated at a time we needed them together most. As a child, that experience changed me a lot, and there were several moments, I felt like life was not worth living.
“Keeping a journal of what happened to our family, and how I felt, helped me to pull through some of the darkest moments of my life.
“Using writing as a creative outlet for my pain helped me to deal with it.
“During trying times where I could have opted for drugs, alcohol, suicide, mischief, revenge, or any other self-destructing behavior, writing became my drug of choice,” Chakombera said.
He encouraged art as an alternative to self-destructive behaviors to pull through painful chapters in one’s life.
He challenged teachers and community leaders to promote use art as a form of self expression among youths.
“They say when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. I feel there is not enough lemonade being made with all these lemons being thrown around.
“With a lot of drug use going on in our community today and all the mischief going on, I want to implore teachers to encourage learners, community leaders to mobilise the youth and parents to urge their children to embrace art forms such as writing, music, dance and sport, or any of their talents to express themselves.
“Words have the power, and writing has the ability to allow us to re-imagine our experiences, and safely allow us to say things that possibly cannot be said in ordinary conversations,” Chikombera said.
He said though he recounts part of the life he lived growing up, the book is about his mother, the pain she went through in the patriarchal system that readers can only imagine as they read through the book.
“This book I celebrate today is a product of the pain I witnessed my mother going through.
“I talk about myself and my experiences but this book is not about me. It is about my Mother, my Queen and the struggles she had to endure as a woman living in a patriarchy-driven society.
“Years ago I watched actress Lupita Nyong’o on TV talking about her movie “12 Years A Slave”. She was asked about how it felt to go through those ugly and horrific scenes, and her response moved me.
“She said she considered herself lucky that she could only “act” what the slaves really went through.
“It wasn’t so bad because she had the liberty to ask the crew to cut if/when it got intense.
“The feeling that she was privileged to not have experienced the horrendous treatment is what inspired her to give her best to the role.
“A few readers of my book ‘Victory’ told me that they cried reading parts of the book, and I realised that I also cried through writing the book.
“I wondered how this painful experience must have felt in “real life” for the main character Kundai, if it moved people just reading the book in the comfort of their spaces, I wondered the kind of courage it took for her to gracefully soldier on in life unscathed by the bitterness and hurt.
“That’s some
level of Victory in the book I never really thought of,” he said.
“How incredibly lucky some of you are to just read about her life, and probably pause reading and throw away the book when it gets too sombre.
“But she never had that privilege. She had to soldier on with life, through its obstacles and tribulations.
“No pause button, no bookmark, or reading break. What you may think is a sad story to read, was a sad life for her to live,” Chakombera said.
He added that the book is not only about his mother but several women alive or dead going through or who went through similar experiences of patriarchy, misogyny, toxic tradition, institutionalized and inherent disadvantages that come with being a woman on a daily basis.
Feminization of poverty, gender-based violence, marginalization of women and general poor access to education, health and information and social amenities are some of the experiences faced by women, as Chikombera said.
He also highlighted sad stories of three Zvishavane women who have been through similar painful experiences as women.
One Rejoice Mpofu was denied access to her late husbands’ funds, real estate and her own children by her inlaws because they had been married under customary law.
Another, Muchaneta Mhari, is a divorcee with 4 kids and is single-handedly raising the children working as a domestic help.
Mhari’s husband before she left him, on several occasions married other women and brought them to cohabit with them in their rural home while he was still married to her and she felt her health was under threat and left the marriage.
The third, Tambudzai (not her real name) is a 25 year old domestic worker who got married and her husband left for South Africa leaving her and the kids at their rural home.
The husband hasn’t called or sent anything to support the family and there is a rumor that he got married to a South African woman, Chakombera said.
She was now being held by her inlaws arguing that they paid lobola while overworking her. She finally managed to leave but left behind her children as the inlaws refused with them.
Speaking during the launch, Midlands State University (MSU) Lecturer, Professor Nhamo Mhiripiri, who bought a copy of the book and donated it to Murehwa High School, said as a fellow writer he could identify with Chakombera in terms of the creativity needed in writing a book and coming up with a coherent product that readers can easily read.
He said the book is more of an autobiography than a novel.
“I find it difficult to call it a novel but I have to reach that extent where we have to talk about the advantages and disadvantages of autobiography and self writing.
“I never heard you say autobiography but frequently I could tell this is about self writing which is a genre in its own wright.
“Individuals and all people have a story to write but it depends now on which mode of story telling you choose.
“Some do it perfectly well with music, it might be compacted towards three or four minutes but sleepless nights, 106 pages (of the book) from what I heard.
“How do you go about that, giving it form and style at the same time whilst you are trying to articulate your voice to express yourself as an individual,” he said.
Prof. Mhiripiri also offered a platform for the book to be converted into an audio-visual form and air it on MSU radio.
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