Masimba Musodza up for two gongs at the Zimbabwe Music & Arts Awards 2016

UK-based Zimbabwean writer, Masimba Musodza, has been nominated in two categories in this year's edition of the Zimbabwe Music & Arts Awards, to be held in Maidenhead, Windsor, on the 26th of November. His ChiShona-language bone-chiller, Shavi Rechikadzi, has been selected for the Fiction Book of the Year in the Literary Arts category, while Musodza himself is one of four nominees for the Male Actor of the Year award.

Shavi Rechikadzi has been acclaimed for its exploration of not only sexual violence in Zimbabwean society, but the capacity of the authorities to deal with such crimes. As is the case around the world, they are not always able to prevent such crimes from happening or bring the accused to face of the wrath of the law and, when that happens, a victim finds that she has nowhere else to turn to except the powers of darkness...Told in Musodza's shocking yet gripping style, Shavi Rechikadzi pushes the boundaries for literature in Zimbabwe's most widely-spoken indigenous language.

Masimba Musodza's professional acting debut was in Edgar Langeveldt's play, No News, which premiered at Theatre-In-The-Park, Harare, in 1997. He also appears in a short film, Vengeance is Mine (2001) by Tawanda Gunda. However, it was not until he settled in Middlesbrough in 2010 that he began to pursue acting more seriously. He appeared in a short play, To Be Or Not To Be, written by compatriot Dictator Maphosa, as part of the Middlesbrough Council-sponsored Boro Bites short plays (August, 2010). In 2011, he joined the Arc Sketch Group, an extension of the Writers Block North East workshops, which put on themed sketch shows at the Arc Theatre, Stockton-on-Tees until it disbanded in 2012. Since then, Masimba Musodza has appeared in productions such as Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands (Episode 11, 12), where he plays a Vani warrior, Make! Craft Britain, which was aired on BBC4 the 9th of June 2016, a TV advert for the Co-op Bank (Graham's Story), Vera, Dumping Ground and the movie I, Daniel Blake. He can also be seen in the video for Nigerian artiste Finest Ck's Shake am.

Understandably, Musodza is humbled by the nominations. He sees them as attesting to his increasing impact on Zimbabwean culture at home and abroad and taking it with him internationally. He is touched by messages from many Zimbabweans living in the UK who have always wanted to pursue TV and cinema acting and had felt that their national background was a barrier until they began to see him on British TV.

Now in its fifth year, the Zimbabwe Music and Arts (ZIMAA)Awards honours Zimbabweans, mostly in the United Kingdom, who "who despite busy schedules and some hardships still pursue their passions in the different sectors sectors bringing happiness, entertainment and pleasure to their clients and patrons. The beauty and brightness of the flower also symbolizes the people of Zimbabwe and the vision we have for all Zimbabwean artists the world over to bloom and excel above others."

This year's edition will be held at the Holiday Inn, Maidenhead, Windsor on the 26th of November, from 6p.m. till late. Voting is currently taking place on the ZIMAA website.