News / National
Sabina Mutangadura, an upcoming Zimbabwean literary genius
08 Oct 2013 at 14:04hrs | Views
The African literary scene has seen tremendous growth in the last couple of years. One issue, however, that many people seem to miss is the lack of enthralling, quality, culturally relevant African children's books.
Sabina Mutangadura is a writer who has noticed this gap and is doing her part to try and fix it. Sabina's work includes stories for children and young adults.
She tells us, "I have been shaped by living in Africa and growing up in Zimbabwe in particular." She explains that there are many things about Africa that have continued to inspire her and her writing.
"One instance I can think of is when, a few years ago, I worked with an organization that worked with street children. I was and am still inspired by those children. They managed to catch fun moments and hold on to their childhood despite the conditions they faced. I saw them playing football, chasing each other and laughing on the streets where they lived and worked and often faced trauma. They did these things as though they didn't have to worry about a place to sleep or food to eat."
Sabina studied journalism at Rhodes University before working for while in public relations. She subsequently gained experience in other areas within the field of communication as well as advertising and film. Sabina lives in Harare with her husband and daughter.
In late August 2013, Sabina was announced as one of ten writers on the 2013 Golden Baobab Prizes longlist in the Early Chapter Book category for her story, Seven, which targets 9-11 year olds. Mutangadura is the only Zimbabwean nominated across the three categories of this year's prizes in a list dominated by Nigeria and South Africa; there are seven nominees from both nations in Mutangadura's category.
"Being on the longlist made me smile inside and out, all day and all night," said Sabina about her reaction when she got the news.
She briefly describes her story saying, "Seven is an exploration of some of the issues around identity, belonging and loss through a child's perspective."
Sabina is the author of Unfashionably in love, which is featured in the anthology Women Writing Zimbabwe, which was published in 2008. Sabina lives in Harare with her husband and daughter.
Sabina Mutangadura is a writer who has noticed this gap and is doing her part to try and fix it. Sabina's work includes stories for children and young adults.
She tells us, "I have been shaped by living in Africa and growing up in Zimbabwe in particular." She explains that there are many things about Africa that have continued to inspire her and her writing.
"One instance I can think of is when, a few years ago, I worked with an organization that worked with street children. I was and am still inspired by those children. They managed to catch fun moments and hold on to their childhood despite the conditions they faced. I saw them playing football, chasing each other and laughing on the streets where they lived and worked and often faced trauma. They did these things as though they didn't have to worry about a place to sleep or food to eat."
Sabina studied journalism at Rhodes University before working for while in public relations. She subsequently gained experience in other areas within the field of communication as well as advertising and film. Sabina lives in Harare with her husband and daughter.
"Being on the longlist made me smile inside and out, all day and all night," said Sabina about her reaction when she got the news.
She briefly describes her story saying, "Seven is an exploration of some of the issues around identity, belonging and loss through a child's perspective."
Sabina is the author of Unfashionably in love, which is featured in the anthology Women Writing Zimbabwe, which was published in 2008. Sabina lives in Harare with her husband and daughter.
Source - Golden Baobab
