Zimbabwe author’s book evokes the feminine Spirit
By Dumisani Ndlovu
Emerging Zvishavane based author, Masimba Chakombera is determined to focus on the empowerment of women through literature.
Through his newly published novel, Victory which he said was a reflection of his late mother’s life experiences. The book explicitly advocates for feminism with an intention to bring to life the hopes, struggles, and accomplishments of the ordinary women.
According to scores of readers who spoke to this publication, the novel will no doubt inspire women to succeed against the odds during the tumult and trauma of the years.
“Through the creative endeavours, the author stood up for women rights and, taking a stance against misogyny and inequity, while working to shape communities into a more inclusive, safe place for all women to create and thrive, “said one reader Peter Manhivi.
The 42-year-old novelist who is a Human Resources Professional is set to officially launch his debut novel. Which details and explores issues of cultural suppression and extramarital affairs leading to toxic family relationship. It also challenges stereotypes associated with such issues.
In a telephone interview, Chakombera told Kwedu News that his book which is designed to motivate women who are suffering under the limitations of patriarch is set to be launched on the 14th of April 2023 in Zvishavane,Zimbabwe.
“Although the book is inspired by my mother, as an author, I view my role as that of amplifying the pain people often experience in society within patriarchal relations. What makes it unique is that the book tackles ordinary issues that relates very well with the way people live nowadays.
“Telling this story also made me realize how very ‘ordinary it is and hence something that many creative writers would not be interested in writing about. There is no ‘sensational drama cutting edge suspense and no super hero stories-but such is the story of the majority of women all around us,” he said adding that the stories are so strikingly similar yet so ordinary because society has normalized the overt and covert suffering of women as a rite of passage,’’ he said
In a patriarchal society, women are collectively excluded from full participation in socio-economic and political life. Those attributes seen as ‘feminine’ or as pertaining to women are undervalued. Patriarchal relations structure both the private and public spheres, with men dominating both domestic and public life.
“Apart from honouring my mother, and telling her story, I realised I needed to free myself from my past trauma by bravely acknowledging it and thereby freeing myself from the pain. It is easy to believe or assume that the pain is not there but each time one does not work on addressing their trauma, it remains hidden and it oftentimes manifests in ugly ways at any point in life. I could not think of a better way of sell -healing than writing this book,” Chakombera said.
The book is found on amazon and other distributing channels.
Feminism is a dominant theme in Victory, and the author is advocating for gender equality, throughout the book. There are however other themes that the book tackles like poverty and cultural subjugation.
The writing process required diligence, motivation and a clear objectives. Chakombera confessed that it took a lot of time for him to finally complete the manuscript which he said was going to take the reader on “an emotional roller-coaster
” I can’t say writing was my dream. I had experiences to share and writing became an easy creative outlet for me, what came first was the story before the desire to be a writer
“I started writing this when I was still in High school, and I suspended the project for years until I resumed again and completed the writing process in 2022,” he said.
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