Tapiwa Mugabe chats to the Cheeky Natives about his book: Zimbabwe
‘I used to make apologies for having the soft in my man/A wave of woman in my masculinity/ I was called too gentle and too unmanly for not hoarding women in my waist.'
Zimbabwe by Tapiwe Mugane is a seminal piece of work. The book covers speak to issues ranging from love, identity, masculinity, family, colonisation and story of being an migrant. In one of the poems, Tapiwa writes:
'You don’t realize how uncomfortable your first language sits in your mouth/Not until the day you learn how colonisation was a paedophile who insists on being a parent.'
Intrigued by this book, we ventured to connect with Tapiwa, who is based in the United Kingdom to chat to him about this book. It was an inisightful discussion. We hope you will enjoy it as much as we enjoyed doing it.
Who is Tapiwa Mugabe?
Ermmm...I like to think I am many things. A son, a brother, an uncle, a friend, Zimbabwean, African- all of those things and then some but just a regular human being who enjoys simple things.
When did your love affairs with literature and poetry begin?
When I was young. Like really young, at about maybe 4 years I remember nagging my dad to bring me books every day. That's all I wanted, books. I remember my dad reading to us and then when I learnt how to read, reading the 'golden books' series. My mom and dad too always used tell us stories traditional stories 'ngano' in Shona. And as I grew up I had that instilled within me, so I grew up with a love for reading and for books. I also discovered the Shona language is quite a poetic language. There's so much poetry in Shona and as I grew up I discovered English poetry too but much later when I was a teen.
Who are some on the writers that influence your writing?
Junot Diaz. Dambudzo Marechera, Octavia Butler, Mike Gayle, Khaled Hosseni, Haruki Murakami, Alice Walker, Charles Mungoshi.
Your first book is titled Zimbabwe, is there any particular reason for this?
It was a sentimental title. I was paying homage to my country of birth. A remembering of where I come from and it just fit to call my first book 'Zimbabwe'.
One of our favourite pieces from Zimbabwe is 'man', what was the inspiration behind it?
Man came from the heart. I was describing myself. I think I was tired of making excuses for who I am, living in a hyper-masculine environment. Having not grown up in that kind of setting and not identifying or being comfortable with it I found myself having to explain myself quite a bit or having to defend myself for what I thought was normal human behaviour/attitudes.
You write a lot about love, would you call yourself a romantic?
Love is amazing...In all its forms. Am I romantic? Maybe, I don't know?
In the poem as a father, you write: “I’ll remember to teach my sons the soft. I’ll remember to teach my children how to speak the mother-child language they spoke in the womb twice as often as they learn muscles and bruteness make a man”. It appears that softness is very important for you. What do you consider soft? And why is it necessary?
Softness is a broad term to describe many attributes, characteristics, behaviours, attitudes. In Shona it is 'kupfava', and it's a word that was used to describe me, in a derogatory way and also a general way and that's when I asked what's wrong with that, because what they were describing as soft were the characteristics I shared with my mother, my sisters, my womyn friends. I had been that way my whole life and never saw it as a fault and all of a sudden I was been interrogated on my way of being so I chose to accept it. And that's why it's very important to me. It's part of my soul, it's human and I embrace it wholly because it's what makes me. Softness is a lot of good things and I don't want to pigeonhole it into one thing but if I could, I think it's compassion, compassion displayed through your way of being to yourself and others. And that's what I think it's necessary. Everyone should be compassionate with themselves and others.
In the poem 'This is how I survived countries that didn’t want me' you write I packed parts of me away for when I went back home. I forgot how to kneel before my grandmother when I greeted her. This reminds us of Koleka Putuma's words in her poem 'Graduation' when she says: 'then you will realise that coming home and going home don't mean the same thing.' Do you feel in any way that's living abroad has that effect on you? How was living abroad been? The good, the bad and the memorable? Any stories to tell your children about?
For a time it did until I became aware of it and then I had to address it to myself. Being away from the place you call home you may start to lose your values and way of being. Living abroad is both a gift and a curse. Like all things you have to find balance. I think I have many stories to someday share with my children.
'I never said where I was from. But my name betrayed me. So I denied it. My name was a gun.' What perceptions do people abroad have about your country and your name?
Mostly negative, but that will change in the future.
What are your hopes and dreams as a writer? Where do you see yourself in the future?
To tell stories for us, people of colour. To change the narrative. To explain things from our perspective. To expose our wounds and to tell our joys and our ambitions and to heal.
What advice you give a young writer?
Same thing I was told, write from your soul and tell your story.
Follow Tapiwa on social media : @tapiwamugabe
Twitter @tapiwamugabe1
To buy Zimbabwe click here
