TIPTOPSTARS

-Batsirai Chigama, Zimbabwean performance poet

Zimbabweans may have little interest in written poetry because of a general lackluster reading attitude. But, for some time now, there has been a silver lining to this problem - oral poetry. With the proliferation of performance poets in the country, many more people now find time and space in their hearts for poetry. This has been thanks to the incredible talent, displayed by some of the country's performance poetess, among them, Batsirai Chigama. At one of the Harare International Festival of Arts (HIFA) poetry cafés, the young poet from Murehwa, gave spectators a reason for their entry tickets. TIPTOPSTARS' Ernest Kanjo caught up with Chigama soon after the show. Excerpts.

After such a wonderful performance, do you think your day has been fulfilled?

Certainly! Each time I perform and received such positive feedback, I go home feeling really proud of myself.

For how long have you been doing poetry?

Four years. I started way back in 2006.

What motivated you into poetry?

For me, it is the most appropriate means to vehicle a message across. I think I have a lot to tell the world and need such a forum to express myself.

How do you get inspired?

I gain inspiration from everyday experiences. It could a conversation in a taxi cab, a book I read or other happenings in the society.

How many poems do you have to your credit?

I have written more that 200 and performed quite many. I have published 96 in a collection. Some of my poems which are not available in Zimbabwe have been published in the UK.

Have you ever been reprimanded for performing critical poems?

No. We got real freedom of expression.

As a woman how do you find the task?

Quite easy for me! Many girls are getting inspired by what I do and are coming on board. I have always encouraged them to join the few of us who are in the art.

Which is the poem you will always be caught performing?

Braille, The Art of Feeling is my favourite piece. It is so inspiring to me and talks about a way of expressing oneself when one faces certain challenges.

What else does Chigama do apart from poetry?

I do gender project writing for a civil society organization, based in Harare.

For the first time, a network for arts journalists in Africa will exist. AAJN, African Arts Journalists Network will go operational in the coming months, to cater for the professional needs of the practice of arts reporting, generally relegated to the background.

Meeting in Harare, Zimbabwe, over a dozen and a half arts journalists, coming from across the continent have laid the ground works for the eventual kick-off of the network. A task team has been set up to prepare the requirements for an official launching of the body, expected to give arts journalism a new boost.

In various sessions, the media persons diagnosed the ailments, pinning down the practice of this journalistic genre, to be able to project into possible ways of making it more palatable and acceptable. They all reported that in their various countries and newsrooms, arts reporting was not only relegated to the background, but those practicing were to a great extent deficient, as far as knowledge of the various artistic expressions was concerned.

This, they all agreed had been impedimental on the quality of reporting dished out to the audience. Such challenges could only be dealt with if AAJN, after its birth, embarked on training, sharing information and experiences, lobby for and defend the interest of arts journalists, recognize and encourage excellence and press for the respect of professional ethics.

While working on the AAJN strategic plan document ahead of the network's eventual launching, the pressmen hope this initiative will go a long way to change the current erroneous perception of arts reporting. "We will have to lobby for recognition and support at major summits, why not?" said Chris Kabwato of the South Africa-based Reporting development Network Africa, who was facilitating the sessions.

To Bicaba Ismael, arts journalists from Burkina Faso, AAJN is a welcome move. "I predict a bright future for arts journalism whereby the continent's rich cultural heritage will be valourised through what we do," he told TIPTOPSTARS.

Meanwhile, Arterial Network, one of the continent's most active promoters of culture has acknowledged it was necessary to give birth to AAJN. Explaining why the organization has lent its full support to the creation of a such a body, General Manager Belisa Rodrigues said arts reporting was an aspect of culture usually neglected, despite its importance. "We think freedom of expression is primordial. AAJN should be independent and even have the latitude to be critical of Arterial Network," she pointed out.

The AAJN preliminary sessions took place side-by-side activities to mark the 2010 edition of the Harare International Festival of Arts (HIFA) that attracted thousands of visitors into Zimbabwe's beautiful capital city.

If you cherish quiet moments, go to Dzimbanhete. It is a small village situated 25km away from Zimbabwe's capital Harare along the road to Bulawayo. Here, lies a place - Dzimbanhete Arts Interactions. It is a resource centre and meeting point for the country's young and talented artists.

On a late morning visit to this beautiful site, expect to have a good feel of nature's sweet gifts to mankind and a prompt appreciation of art in all its facets. The only good thing, perhaps, that will perturb your knack for a quiet environment, is the sound of the mbira, a Zimbabwean tradition musical instrument. You would however not regret listening to it, for, mbira's melody makes sense to the ear.

Such entertaining traditional sound, accompanied by male voices, percussion beats, clappers (makwa) and fascinating choreography is what Mbira Dzenharo, a Dzimbanhete traditional music band offers. With Edmond Chikanya at the mbira bass, Spencer Chiyangwa and Byron Chikanya at the mbira rhythm, Saiti Maposa at the drums, the band dishes out numerous dance-provoking pieces. ''We have 16 songs compiled in two albums,'' Mbira Dzeharo group manager, Brighton Munemo revealed.

Songs in these albums have been performed throughout Zimbabwe during small events. Mbira Dzenharo performances have always moved potential sponsors to make promises which have unfortunately not be fulfilled. ''We would have taken this group further if people and corporate organisations chipped in their supported,'' Chikanya regretted. Were it not for the Zimbabwe Music Comparative (ZMC) that sponsored studio recording, the groups scintillating pieces would have remained remote. ''We now have our songs on CDs and can widely circulate them if the means are available.''

For now, Mbira Dzenharo is contented with thrilling guests to the Dzimbanhete Arts Interactions and interacting with them, hoping that their little might would some day be a giant contribution to traditional African dance and music. And long after you have driven out of Dzimbanhete, the sounds of mbira stays on your mind.