Zimbabwe: Literary Forum - Harare's Claustrophobic Lit-Scene

opinion

On January 1 1999, my family moved to Gweru. My parents had just bought a house and the relocation was meant to signal a new beginning. I say that because I want to tell you something about what it's like to be a writer in Zimbabwe. Most local Zimbabwean authors live in Harare (or at least that's the perception). It is there that you find the literary scene or scenes if you actually manage to become part of them.

If you are in one of these groups, you are a writer among others who write and think somewhat the way you do. There is no honest literary conversation in a small population where just about everyone is related. It's not unusual, artistic milieus are decidedly claustrophobic. There is so little being published that people are polite and congratulate mediocre efforts because they represent some kind of effort or initiative.

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