[Interview_2] Julius Sai Mutyambizi-Dewa

Julius Sai Mutyambizi-Dewa is the author of Preaching to Priests (Timeless Avatar, 2007); Candid Narratives (i-Proclaim Books, 2010); and, Two Faces One Woman (i-Proclaim Books, 2011):

In this interview, Mutyambizi-Dewa talks about his latest play:

How would you describe Two Faces One Woman?

The story I tell in Two Faces One Woman touches on contemporary post-colonial societies, especially the crossroads that Zimbabwe finds herself in post-2000. In approaching the topic, I had to set aside my own political affiliations and sympathies and approached the topic from the position of an innocent bystander. I liked the whole idea of a Debbie Scott, a young white Zimbabwean, being the chief defender of the black government where Takubona Mapembwe, the son of a war veteran, comes out as black Zimbabwe’s chief antagonist.

What motivated you to take this approach?

I have this thing in mind that tries to get the races seeing beyond race and I believe writers have a role to play.

Readers will notice that my writing, especially where it regards the whole point of the liberation struggle and the post-colonial Zimbabwe, will be approached from this philosophy. I want to see a stronger Zimbabwe emerge which is not painted in colour and which is based on merit. We have to demistify this thing of race war in Zimbabwe. There were more blacks in the Rhodesia National Army than there were whites and we have white Zimbabweans who died fighting for the liberation cause. We also have people like Rob Monro, Professor O.T. Ranger, Jeremy Brickhill, A.V.M. Welch and others who suffered in one way or the other during UDI in Zimbabwe. Post-independence we have people like Ian Kay, Roy Bennett etc who helped black farmers in their neighbourhoods.

I am driven by this philosophy, to tell a story of integration... white, Indian, black, Kalanga, Shona, Venda, Ndebele, Tonga etc... we are all a mix of villains and saints but unfortunately we have created a society where the villains and saints are identified by race, tribe and creed not deeds. This therefore sets Two Faces One Woman apart from any story I have told so far.

The issue of racial, ethnic and religious integration will continue to define my characterisation and writing for the forseeable future.

In what way is Two Faces One Woman similar to other things you have written?

It is similar to other work that I have published and that I will publish in future because I am that same writer who never took an English literature class in high school. I believe I am original and I do not have so many literary influences speaking to me as I write. I enjoy this aspect so much as well.

How did you choose a publisher for Two Faces One Woman?

All my books are self-published. I write in genres that are very difficult to place with mainstream publishers... poetry and plays... and this has meant I have to self-publish.

I started Two Faces One Woman in 2010 and finished writing it in 2011. I then sent it to Penguin in South Africa but although they expressed interest in the idea be book, they advised that they did not publish plays as there is no market for plays. After trying two more publishers and they too expressing some doubts about a market for plays, I abandoned the project and started writing the story in the form of a novel. But something wasn’t coming out even as I tried, the idea had been a play originally and to change it would kill off the very qualities I want to maintain. I then decided to self-publish and bring the story out that way.

Some colleagues have said they will be serialising the play in an online newspaper, which, to me is welcome news.

What are your plans for the future?

I have already finished my next book, Ndimirwa, a play about a Lozwi/Rozvi heroine.

I think I have written my last play for now as I am now concentrating on the novel form.

My previous work with Mapupo Theatre Group, a drama group that I founded in 1991 in Zimbabwe may explain why I have this love for plays. However, my first piece of writing was a novel in Shona which I wrote in 1988. Those days it was very difficult to get published. It was also very difficult to self-publish. So, members of the Budding Writers Association of Zimbabwe decided that performing our work was the only way we were going to be heard and that’s why we had Albert Nyathi, Cynthia Mungofa, Nhamo Mhiripiri, Titus Motsebi and many others becoming dub-poets. To me drama and plays became a natural choice as I tended to write more stories than poems.

Related books:

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Related articles:

• Julius Sai Mutyambizi_Dewa [Interview_1], Conversations with Writers, May 14, 2011
• Are African governments suppressing art? By Isaac Esipisu, Reuters, May 31, 2012
• So you want to be an ebook superstar? By Patrick Barkham, The Age, June 7, 2012

[Interview_1] Julius Sai Mutyambizi-Dewa

Julius Sai Mutyambizi-Dewa is a Zimbabwean poet, songwriter, novelist and playwright. Currently, he lives in Derby, in the United Kingdom.

His books include the anthology, Preaching to Priests (Timeless Avatar, 2007) and essay collection, Candid Narratives (I-Proclaim, ____).

He was among the first members of the Budding Writers Association of Zimbabwe.

In this interview, Julius Sai Mutyambizi-Dewa talks about his writing:

When did you start writing?

That’s a very difficult question ... in Grade 3 I acted in a school play as "The Narrator" and as we went into Grade 4, I remember my teachers were amazed at my long “compositions” but they were not bored.

In 1988, when I had completed the Zimbabwe Junior Certificate, I wrote my first full Shona novel titled, Shamisai. Unfortunately this was not published. Even at that time, I was writing short stories in both Shona and English. And I was brave enough to enter the competition for Zimbabwe’s then new National Anthem, needless to say I lost.

In 1990, I was among the first members of the Budding Writers Association of Zimbabwe. I knew what I wanted. I was a poet, songwriter, novelist, playwright and essayist ... a complete artist. I have acted on stage and written plays. I am also a recorded musician although I never really got the time to promote my first and (so far) only music album because I had to go into exile.

How have your plays been received?

In 1990, I formed a community-based theatre group, Maphupho Theatre Group while I was waiting for my Ordinary Level results. That group was the first serious vehicle for my original work, my plays and we toured in schools around Chitungwiza, Seke Rural and in Mashonaland East Province.

We also performed in night clubs at Murehwa Centre. Problem was when my O-level results came out, I had to continue in full-time education and that slowed things a bit. But I continued to act on a part-time basis and managed to have a lucrative contract performing for the Swedes. I continued to write plays which we performed at various venues.

My childhood friend, Last Chiangwa [Tambaoga of “The Blair That I Know" fame] kept things going by maintaining Maphupho as a full-time group and continued to perform in schools. When he finally decided to concentrate more on music, my brother Tendai and nephew John Jusa kept the group going. We then managed to get contracts to perform in civic and voter education for ZimRights and Zimbabwe Election Support Network.

So, although I was not published, my work was being acted on stage. Meanwhile, I was trying very hard to get published but that was an uphill struggle even though I had become a member of a writers’ organisation, the Budding Writers’ Association of Zimbabwe. In terms of getting published, my breakthrough came when I was in the United Kingdom and I got a contract from Timeless Avatar who published my anthology: Preaching to Priests.

How would you describe your writing?

I am an all-rounder. I am both a writer of fiction and non-fiction but overall my writing focuses on social commentary. I write for the adult niche. And when I am writing fiction, I write for people who love adventure. Sometimes I take topical issues such as the environment and try to paint a picture of the consequences of failure in that regard through moving drama. This has always been my audience and I have always tried to speak to them even with my first novel, Shamisai.

As a writer, which authors influenced you most?

I am reluctant to say I am not that widely read and this is controversial coming from a writer. I am not the perfect writer who did literature at school, no I never did that. I don’t know anything by Shakespeare or any of these famous guys. My experience, especially when I am composing something, is that reading or listening to other compositions will take away my originality. But I will be honest that I have read Lord Jeffrey Archer and Chenjerai Hove among a few people and they really impressed me.

My personal experiences have influenced me more than anything else. At the same time, there is also a lot of invention and innovation in what I write. Some of the things that I write about happened to me or people I know but a lot of it is pure fiction, pure imagination, to be precise.

What are your main concerns as a writer?

Getting published has been a problem for me. This is a disincentive. When you have a family and your first book fails that makes it difficult to convince your family about the prospects of any future work. And at the same time, you also need to look after yourself.

It is not easy to make the breakthrough and make money as a writer. You therefore must have another way of sustaining you and your family while writing. Striking the balance is difficult. You need to carry the family with you. During the time you are writing, you could be using time that should have been given to your wife and children and that can be really taxing.

The best way to deal with challenges is to believe in yourself and try and explain the difficulties you face to your loved ones. If they understand that it’s a gamble, then you may find them joining the queue to ask what they need to do to make your writing a success.

People have different views on everything. I have a friend who thought that I made £100,000 each time I appeared on television. Similarly, many other people think I make money each time a newspaper publishes my article or quotes me or when I am interviewed. When I tell them I don’t, they ask me why I do those things then.

Do you write everyday?

I write almost daily. What I write varies. It might be a newspaper article on a topical issue. It might be a new song .... so far I have written more than 600 Shona, Ndebele and Kalanga songs. It might be a new poem, a play or part of a novel.

I write when I am in the mood to. I don’t force myself to write and I don’t want anyone to tell me to respond to such and such article. I find that very difficult.

How many books have you written so far?

Preaching to Priests, which is an anthology published by Timeless Avatar; Candid Narratives, collected essays published by I-Proclaim. I also have a completed manuscript, “Two Faces one Woman” and some two novels that are still work in progress.

Candid Narratives is a collection of essays. The problem has been on distribution and I am in the process of negotiating with my publishers so as to broaden the horizon in terms of marketing.

What sets the book apart from the other things you've written?

It is not fiction. It is a collection of essays on topical, political issues and is, therefore, different from everything I have written or I shall ever write.

What will your next book be about?

My next book is already there. It is fiction but it is fiction with an eye for facts.