Celebrated mbira musician and author Hope Masike will on September 30 release a video for her poem Ndimutsewo Zvakanaka taken from her anthology Dzevabvazera.
The production is directed by Jonathan Samkange of Dream Hous Productions.
Masike said the project combines her literary, musical and visual work. “The video serves as a convergence of poetry, music and film, while also challenging the colonial legacy that criminalised and debased the Black body, particularly the woman’s,” she said.
Related Stories
She said the poem was delivered from a female perspective. “Ndimutsewo Zvakanaka is about doing it right, with playful exuberance and innuendo. It is a rediscovery of the fulfilment that Black women can find in reclaiming and decolonising their own flesh,” said Masike.
The poem, performed in Shona, builds intensity with each verse until it reaches a climax. “Shona is powerful in expressing intimacy, and I wanted the poem to reach its full crescendo in the language of my people,” she said.
Masike said the video would also mark the start of a reading tour covering six provinces before the end of the year.
She said the work followed her 2022 anthology *Dzevabvazera*, which explores themes of love and sexuality in Shona culture.
“With poetry and song we can create new conversations and free ourselves from imposed shame,” she said.
Leave Comments