I was and am still thinking about writing a book called ‘the I ‘you’ calls me’ - Its a shona/ndebele book translated into persian explaining the use of these 3 concepts in massaging our minds to accept individualism. In fact I have drafted a few pages. Not electronically though. I aught to really. Perhaps rather than working solo we should put our heads together and co-author the thing since you write already and according to you have come to some understanding of the meaning of your existence. But given We haven’t yet got round to archiving our cultural heritage and practices , the job I’ve given myself before creating anything new is understanding more and more of the archaic. You’ll be surprised by the extent of change our culture has undergone since the expansion of the exportation of finance capital by US, British, German banks (and other european states) at the turn of the 20th century. Within a hundred years we’ve gone from the nobility and virtue of unhu/ubuntu, struggle and ‘ancestral and spirit worship’ to the corruption of suits, dealing and eating? I guess the problem is down to our inability to-date to work collectively, like we used to before money carved us up. Anyway…we should talk about it as most things these days can easily be dismissed as opinion - all that is solid melts into air - this is how their thinkers describe the nature of these parts. And the Chinese ‘investments’ aren’t helping. They merely continue exactly were the US, Germans, French political manipulators etc and friends left off or are doing elsewhere under our noses through various political instruments(whichcraft! - the art of causing division via the introduction of choice - which one do I choose - the bullet or the cash - and whatever you choose will lead to your demise). I dreamt once I was at a ceremony at my father’s home and during it’s opening 3 chinese guests walked in with one wearing a Traditional chinese dress in the blue, red and white of the jack and the US flag - the colours of imperialism. Upon realising she backtracked and returned in a cream outfit carrying black pepper in a sleeve on her back. I have no idea what that dream means but I am sure I’ll encounter its meaning soon. This is the nature of dreams. I stand to be corrected on this but based on today’s terms……until humanity rejects money, the idea of money and the various systems it imposes on our day to day….humanity shall find itself forever rebelling against the tyranny of greed and cast further and further adrift from true emancipation through Revolution. One shouldn’t just be a rebel….one should be a revolutionary and that can only start in the mind. I just find revolution and acceptance of the idea of money in whatever form completely incompatible and given I trained as an Architect for 7 whole years I should be more careful about what I say…..today, the only path to revolution is found in the footsteps of the rejection of money. In the struggle to create this path of course one will encounter difficulty…but what’s life without struggle.
So how are your films produced and which organisations do you work with to get them edited, promoted etc. I have a natural tendency to assume everything is naturally a collaborative process…..Is this how it generally works with the production of your films. And is equipment easily accessible these days….film, camera parts…software etc. I know expertise is something Zimbabwe has…unless this has changed. Are there opportunities there for young film makers to exhibit their films??????With Mbira…they say Mbira without a voice is like sadza without stew so I’m perfecting my singing and synchronising it with my playing. Difficult skill to master but once done…it’s done it’s done….so at the moment I am more instrumental…..singing is dead easy as long as I not playing…..experience and a musically conducive environment are crucial to the Mbira learning process. And there is always something new to learn everyday. Pamberi neNgoma neHosho!
I’ve just been listening to the classic Leonard Musorowenyoka Dembo reading your script. Sounds like someone is in trouble…in the story I mean. Is the film an English, Shona, or Ndebele Film ngoba this side there is a dire dire situation as far as accessing our own films is concerned. It seems no-one bothers to make films in our languages anymore let alone publish books. It’s as if subtitling or translation does not exist. I feel this approach has led to the alienation and exclusion of many of our relatives in the diaspora . Most Zim kids here are already losing their mother tongue. Zvekutoti nxa inzinto zingahamba kuhle ngiza kuyafunda wonke amazwi etu maybe eUZ or just gokumusha and live there for a few years documenting in everyway possible zvese zvichirikutaurwa neharahwa nechembere dzedu. We’ll see…we’ll see… Sometimes I think I have too many plans but at least I work on some of them and that one is destiny.
Mvura mvura naya…..
Anyway when I get your email add I’ll email you so I can send you a copy of a constitution for Rurimi Rwedu, an organisation I’m working on setting up with some brothers, to preserve African Spoken language……I guess you know already that english is not a language in the strictest sense…..it is a tool for communicating, particularly matters of commercial sort—-hence it’s many shadows. It is possible to sound polite and be completely utterly rude when one speaks in english - it’s called political correctness here. Zulu, Tonga, Venda, Chivanhu etc….in these languages…. at least what you say is always compatible with what you mean and what you feel - culture lives through the language it uses…..it is the language which carries it’s messages…Ndebele culture without its language is not ndebele culture. So I am fussy about our languages because I know without them we will seize to be ourselves. Some will find it ironic I’m writing in english on this occasion….the reasons are obvious….pragmatically …few if any of the many who use the internet understand -kabazwisisi isiNdebele or chiVanhu. But next time, sizabona I might consider just writing in isiNdebele or chiVanhu.
Pass my regards to your family and friends.
