Zimbabwean female author opens doors for women in African Literature  

From one woman to a network of Zimbabwean female writers transforming African Literature across the world. AWiM News speaks with Samantha Rumbidzai Vazhure on her journey to becoming a Zimbabwean author and publisher for many others who have been rendered invisible.

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Shona, the mother tongue for many Zimbabwean natives and one of the Bantu Languages of central Africa, is said to be around 192 years old in its written form. Currently, the number of authors within African Literature that are writing poetry and prose in the Shona language is much lower than those writing in the English Language. Samantha Rumbidzai Vazhure is one of the Zimbabwean authors trying to change this.

Although Vazhure spent many of her early childhood and teenage years filled with Zimbabwean heritage, culture and speaking dialects of Shona with great fluency, she was born in London, UK. Feelings of confusion and a burning need for cultural belonging overtook her when she realised the identity, she saw in herself as one had become< split into two.

Moving away to the UK after her A-levels to pursue a degree in Law and Business Administration at the University of Kent, the sense of belonging she had been in search of remained unfound: “No matter how hard I tried, no matter how much I achieved, I just didn’t feel like I belonged there,” Vazhure expresses.

Similar emotions related to her time in Zimbabwe where her peers at school labelled her as the kid born in the UK despite her every sense of knowing her Zimbabwean identity and culture as a native could have.

“When I started writing my poems in Shona, I wanted to go back to my roots,” the writer shares “It was a conscious decision that, right. I don’t care what anybody thinks. I need to choose a side. I need to choose where I belong.”

Her first book ‘Zvadzugwa Musango’ which translates to “Uprooted from their natural habitat” was published in June 2020. Found inside it is a series of authentic poems translated from Chikaranga – a dialect of Shona spoken in the Masvingo region of Zimbabwe, to English.

The poems like many of her other written works seek to enlighten and empower readers on cultural identity, feminism, and the eye-opening experiences of immigrants. Parts of her story are featured within metaphors and personified language to reflect the deep realities of African womanhood.

From not having any prior experience in publishing, to now five published books all available on Amazon, the proud Zimbabwean author is eager to shed light on Shona culture across the globe.

The journey, however, had its challenges. In 2019, one could find Vazhure’s eyes glued to her laptop or textbooks as she spent hours learning the ins and outs of the publishing industry both in the UK and Zimbabwe.

“In Zimbabwe, a lot of publishing houses went into administration or shut because of the economy, and even those without money couldn’t afford to buy books,” she explains.

Living in the UK, she battled with the idea of self-publishing as a better alternative to sending out a manuscript of poems to an industry that remains to be so competitive.

In the midst of her hunt, she discovered online platforms like Amazon which allow writers to self-publish their books. Much to her excitement new regulations had been set up by the e-commerce company that blocked the publishing of books written in languages outside of their authorised list. Shona was one of the languages not on the list, leaving the determined writer back to her original search point.

It was not long after, that Vazhure realised; she could use a distributor to sell her books without any language barriers if she started her own publishing company. In April 2020, Carnelian Heart Publishing Ltd was launched in the UK.

While reflecting on her challenges as a new writer, one thought stood out to her: “I started to imagine the woman based in Zimbabwe, desiring to have her book published like me and considering everything she needs to get started.”

Publishing a book is not an easy or cost-free plan of action. Beyond doing the research for it, writers have to take into consideration the costly nature of editing and using cover artwork for their books.

“There are very few industries in Zimbabwe that are still functioning, and so it is very difficult for any young person in Zimbabwe to think about a career in writing,” Filmmaker and writer, Tsitsi Dangarembga said in a recent interview with DW, “We find that the writers are tending to move to other countries, where there are industries in books and literature that they can participate in.”

The unfairness and lack of opportunity for her own added further drive to the mission her publishing company has in providing an avenue for writers of colour to be seen and heard. Especially those from Zimbabwe who have limited entry into African literature.

Seeking to represent the modern Zimbabwean woman in Literature as her first project, Vazhure started looking for writers from Matebeleland, Midlands, Masvingo, Mashonaland and Manicaland to be part of a book that would later be called ‘Turquoise Dreams’. Filled with 29 short stories written by Zimbabwean female writers, the anthology voices life experiences from their perspectives.

“It was one of the most exciting things I’d ever done because whilst I was empowering them, they were empowering me,” she says, “for someone to just entrust you with their art when you are just starting out yourself, it was quite flattering.”

This marked the beginning of the proud Zimbabwean’s work in advocacy.

While constructing this book, she provided her fellow pioneering writers with knowledge and tools for writing, editing, and publishing their work. Connecting with other industry contacts she had formed already to edit the short stories with her, Turquoise Dreams reflects the first of many collaborative efforts her publishing company aspires to achieve in the years to come.

“What made it so beautiful is that I got to speak to all of these female writers and build a longstanding connection with them,” says the publisher.

Due to the competitive nature of the publishing industry, it can be hard to manage financially.

“When I discovered I could write, it felt like I’d found my life purpose, this is what I should be doing. This is what I want to do for the rest of my life. But unfortunately, writing doesn’t pay my bills yet.”

The Zimbabwean all-rounder spends her time away from writing poetry working in the financial services sector as a legal professional.

Although her job fulfils her academic achievements and home commitments as a mother of two, helping other creatives, challenging perspectives, and informing people about the Zimbabwean culture is a meaningful cause that she is determined to carry out full-time.

From the success ‘Turquoise Dreams’ achieved for women writers of colour another much larger project called ‘Brilliance of hope’ was birthed in 2021. The book features reflections from Zimbabwean women and men who have been displaced as first-generation immigrants. Thought-provoking messages founded upon mental health and the experiences of discrimination due to race, gender and sexuality are all expressed by a diverse range of writers in the book.

As a literary advocate, Vazhure is not shy when it comes to having norm-provoking conversations in the books she publishes.

“Usually when we are writing as women, we are exposing the problematic things that shouldn’t be happening. We talk about the injustices we have faced and the patriarchy dislikes this” she says.

At times the criticism that comes with being honest and open-minded in African and western countries where there is little room for change in social and traditional norms, women can be afraid to speak out.

For female writers in the African diaspora, Vazhure advises them to be bold: “I think the important thing for women who want to write, is to know and understand that writing is an act of resistance, and we should do it simply for that reason.”

Having grown up in a very conservative family, following rules without asking questions was the rule of thumb. It was only when the Zimbabwean author started expressing herself through prose and poetry that she started to ask questions.

When she joined social media in 2020 to promote her books, she saw how expressive women were online, speaking out on issues that concern the rights of women. It was an eye-opening moment to see others like her who share the same feeling and emotions.

Her moment of self-realisation had come just before: “For so long I felt like a puppet, not in control of my life. Something felt wrong but I couldn’t pinpoint it, I felt like I was in the Truman show with people just directing my life for me and that is when I woke up.”

Now in her early forties, the enterprising author and publisher is using her found voice to transform the book industry.

To date, Carnelian Heart Publishing at two years old has managed to sell 13 titles, all written by African authors.

With a community of creatives from Africa and the rest of the world, publishing in countries like Zimbabwe can be transformed as more writers of colour are elevated and recognised for their work.

This article is part of African Women in Media (AWiM) Graduate Trainee Programme in collaboration with FOJO Media Institute