Advice Viriri | Midlands State University (original) (raw)

Papers by Advice Viriri

DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals), Oct 1, 2011

The article discusses the developments in Shona lexicography during the colonial era and the cont... more The article discusses the developments in Shona lexicography during the colonial era and the contribution made by the missionaries in general and Father M. Hannan in particular which later resulted in the ongoing process of compiling monolingual dictionaries by the African Languages Research Institute (ALRI) (into which the ALLEX project has been transformed). The missionaries employed various methods that did not only signal the beginning of an economically exploitative relationship between "the West and the rest of us" but also had ancillary cultural consequences (Dathorne 1975: 3). Their motives towards the development of African literature in general and Zimbabwean lexicographic work in particular were primarily evangelical and not to further creative writing. This caused Father Hannan to experience problems not only in his translation of the Shona Bible but also in his Standard Shona Dictionary. Hannan is used as an example because his translation problems were typical of those experienced by all missionaries. Hannan's dictionary was a welcome new development using the orthography introduced in 1931 and revised in 1955. The aim of his dictionary was "to record Shona words in Standard Shona spelling" (Hannan 1959: ix). Hannan's dictionary has made a considerable contribution to standardising Shona orthography.

Lexikos, Oct 20, 2011

The article discusses the developments in Shona lexicography during the colonial era and the cont... more The article discusses the developments in Shona lexicography during the colonial era and the contribution made by the missionaries in general and Father M. Hannan in particular which later resulted in the ongoing process of compiling monolingual dictionaries by the African Languages Research Institute (ALRI) (into which the ALLEX project has been transformed). The missionaries employed various methods that did not only signal the beginning of an economically exploitative relationship between "the West and the rest of us" but also had ancillary cultural consequences (Dathorne 1975: 3). Their motives towards the development of African literature in general and Zimbabwean lexicographic work in particular were primarily evangelical and not to further creative writing. This caused Father Hannan to experience problems not only in his translation of the Shona Bible but also in his Standard Shona Dictionary. Hannan is used as an example because his translation problems were typical of those experienced by all missionaries. Hannan's dictionary was a welcome new development using the orthography introduced in 1931 and revised in 1955. The aim of his dictionary was "to record Shona words in Standard Shona spelling" (Hannan 1959: ix). Hannan's dictionary has made a considerable contribution to standardising Shona orthography.

This study is an analysis of the depiction of Pungwe (Night Vigil) in selected Shona novels and s... more This study is an analysis of the depiction of Pungwe (Night Vigil) in selected Shona novels and songs. The study uses Bakhtin’s description of a historical phenomenon-cum-literary theoretical framework called the carnivalesque. The theory’s tenets apply to the analysis of Shona novels and songs. It is demonstrated that although the depiction of the Pungwe in the literature varies between or among Shona authors, there is general consensus that the carnivalesque elements of the Pungwe encouraged a subversion that undermines virtually all categories of social privilege in the novels and the songs. The carnivalesque theory encourages analysis of fiction and songs that produce the pluralising of meanings of the Pungwe in the Shona novels and songs that are rendered semantically unstable. Narrative instability is transgressive and its liberating potential manifests itself through the different activities and energies mobilised at the Pungwe. As a carnival square, the Pungwe institutio...

The advent of colonialism had far reaching implications in Africa. Western cultural imperialism w... more The advent of colonialism had far reaching implications in Africa. Western cultural imperialism was, and still is, implemented, inter alia, by the church and its missionary acolytes. Missionaries instilled Eurocentric value systems that were deemed vital for the successful execution of colonization. This paper will show that the literary tradition that emerged in Africa was not only intimately linked to Christianity, mission-controlled schools and the presses, but has been circumscribed by the socio-economic and political realities of colonialism. As shall be seen, Africans did not regard Christianity as part of the colonization agenda. Missionaries linked Christian mystical life with literacy hence this investigation examines whether the mythicized African fiction is devoid of any realism at all.

Muziki, 2013

Abstract The aim of this article is to explore the textual meanings of Mai Charamba's song, A... more Abstract The aim of this article is to explore the textual meanings of Mai Charamba's song, Africa, and Fungisai Zvakavapano's Hamheno anoramba. This article investigates how the music of the two female artists expresses the subject of land, in the context of liberation theology. We have purposefully sampled these two artists – first, because they sing about ownership of land and natural resources, which are themes that dominate current discourses in Zimbabwe and Africa. Second, we have especially considered the songs by the two female gospel singers because their songs have a special way of merging the subject of land with theological ideas anchored in the concept of African economic liberation. Third, we have taken a special interest in exploring music that talks about land – a theme often associated with male discourses about economic freedom in Zimbabwe. It is argued that the very fact that women are now singing about land means that the subject also preoccupies their creative imagination. What this points to is that it is no longer possible to discuss the land reform without taking into consideration women's ‘voices’ and their legal and constitutional rights to have access to land and other state resources.

Der Ophthalmologe, 2003

Lidekzeme sind pathogenetisch heterogen. Ihre Behandlung ist durch die anatomischen und funktione... more Lidekzeme sind pathogenetisch heterogen. Ihre Behandlung ist durch die anatomischen und funktionellen Gegebenheiten der Periorbitalregion erschwert. Dies macht sie, neben ihrer hufigen Therapieresistenz und Rezidivneigung, zu einer groen diagnostischen und therapeutischen Herausforderung fr Haut- und Augenrzte.Auch ein vergleichsweise kleinflchiges Lidekzem kann aufgrund der belastenden Symptomatik und der hohen sthetischen Bedeutung dieser Krperregion einen hohen Leidensdruck verursachen. Diese interdisziplinre bersichtsarbeit zum

formerly a Philosophy lecturer at Great Zimbabwe University and Chairperson of the Department of ... more formerly a Philosophy lecturer at Great Zimbabwe University and Chairperson of the Department of Humanities, and acting Dean of the Faculty of Arts. His research interests are in the areas of postcolonial African philosophy, Feminist philosophy and ethics. The paper provides a corrective to the Western gaze that modern medicine; science and Christianity are familiar parts of Western imagination. It shows the beauty of African indigenous science, medicine and worship. Colonialism transformed most African parts as a way of “modernizing traditional political, economic and social practices ” as many scholars think. The paper is concerned with the socio-political and cultural dimensions of the new hegemonic tendencies in the world’s global affairs, which pose serious challenges to African social sciences. 177 The Journal of Pan African Studies, vol.2, no.9, March 2009 It further discusses how the Shona perceive African metaphysics in the face of modernity global challenges and how they r...

interests are in the areas of postcolonial African philosophy, philosophy of culture and ethics. ... more interests are in the areas of postcolonial African philosophy, philosophy of culture and ethics. This paper attempts to deconstruct a myriad of negative images that denigrate the African continent as dark and seeks to place into proper context distortions of the original African creative intellect twisted by Western hegemony. It further attempts to invalidate the stereotypes that were pervasively consecrated as historical truths in literature, philosophy, religion, and politics. 27

The thrust of this article is to give a critical literary synthesis of the immense contribution m... more The thrust of this article is to give a critical literary synthesis of the immense contribution made by religion during Zimbabwe’s political struggle, as depicted in a selected body of Zimbabwean Chimurenga war narratives. It further posits that African spiritual religion played an integral role as a weapon to strengthen the indigenous people’s resistance to the injustices of racial discrimination during the liberation struggle. The indigenous people were spiritually guided as they fought a bitter war against ‘the alien invader who had expropriated their land, demeaned their culture and enslaved their bodies’ (Jones 1996, p. 50). The chosen war artists, through their common interest in, and common concern for, the preservation of fundamental human rights and values, point at the crucial role that African spiritual religion played - particularly in all the radical liberation war processes of socio-political change. Mbiti (1975) asserts that ‘Africans are notoriously religio...

It is necessary to promote and enhance African languages as intangible cultural heritage. This he... more It is necessary to promote and enhance African languages as intangible cultural heritage. This heritage needs conservation and management in the form of language planning and policy making that would contribute towards the restoration of the indigenous speakers’ humanity, identity and culture. Our indigenous languages seek to focus on African philosophy, aesthetics, art, performing arts, politics, sociology, sport and other subjects. These languages would explore ways in which the forms of African cultural life and expression will help to shape, inform and influence cultures and intellectual traditions across the globe. It is necessary to transcend colonial alienation as “part and parcel of the anti-imperialist struggles of [Zimbabweans] and African peoples” whose indigenous languages “were associated with negative qualities of backwardness, underdevelopment, humiliation and punishment.” (Ngugi, 1981:28). This paper will testify the superiority of our indigenous languages ...

The article closely examines the relationship between ubuntu philosophy and proverbs particularly... more The article closely examines the relationship between ubuntu philosophy and proverbs particularly on the comparative experiences of the construction of identities in African societies. Some people have often used the term philosophy to refer to that which has been written down only. Whether written or not, this docs not take away the philosophicalness of African proverbs and their influence on the African creative genius on the world global stage.The process of philosophical thinking starts when people reflect and question the nature of human existence and its value. This is not a preserve of the West. Proverbs are considered to be the palm oil with which words are eaten. Proverbs, in providing these philosophical statements, become images of thought, sensations, customs and the total experience of a people in all spheres of life like " politics, spirituality, economics, culture and many more. It will be argued here that Africans should be mindful of their oral traditions for t...

The paper interrogates the FIFA 2010 World Cup in South Africa’s activated discourses of footba... more The paper interrogates the FIFA 2010 World Cup in South Africa’s activated discourses of football pilfering unstable worldviews on global cultural flows. The World Cup on the African continent demonstrates the glocalisation cycle in world order as a conjunctural hegemonic historical process . This entails an encounter encompassing multifaceted angles of borrowings from film and media, culture and sexuality, politics and economy, class and gender and between the continent and Europe. It is the continent’s colonial encounter with Europe that spurs this study’s intellectual breeze from various disciplines of media, film, and theatre arts studies. When embraced by the metanarrative quest for what colonialism means in the historical memories of Africans, it offers a multiplicity of versions in their splendid diversities. As the biggest soccer extravaganza was performed on the African soil, the great expectation was to celebrate glocalisation and project Africa positively with the r...

The article discusses the developments in Shona lexicography during the colonial era and the cont... more The article discusses the developments in Shona lexicography during the colonial era and the contribution made by the missionaries in general and Father M. Hannan in particular which later resulted in the on-going process of compiling monolingual dictionaries by the African Languages Research Institute (ALRI) (into which the ALLEX project has been transformed). The missionaries employed various methods that did not only signal the beginning of an economically exploitative relationship between "the West and the rest of us" but also had ancillary cultural con- sequences (Dathorne 1975: 3). Their motives towards the development of African literature in gen- eral and Zimbabwean lexicographic work in particular were primarily evangelical and not to fur- ther creative writing. This caused Father Hannan to experience problems not only in his translation of the Shona Bible but also in his Standard Shona Dictionary. Hannan is used as an example because his translation problems were...

Contrary to William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet’s notion about a name, according to The Af... more Contrary to William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet’s notion about a name, according to The Afrocentric experience, [2004], a name is the evidence of one’s existence. A name establishes one’s presence on earth. Names give a person identity and can be a source of pride or shame as it were. From the earliest literature, the Bible, the naming of a people, a place or a person has always been important as an indicator of who that people, place or person would become in the future. Examples of such naming are numerous and include the naming of Jesus, as Emmanuel and Peter as the Rock. In the same breath, in the Shona culture, newly born babies arc given names in the families they are born into.There are traditional criteria followed when giving names. Naming is not done by everybody, elders or the mother and father of the child have the prerogative to name. This article endeavours to analyse the sources and meanings of Shona names given to children. The central thrust of the articl...

Latin American Report, 2013

A dictionary of Chimurenga War names by Charles Pfukwa is one of my prize possessions. Dr Charles... more A dictionary of Chimurenga War names by Charles Pfukwa is one of my prize possessions. Dr Charles Pfukwa is a Chimurenga War polymath whose encyclopaedic knowledge of the liberation struggle is unquestionable. He is an associate professor of linguistics, an internationally renowned author and a dominant figure in Zimbabwean print media, being Chief Editor of The Patriot, which has a uniquely large readership among Zimbabweans because of its policy of sharpening people's national consciousness. The dictionary will no doubt generate much interest among all who conceive of national and cultural identity in linguistic terms, regardless of their age. Writers across the African continent have debated the extent to which they should be, in Nadine Gordimer's phraseology, "more than writers" (1989), as well as their commitment and responsibility to examine topical issues. To many readers, the dictionary offers a therapeutic, leisure-time activity and an essentially optimist...

The post independence Zimbabwe s entrenched politics of self and other dates back to the Chimuren... more The post independence Zimbabwe s entrenched politics of self and other dates back to the Chimurenga War. This is where the socio-political and cultural construction of otherness was regulated. The article examines the epistemological underpinnings of then ascent Zimbabwean form of the war novel in capturing the violent nature of female combatants' rape during the liberation struggle. This done through myths, indigenous means of resistance, violence and the reconstruction of gendered identities. Against Zimbabwe 's contentious liberation struggle, the lived war experiences of female combatants in both the novel and film (Flame) will assist in "creatively blending history, myth and legend in a manner that defines the past, present and future trajectory of nation in terms that negate withdrawal and resignation " (Muhwati, 2011: 33). This invocation of war memory provides a critique of the deployment of antinomies of the past Chimurenga war in order to stimulate an eva...

DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals), Oct 1, 2011

The article discusses the developments in Shona lexicography during the colonial era and the cont... more The article discusses the developments in Shona lexicography during the colonial era and the contribution made by the missionaries in general and Father M. Hannan in particular which later resulted in the ongoing process of compiling monolingual dictionaries by the African Languages Research Institute (ALRI) (into which the ALLEX project has been transformed). The missionaries employed various methods that did not only signal the beginning of an economically exploitative relationship between "the West and the rest of us" but also had ancillary cultural consequences (Dathorne 1975: 3). Their motives towards the development of African literature in general and Zimbabwean lexicographic work in particular were primarily evangelical and not to further creative writing. This caused Father Hannan to experience problems not only in his translation of the Shona Bible but also in his Standard Shona Dictionary. Hannan is used as an example because his translation problems were typical of those experienced by all missionaries. Hannan's dictionary was a welcome new development using the orthography introduced in 1931 and revised in 1955. The aim of his dictionary was "to record Shona words in Standard Shona spelling" (Hannan 1959: ix). Hannan's dictionary has made a considerable contribution to standardising Shona orthography.

Lexikos, Oct 20, 2011

The article discusses the developments in Shona lexicography during the colonial era and the cont... more The article discusses the developments in Shona lexicography during the colonial era and the contribution made by the missionaries in general and Father M. Hannan in particular which later resulted in the ongoing process of compiling monolingual dictionaries by the African Languages Research Institute (ALRI) (into which the ALLEX project has been transformed). The missionaries employed various methods that did not only signal the beginning of an economically exploitative relationship between "the West and the rest of us" but also had ancillary cultural consequences (Dathorne 1975: 3). Their motives towards the development of African literature in general and Zimbabwean lexicographic work in particular were primarily evangelical and not to further creative writing. This caused Father Hannan to experience problems not only in his translation of the Shona Bible but also in his Standard Shona Dictionary. Hannan is used as an example because his translation problems were typical of those experienced by all missionaries. Hannan's dictionary was a welcome new development using the orthography introduced in 1931 and revised in 1955. The aim of his dictionary was "to record Shona words in Standard Shona spelling" (Hannan 1959: ix). Hannan's dictionary has made a considerable contribution to standardising Shona orthography.

This study is an analysis of the depiction of Pungwe (Night Vigil) in selected Shona novels and s... more This study is an analysis of the depiction of Pungwe (Night Vigil) in selected Shona novels and songs. The study uses Bakhtin’s description of a historical phenomenon-cum-literary theoretical framework called the carnivalesque. The theory’s tenets apply to the analysis of Shona novels and songs. It is demonstrated that although the depiction of the Pungwe in the literature varies between or among Shona authors, there is general consensus that the carnivalesque elements of the Pungwe encouraged a subversion that undermines virtually all categories of social privilege in the novels and the songs. The carnivalesque theory encourages analysis of fiction and songs that produce the pluralising of meanings of the Pungwe in the Shona novels and songs that are rendered semantically unstable. Narrative instability is transgressive and its liberating potential manifests itself through the different activities and energies mobilised at the Pungwe. As a carnival square, the Pungwe institutio...

The advent of colonialism had far reaching implications in Africa. Western cultural imperialism w... more The advent of colonialism had far reaching implications in Africa. Western cultural imperialism was, and still is, implemented, inter alia, by the church and its missionary acolytes. Missionaries instilled Eurocentric value systems that were deemed vital for the successful execution of colonization. This paper will show that the literary tradition that emerged in Africa was not only intimately linked to Christianity, mission-controlled schools and the presses, but has been circumscribed by the socio-economic and political realities of colonialism. As shall be seen, Africans did not regard Christianity as part of the colonization agenda. Missionaries linked Christian mystical life with literacy hence this investigation examines whether the mythicized African fiction is devoid of any realism at all.

Muziki, 2013

Abstract The aim of this article is to explore the textual meanings of Mai Charamba's song, A... more Abstract The aim of this article is to explore the textual meanings of Mai Charamba's song, Africa, and Fungisai Zvakavapano's Hamheno anoramba. This article investigates how the music of the two female artists expresses the subject of land, in the context of liberation theology. We have purposefully sampled these two artists – first, because they sing about ownership of land and natural resources, which are themes that dominate current discourses in Zimbabwe and Africa. Second, we have especially considered the songs by the two female gospel singers because their songs have a special way of merging the subject of land with theological ideas anchored in the concept of African economic liberation. Third, we have taken a special interest in exploring music that talks about land – a theme often associated with male discourses about economic freedom in Zimbabwe. It is argued that the very fact that women are now singing about land means that the subject also preoccupies their creative imagination. What this points to is that it is no longer possible to discuss the land reform without taking into consideration women's ‘voices’ and their legal and constitutional rights to have access to land and other state resources.

Der Ophthalmologe, 2003

Lidekzeme sind pathogenetisch heterogen. Ihre Behandlung ist durch die anatomischen und funktione... more Lidekzeme sind pathogenetisch heterogen. Ihre Behandlung ist durch die anatomischen und funktionellen Gegebenheiten der Periorbitalregion erschwert. Dies macht sie, neben ihrer hufigen Therapieresistenz und Rezidivneigung, zu einer groen diagnostischen und therapeutischen Herausforderung fr Haut- und Augenrzte.Auch ein vergleichsweise kleinflchiges Lidekzem kann aufgrund der belastenden Symptomatik und der hohen sthetischen Bedeutung dieser Krperregion einen hohen Leidensdruck verursachen. Diese interdisziplinre bersichtsarbeit zum

formerly a Philosophy lecturer at Great Zimbabwe University and Chairperson of the Department of ... more formerly a Philosophy lecturer at Great Zimbabwe University and Chairperson of the Department of Humanities, and acting Dean of the Faculty of Arts. His research interests are in the areas of postcolonial African philosophy, Feminist philosophy and ethics. The paper provides a corrective to the Western gaze that modern medicine; science and Christianity are familiar parts of Western imagination. It shows the beauty of African indigenous science, medicine and worship. Colonialism transformed most African parts as a way of “modernizing traditional political, economic and social practices ” as many scholars think. The paper is concerned with the socio-political and cultural dimensions of the new hegemonic tendencies in the world’s global affairs, which pose serious challenges to African social sciences. 177 The Journal of Pan African Studies, vol.2, no.9, March 2009 It further discusses how the Shona perceive African metaphysics in the face of modernity global challenges and how they r...

interests are in the areas of postcolonial African philosophy, philosophy of culture and ethics. ... more interests are in the areas of postcolonial African philosophy, philosophy of culture and ethics. This paper attempts to deconstruct a myriad of negative images that denigrate the African continent as dark and seeks to place into proper context distortions of the original African creative intellect twisted by Western hegemony. It further attempts to invalidate the stereotypes that were pervasively consecrated as historical truths in literature, philosophy, religion, and politics. 27

The thrust of this article is to give a critical literary synthesis of the immense contribution m... more The thrust of this article is to give a critical literary synthesis of the immense contribution made by religion during Zimbabwe’s political struggle, as depicted in a selected body of Zimbabwean Chimurenga war narratives. It further posits that African spiritual religion played an integral role as a weapon to strengthen the indigenous people’s resistance to the injustices of racial discrimination during the liberation struggle. The indigenous people were spiritually guided as they fought a bitter war against ‘the alien invader who had expropriated their land, demeaned their culture and enslaved their bodies’ (Jones 1996, p. 50). The chosen war artists, through their common interest in, and common concern for, the preservation of fundamental human rights and values, point at the crucial role that African spiritual religion played - particularly in all the radical liberation war processes of socio-political change. Mbiti (1975) asserts that ‘Africans are notoriously religio...

It is necessary to promote and enhance African languages as intangible cultural heritage. This he... more It is necessary to promote and enhance African languages as intangible cultural heritage. This heritage needs conservation and management in the form of language planning and policy making that would contribute towards the restoration of the indigenous speakers’ humanity, identity and culture. Our indigenous languages seek to focus on African philosophy, aesthetics, art, performing arts, politics, sociology, sport and other subjects. These languages would explore ways in which the forms of African cultural life and expression will help to shape, inform and influence cultures and intellectual traditions across the globe. It is necessary to transcend colonial alienation as “part and parcel of the anti-imperialist struggles of [Zimbabweans] and African peoples” whose indigenous languages “were associated with negative qualities of backwardness, underdevelopment, humiliation and punishment.” (Ngugi, 1981:28). This paper will testify the superiority of our indigenous languages ...

The article closely examines the relationship between ubuntu philosophy and proverbs particularly... more The article closely examines the relationship between ubuntu philosophy and proverbs particularly on the comparative experiences of the construction of identities in African societies. Some people have often used the term philosophy to refer to that which has been written down only. Whether written or not, this docs not take away the philosophicalness of African proverbs and their influence on the African creative genius on the world global stage.The process of philosophical thinking starts when people reflect and question the nature of human existence and its value. This is not a preserve of the West. Proverbs are considered to be the palm oil with which words are eaten. Proverbs, in providing these philosophical statements, become images of thought, sensations, customs and the total experience of a people in all spheres of life like " politics, spirituality, economics, culture and many more. It will be argued here that Africans should be mindful of their oral traditions for t...

The paper interrogates the FIFA 2010 World Cup in South Africa’s activated discourses of footba... more The paper interrogates the FIFA 2010 World Cup in South Africa’s activated discourses of football pilfering unstable worldviews on global cultural flows. The World Cup on the African continent demonstrates the glocalisation cycle in world order as a conjunctural hegemonic historical process . This entails an encounter encompassing multifaceted angles of borrowings from film and media, culture and sexuality, politics and economy, class and gender and between the continent and Europe. It is the continent’s colonial encounter with Europe that spurs this study’s intellectual breeze from various disciplines of media, film, and theatre arts studies. When embraced by the metanarrative quest for what colonialism means in the historical memories of Africans, it offers a multiplicity of versions in their splendid diversities. As the biggest soccer extravaganza was performed on the African soil, the great expectation was to celebrate glocalisation and project Africa positively with the r...

The article discusses the developments in Shona lexicography during the colonial era and the cont... more The article discusses the developments in Shona lexicography during the colonial era and the contribution made by the missionaries in general and Father M. Hannan in particular which later resulted in the on-going process of compiling monolingual dictionaries by the African Languages Research Institute (ALRI) (into which the ALLEX project has been transformed). The missionaries employed various methods that did not only signal the beginning of an economically exploitative relationship between "the West and the rest of us" but also had ancillary cultural con- sequences (Dathorne 1975: 3). Their motives towards the development of African literature in gen- eral and Zimbabwean lexicographic work in particular were primarily evangelical and not to fur- ther creative writing. This caused Father Hannan to experience problems not only in his translation of the Shona Bible but also in his Standard Shona Dictionary. Hannan is used as an example because his translation problems were...

Contrary to William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet’s notion about a name, according to The Af... more Contrary to William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet’s notion about a name, according to The Afrocentric experience, [2004], a name is the evidence of one’s existence. A name establishes one’s presence on earth. Names give a person identity and can be a source of pride or shame as it were. From the earliest literature, the Bible, the naming of a people, a place or a person has always been important as an indicator of who that people, place or person would become in the future. Examples of such naming are numerous and include the naming of Jesus, as Emmanuel and Peter as the Rock. In the same breath, in the Shona culture, newly born babies arc given names in the families they are born into.There are traditional criteria followed when giving names. Naming is not done by everybody, elders or the mother and father of the child have the prerogative to name. This article endeavours to analyse the sources and meanings of Shona names given to children. The central thrust of the articl...

Latin American Report, 2013

A dictionary of Chimurenga War names by Charles Pfukwa is one of my prize possessions. Dr Charles... more A dictionary of Chimurenga War names by Charles Pfukwa is one of my prize possessions. Dr Charles Pfukwa is a Chimurenga War polymath whose encyclopaedic knowledge of the liberation struggle is unquestionable. He is an associate professor of linguistics, an internationally renowned author and a dominant figure in Zimbabwean print media, being Chief Editor of The Patriot, which has a uniquely large readership among Zimbabweans because of its policy of sharpening people's national consciousness. The dictionary will no doubt generate much interest among all who conceive of national and cultural identity in linguistic terms, regardless of their age. Writers across the African continent have debated the extent to which they should be, in Nadine Gordimer's phraseology, "more than writers" (1989), as well as their commitment and responsibility to examine topical issues. To many readers, the dictionary offers a therapeutic, leisure-time activity and an essentially optimist...

The post independence Zimbabwe s entrenched politics of self and other dates back to the Chimuren... more The post independence Zimbabwe s entrenched politics of self and other dates back to the Chimurenga War. This is where the socio-political and cultural construction of otherness was regulated. The article examines the epistemological underpinnings of then ascent Zimbabwean form of the war novel in capturing the violent nature of female combatants' rape during the liberation struggle. This done through myths, indigenous means of resistance, violence and the reconstruction of gendered identities. Against Zimbabwe 's contentious liberation struggle, the lived war experiences of female combatants in both the novel and film (Flame) will assist in "creatively blending history, myth and legend in a manner that defines the past, present and future trajectory of nation in terms that negate withdrawal and resignation " (Muhwati, 2011: 33). This invocation of war memory provides a critique of the deployment of antinomies of the past Chimurenga war in order to stimulate an eva...