HARARE – The world is in dire need of healing. LitFest Harare 2021 has made a clarion call for healing, whether on a global or communal level due to different issues grappling all of us.
Day three of the ongoing LitFest Harare 2021 festival focused mainly on the attainment of personal healing on an individual level.
LitFest Harare is “an annual international literature carnival, where writers, academics and readers discuss, critique literature.”
The event has grown bigger and better each year and for this year it is being held under the theme ”healing” and is running from 24-27 November 2021.
In a world dominated by depression stories because of various issues ranging from financial constraints, complicated relationships and loss of loved ones among others, LitFest Harare 2021 has reminded us of a silver line.
Not forgetting the closing part of day two as we all witnessed the premiering of a documentary about Sox The Poet, real name, Sondlane Nyameleza Dube.
He is currently on the sidelines after being involved in a car accident which claimed the lives of two other folks and left him with some injuries to nurse.
Indeed day three which was about “towards personal healing” might have been made for him and a lot of others out there in the world.
The day was opened by MCs in the name of Afro Poetiq Mind and Ndi Rayanne with remarks before a publisher’s forum on “Survivng the Trauma of Piracy” set everything in motion.
Philani Nyoni, the Editor at Zimbabwe’s Ubuntu Afro Publishers, Masimba Madondo (Operations Manager, Consultus Publishing Services, Zimbabwe) and Zanele Malumo (Director, Victoria Publishing, Zambia) were the discussants.
The forum was moderated by LitFest Harare member Kudzanai Thondhlana.
Next on the line was a discussion titled “Me and My Lyrics – Music Writing as Therapy” moderated by respected producer Clive Mono Mukundu.
He was joined by Zimbabwean artists Tendai Mavengeni, Mwenje Mathole and jazz maestro Victor Kunonga.
A ten minute comedy skit performance from 16:10 to 16:20 was proper for personal healing process to be set in motion.
There was room for a poem titled “Age” from another talented Sierra Leone poet Esther F Caulker.
Bulawayo Arts Awards nominee and firebrand poet Racheal Voko Ncube had to provoke thoughts with her piece “It’s Not a Fairytale”.
Elder Chirikure Chirikure also had a throwback poem “Zvigunwe” played for him to rap up the interlude. South African author Yvette Ratshikhopa moderated the next discussion on “Me and My Words – Writing as a Medium for Personal Healing” graced by Ishmael Beah (author, Sierra Leone).
Tendai Dara (author, Zimbabwe) and Zimbabwean comedian-cum-poet Andrew Manyika also joined the panel.
They all stressed on the importance of writing in pouring out one’s emotions which may be helpful in driving personal healing.
The last discussion which was on “Satire as a Tool for Personal and Community Healing” was hosted by Philani Nyoni (author and poet) elaborated on essence of happiness.
Satire can raise critical issues probably overlooked by community and bring them out to be accounted for while driving healing through laughter on the comic side of things.
The discussants for “Satire as a Tool for Personal and Community Healing” discussion were Zimbabwean writer John Eppel, Chris Mlalazi, a writer based in Mexico and poet, Madzitatiguru.
There was paper presentation on “Unhealed Scars from the Colonial Past: Disability Inclusion in Post-Colonial Southern Africa” which was co-presented by Dr Desire Chiwandire (Nelson Mandela University in South Africa) and Lethabo Sekele, the Chief Executive of WorkWell Workplace Mental Health in South Africa.
They were joined by renowned researcher at the University of Zimbabwe, Dr Oliver Mutanga who was a discussant during the conversation moderated by Gamu Mbofana, a blogger and researched based in South Africa.
The main event for the performances was reserved for Gary and Willom Tight who closed the day with therapeutic songs for the soul from 19:50 up to 20:30.
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