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Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is the first collection of poetry from writer Tapiwa Mugabe. This collection introduces a fresh and bold voice into the rich current that is emerging from young African millennial artists.
84 pages, Paperback
First published July 7, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
March 8, 2015
This was a beautiful collection of poetry, which felt similar in style to Nayyirah Waheed and Yrsa Daley-Ward (to whom the book is dedicated), while still feeling fresh and different.
I particularly loved the poems that dealt with masculinity, particularly masculinities that embrace femininity rather than disdaining it. The first poem in the collection, “Man”, is a wonderful example of this:
“I am not the sum of lovers I had
or never had.
As for lovers who left,
consider them hair.
Sometimes you cut it off
for it to grow longer and more beautiful
(but that doesn’t mean you hate pictures
of yourself with it).
Even after lovers
you remain
Beautiful.”
I particularly loved the poems that dealt with masculinity, particularly masculinities that embrace femininity rather than disdaining it. The first poem in the collection, “Man”, is a wonderful example of this:
“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.
Today I wear my mother in my voice,
I am clothed in her.
I wear my sisters in my thinking, my grandmother in my bone, in my soul. […]”
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September 20, 2016This is a short, beautiful read with some incredible moments.
– Nicole Froio
from The Best Books We Read In July 2016: http://bookriot.com/2016/08/01/riot-r...
– Nicole Froio
from The Best Books We Read In July 2016: http://bookriot.com/2016/08/01/riot-r...
January 1, 2016
This collection of poems took me by surprise. I haven't come across much of Mugabe's work online or elsewhere, but one way or another, this landed in my Kindle library and was there for a while before I decided to read it.
I started by highlighting the lines and poems I loved best. But by the middle, I wanted to highlight it all. Every page and every line had my heart filled.
I started by highlighting the lines and poems I loved best. But by the middle, I wanted to highlight it all. Every page and every line had my heart filled.
September 15, 2016
You feel distant.
Or a word that means the taste and feel of unripe banana in your mouth.
You're afraid to tell her you miss her
in case it sounds like you love her more than she loves
you.
And her reply will be 'I've been busy with work,
I haven't had time to think about other things'.
You're afraid you have become other things.
For the record, I'm not really a poetry person. My appreciation for poetry is old-fashioned, wherein it's a precise craft, and I get the most out of it by studying it academically. Carefully measured sonnets with balanced syllables and rhyme schemes and marking up scansion with little symbols; John Donne's careful, precise wording and triple-layered nuances; W.B. Yeats' dense historical and autobiographical references; Robert Browning's near-Gothic rambling; T.S. Eliot's cryptic, lovely imagery; Heaney and Larkin. Which is all really, really different from the modern millennial Tumblr poets, whose style is all about sloppy effusive beauty instead; it's an explosion of undisciplined words onto the page that looks like someone just got a little too happy with their enter key.
To be blunt, I kind of turn my nose up at 70% of it... but then the last 30%, every so often, a pair of lines bowls me over and feels like I've been punched in the heart.
So that's my track record with modern poetry. Not the greatest, but when books like this are such a quick read, I don't mind (I needed something to occupy me for exactly one subway ride, so I started and finished Zimbabwe on said ride).
But I appreciate that Mugabe writes about race, about his Zimbabwean heritage, about toxic masculinity and sexism and embracing his softer sides, and raising your sons not to hate and despise femininity. Sometimes he's got some really great turns of phrase. Style is similar to Yrsa Daley-Ward and Nayirrah Waheed, who he dedicated this book to.
And where was God's help
when she was on her knees?
Isn't that the year she learned
god is when you roll up your sleeves and do it yourself.
March 27, 2017
"All she wanted was to find a place to stretch her bones.
A place to lengthen her smiles and spread her hair.
A place where her legs could walk without cutting and bruising.
A place unchained.
She was born out of ocean breath.
I reminded her;
‘Stop pouring so much of yourself into hearts that have no room for themselves.
Do not thin yourself. Be vast.
You do not bring the ocean to a river"
A place to lengthen her smiles and spread her hair.
A place where her legs could walk without cutting and bruising.
A place unchained.
She was born out of ocean breath.
I reminded her;
‘Stop pouring so much of yourself into hearts that have no room for themselves.
Do not thin yourself. Be vast.
You do not bring the ocean to a river"
February 14, 2015
Words of immeasurable beauty
July 27, 2017
This work will quietly gut you but also heal you. Many poems left me breathless and in awe, and certainly inspired. Highly, highly recommend this collection.
September 12, 2017
I'm not sure how I came across this poetry collection by Tapiwa Mugabe, but I'm glad that I did. The poems were short to medium length and span the breadth of human existence, particularly existence as a foreigner, the complexities of love, the threads of family relationships and the concept of home. Some of them were experiences that were completely unlike mine but still gripped me with the depth of emotion. Others were so like my experiences that I felt that they were written just for me. I also really liked that a few of the poems (maybe 2 or 3?) were not in English and the author offered no translation, explanation, or apology for this.
Here's a snippet of the titular poem, Zimbabwe:
Brown clouds filling the light summer evening
with the taste of dirt in my mouth and
my nostrils filling up with the smell of home
(a fragrance I didn't yet know I will one day hunger for).
Here's a snippet of the titular poem, Zimbabwe:
Brown clouds filling the light summer evening
with the taste of dirt in my mouth and
my nostrils filling up with the smell of home
(a fragrance I didn't yet know I will one day hunger for).
March 17, 2019
'You learnt it was human not womanly to cry.
And when you picked up an axe to cut wood,
It wasn't ego it show of strength that made the job easier.
You were in a hurry to read
the part where she said her words will haunt you.'
Zimbabwe is a collection of poetry that explores ideas of masculinity, fatherhood, motherhood, colonisation, love, hurt, the concept of home and everything in between. A book I will come back to over and over again.
And when you picked up an axe to cut wood,
It wasn't ego it show of strength that made the job easier.
You were in a hurry to read
the part where she said her words will haunt you.'
Zimbabwe is a collection of poetry that explores ideas of masculinity, fatherhood, motherhood, colonisation, love, hurt, the concept of home and everything in between. A book I will come back to over and over again.
April 11, 2019
Breathtaking
This book was everything. I cried many times reading it, the words and stories were so beautifully constructed. I felt the pain he felt even if I wasn't able to relate. It was absolutely powerful.
This book was everything. I cried many times reading it, the words and stories were so beautifully constructed. I felt the pain he felt even if I wasn't able to relate. It was absolutely powerful.
April 18, 2020
A lovely collection of poems.
This is a lovely collection of poems On diaspora experience, love, heartbreak, parenting and masculinity and femininity in childhood. I especially enjoyed the poems on raising children who are kind and loving.
This is a lovely collection of poems On diaspora experience, love, heartbreak, parenting and masculinity and femininity in childhood. I especially enjoyed the poems on raising children who are kind and loving.
June 6, 2020
There are a few great lines from this collection but most of it feels empty. Pretty, but empty. It also desperately needs a good editor, which made me cringe. Overall, I think Mugabe has talent, but not for poetry. I'd like to read a short story (collection) or novel by him.
May 17, 2024
Beautiful collection of poetry
This is a beautiful collection of poetry, filled with reminders that we all need, comfort we all crave, and validation we all sell. I recommend it to the "we alls" of the world.
This is a beautiful collection of poetry, filled with reminders that we all need, comfort we all crave, and validation we all sell. I recommend it to the "we alls" of the world.
December 31, 2017
A very quick read but it was refreshing and the imagery so vivid with its beautiful descriptions.
December 31, 2018
Beautiful poetry but felt something was missing
January 9, 2019
The kind of poet I wish I could be friends with.
July 29, 2019
Poetry that was very much in the style of Nayirrah Waheed. I enjoyed it. One poem that stood out to me was:
“I am not the sum of lovers I had
or never had.
As for lovers who left,
consider them hair.
Sometimes you cut it off
for it to grow longer and more beautiful
(but that doesn’t mean you hate pictures
of yourself with it).
Even after lovers
you remain
Beautiful.”
“I am not the sum of lovers I had
or never had.
As for lovers who left,
consider them hair.
Sometimes you cut it off
for it to grow longer and more beautiful
(but that doesn’t mean you hate pictures
of yourself with it).
Even after lovers
you remain
Beautiful.”
September 17, 2017
Over the years a number of Zimbabweans have emigrated to different parts of the world. In this digital age and aided by social media Zimbabweans the world over have been able to connect and share their stories, experiences and aspirations with one other.
Those with a creative bone have in different ways expressed their talents, infusing in their art elements of their motherland.
One such artiste is Zimbabwean-born and UK-raised poet and writer Tapiwa Mugabe. One first came across Mugabe on social media where a few of one’s followers had shared his work.
The Kindle version of his anthology titled “Zimbabwe” was recently free on Amazon and one jumped at the opportunity to take a proper look at his work having only been exposed to snippets in the past.
The 84-page collection has poems of varying length with the majority quite short and rather simple to read and digest.
Poetry, particularly in its contemporary free verse form can sometimes come across as akin to abstract art, words committed to page with a cryptic meaning that each could deduce something different from the next.
Mugabe’s themes and meaning are quite simple to extract. One of the early ones that can are visible are feminism and the deconstruction of patriarchy and hyper-masculinity.
In “Man” the opening poem of the anthology he writes:
How then can I deny the woman in me,
when my coming to earth was because women prayed for me?
Was I not made from a woman’s mouth?
He challenges the stereotypical patriarchal construct of what a man should be, stating that there is nothing wrong with men acknowledging and expressing their emotions.
In “As a father…” he continues with this theme and presents a list on how he intends to raise his children. “A son is not a lion or a jewel,” he writes, “he is a child who is as precious as a daughter.”
Mugabe writes about blackness and loving the skin that one is born with. In “Chiratidzo Chedu” he says:
Ganda rako chiratidzo chako.
Inguo yakashongedzwa rerudo
This is one of a very few vernacular poems in the collection. He goes on to speak of how one’s skin was made in the stars and is not a sin. Mugabe’s position on black pride and Africanness is further highlighted in another poem, “Stonehouse son”.
In many of the other poems, quite a few of them untitled, Mugabe speaks about love; loving oneself, loving others and losing love.
He speaks too about writing, the emotion and expressiveness of sharing oneself through ink and paper is reflected in the works of this writer.
The poem that gives the anthology its title “Zimbabwe” is an ode to country for Mugabe. He reminisces from where he is on everyday life in his homeland.
Across the neighbourhood
dust rose from synchronised sweeps.
The rhythmic sweeping of African straw brooms on soil
creating a harmony of schwa, schwa, schwas
From this and other poems such as “Nostalgia”, one gets the sense of a longing for home, a desire for the poet to reconnect wholly with his land of birth.
A favourite in this collection is the last poem in the book, “Chikafu”
The sadza I ate cross legged on the kitchen floor
did more for my being than the sadza I ate at the kitchen table.
This seems to be a contrast between two different existences. From what one has gathered from the writer’s background it is comparison of a childhood in Zimbabwe and life out in the Diaspora.
One can infer that despite not being in Zimbabwe, the time spent here has had a lasting and more significant impression and effect on shaping the person Mugabe has become than any other circumstance lived.
“Zimbabwe” is a fantastic debut anthology from Tapiwa Mugabe and clearly illustrates that while one might not be domiciled in the country, a strong connection to home can exist and influence greatly their thoughts, creativity and ultimately being.
Those with a creative bone have in different ways expressed their talents, infusing in their art elements of their motherland.
One such artiste is Zimbabwean-born and UK-raised poet and writer Tapiwa Mugabe. One first came across Mugabe on social media where a few of one’s followers had shared his work.
The Kindle version of his anthology titled “Zimbabwe” was recently free on Amazon and one jumped at the opportunity to take a proper look at his work having only been exposed to snippets in the past.
The 84-page collection has poems of varying length with the majority quite short and rather simple to read and digest.
Poetry, particularly in its contemporary free verse form can sometimes come across as akin to abstract art, words committed to page with a cryptic meaning that each could deduce something different from the next.
Mugabe’s themes and meaning are quite simple to extract. One of the early ones that can are visible are feminism and the deconstruction of patriarchy and hyper-masculinity.
In “Man” the opening poem of the anthology he writes:
How then can I deny the woman in me,
when my coming to earth was because women prayed for me?
Was I not made from a woman’s mouth?
He challenges the stereotypical patriarchal construct of what a man should be, stating that there is nothing wrong with men acknowledging and expressing their emotions.
In “As a father…” he continues with this theme and presents a list on how he intends to raise his children. “A son is not a lion or a jewel,” he writes, “he is a child who is as precious as a daughter.”
Mugabe writes about blackness and loving the skin that one is born with. In “Chiratidzo Chedu” he says:
Ganda rako chiratidzo chako.
Inguo yakashongedzwa rerudo
This is one of a very few vernacular poems in the collection. He goes on to speak of how one’s skin was made in the stars and is not a sin. Mugabe’s position on black pride and Africanness is further highlighted in another poem, “Stonehouse son”.
In many of the other poems, quite a few of them untitled, Mugabe speaks about love; loving oneself, loving others and losing love.
He speaks too about writing, the emotion and expressiveness of sharing oneself through ink and paper is reflected in the works of this writer.
The poem that gives the anthology its title “Zimbabwe” is an ode to country for Mugabe. He reminisces from where he is on everyday life in his homeland.
Across the neighbourhood
dust rose from synchronised sweeps.
The rhythmic sweeping of African straw brooms on soil
creating a harmony of schwa, schwa, schwas
From this and other poems such as “Nostalgia”, one gets the sense of a longing for home, a desire for the poet to reconnect wholly with his land of birth.
A favourite in this collection is the last poem in the book, “Chikafu”
The sadza I ate cross legged on the kitchen floor
did more for my being than the sadza I ate at the kitchen table.
This seems to be a contrast between two different existences. From what one has gathered from the writer’s background it is comparison of a childhood in Zimbabwe and life out in the Diaspora.
One can infer that despite not being in Zimbabwe, the time spent here has had a lasting and more significant impression and effect on shaping the person Mugabe has become than any other circumstance lived.
“Zimbabwe” is a fantastic debut anthology from Tapiwa Mugabe and clearly illustrates that while one might not be domiciled in the country, a strong connection to home can exist and influence greatly their thoughts, creativity and ultimately being.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 3, 2015
Mugabe is a poet that seemed have to come out of nowhere for me, along with Nayyirah Waheed and Yrsa Daley-Ward, but I discovered salt. because I think somebody else was reading it on Goodreads and me being nosey, of course I checked it out, despite not knowing that person at all. That was the best nosey decision ever because I love her and Ward too. Then Zimbabwe came around with them and the first thing I saw was the beautiful painting on the cover. And I wondered, "What are these poems like?" At that time I didn't know Mugabe had a Tumblr blog. But when I did find it, I read a few poems here and there and then I just started listening to the music from the wonderful playlist on there and doing homework. This has nothing to do with the poetry but this is how I discover most books I love. Out of thin air, or the spaces of the internet. Off topic sentence: My mother got a kindle for Christmas and when this ReadColor free kindle book event came around, I went to her kindle and downloaded all four books onto it. She's not really into poetry, but I hope she likes these. She's the reason why I read books in the first place.
But like I've said hundreds of time on this blog, I don't have much to say when it comes to poetry. Even as Notes on the Shore, after I got rid of the cheesy title Words, Notes, and Fiction, this blogger still has a hard time talking about poetry. But I do highly recommend it. Zimbabwe is the song of love and family and a constant, tear filled nostalgia for the past or maybe the want for a better one. And then the future, we hope that it's better than the past, for our children and their children too. I'm not sure what I'm talking about here. Love yourself more than you love anyone else, because usually that love is taken advantage of. But of course, you must love your family members the same way you love yourself. Mugabe's poetry is filled with loved and a passion that seems so rare in poetry, the type that actually really touches you and understands you, in such few words. Because honestly, only one metaphors and two stanzas is all you need to reach someone.
Rating: 5/5
Originally Posted here: http://wordsnotesandfiction.blogspot....
But like I've said hundreds of time on this blog, I don't have much to say when it comes to poetry. Even as Notes on the Shore, after I got rid of the cheesy title Words, Notes, and Fiction, this blogger still has a hard time talking about poetry. But I do highly recommend it. Zimbabwe is the song of love and family and a constant, tear filled nostalgia for the past or maybe the want for a better one. And then the future, we hope that it's better than the past, for our children and their children too. I'm not sure what I'm talking about here. Love yourself more than you love anyone else, because usually that love is taken advantage of. But of course, you must love your family members the same way you love yourself. Mugabe's poetry is filled with loved and a passion that seems so rare in poetry, the type that actually really touches you and understands you, in such few words. Because honestly, only one metaphors and two stanzas is all you need to reach someone.
Rating: 5/5
Originally Posted here: http://wordsnotesandfiction.blogspot....
May 9, 2018
‘Stop pouring so much of yourself into hearts that have no room for themselves. Do not thin yourself. Be vast. You do not bring the ocean to a river’.
This is a quick and easy read. I don't consider myself to be an expert in poetry by any means. I just tend to gravitate towards works and authors that make me think, make me feel, or a combination of the two. I'm not entirely sure this book did one or the other, but there are parts of it that I liked.
I could feel the author's reverence towards women and his mother in this collection, and I'm appreciative for that. I could tell that Tapiwa Mugabe was trying to pay homage to other popular African poets with this book, and he even included a dedication at the beginning of his book saying as much. This is the author's debut collection, and it shows.
I wouldn't run out to buy it, but it is a nice, easy read if you're looking to ease into reading poetry.
This is a quick and easy read. I don't consider myself to be an expert in poetry by any means. I just tend to gravitate towards works and authors that make me think, make me feel, or a combination of the two. I'm not entirely sure this book did one or the other, but there are parts of it that I liked.
I could feel the author's reverence towards women and his mother in this collection, and I'm appreciative for that. I could tell that Tapiwa Mugabe was trying to pay homage to other popular African poets with this book, and he even included a dedication at the beginning of his book saying as much. This is the author's debut collection, and it shows.
I wouldn't run out to buy it, but it is a nice, easy read if you're looking to ease into reading poetry.
September 8, 2015
"What voice? Tears wrote this. Pain bore this. When you are over-pregnant with fear this is what you give birth to."
The poetry in this book are so colorful and vivid. The metaphors are overwhelming without trying too hard. There are just too much feels. I've read it more than once already but I am still trying to read it some more. I just couldn't get enough.
The poetry in this book are so colorful and vivid. The metaphors are overwhelming without trying too hard. There are just too much feels. I've read it more than once already but I am still trying to read it some more. I just couldn't get enough.
September 22, 2015
Zimbabwe is so beautifully written! and really made me think and contemplate pretty much everything. It made me think about the boys and girls that are growing up all over the world and the stereotypes that are already being ingrained into them. It made me appreciate my home, family, and love that is in my life from all over! It was great. it was amazing. It was beautiful. I loved it!!!
October 20, 2015
Absolutely amazing
I don't usually read a lot of poetry, but I must say that this is a great collection. There is a lot of imagery and aspiring works in this book. Very inspirational and touching. The only problem that I have with this book is that it was too short. I would have loved to keep reading.
I don't usually read a lot of poetry, but I must say that this is a great collection. There is a lot of imagery and aspiring works in this book. Very inspirational and touching. The only problem that I have with this book is that it was too short. I would have loved to keep reading.
January 28, 2016
Another Stunning Work
African millennial poetry is after stunning, and much like Waheed and Ward, Mugabe has created a work that steeps the reader in culture and in struggle by exposing the bones of what it means to be from one place and miss it from afar. His poetry is stunning on every page, not a single poem lacks emotion or purpose.
African millennial poetry is after stunning, and much like Waheed and Ward, Mugabe has created a work that steeps the reader in culture and in struggle by exposing the bones of what it means to be from one place and miss it from afar. His poetry is stunning on every page, not a single poem lacks emotion or purpose.
August 17, 2016
4.5 Stars, this reminds me of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's, "We Should All Be Feminists". While Adichie offers a female, Nigerian perspective, Mugabe offers a male Zimbabwean perspective on his admiration for women and femininity.
What differs from Adichie is Mugabe's focus on love and heart break.
This is a quick read, about twenty minutes, but a powerful twenty minutes.
What differs from Adichie is Mugabe's focus on love and heart break.
This is a quick read, about twenty minutes, but a powerful twenty minutes.
September 5, 2015
If I could gift very single human being a poetry book to read, it would be this. The words were just apposite for the emotions they targeted. Loved every moment of this book!! Please buy it, read it, feel it, gift it!
April 8, 2015
It was nice to read a different kind of poetry. It is mostly prose. They were very vivid. So vivid I wanted to see who the author was. I needed to know who wrote these poems.
June 3, 2015
Wonderful.
June 25, 2015
loved it madly.
June 27, 2015
Healing words and prayers to my heart and soul. Thank you for reminding me that there are good, heart-centered men in the world who are brave enough to feel, to love, to cry, to break open.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews