Heroic African Poet Ruvimbo Jeche pens a poetic blockbuster on womanity – a pre-critical book review by Mbizo Chirasha

The vivid imagery is a perception -shifting but a dirty mopping detergent bleaching lives lived in bleak sin and utter ignorance into sanity- the bravery displayed in your message , the stead gloved in your reason and then that depth exhibited by the simplicity in the dictionary edifies the literary flavour , powerful /requisite poetry ingredients suitable for such an artistic exhibition . I wanted to bring a praise song But I was with so many sad words in my heart. I was too tired to shout Too hurt to remove the chains that hold me, My hands too pained to remove the rag on the piano. But when I looked up My heart leaped, I cried, I hope my cry sang. Prowess/Dexterity become Siamese twins of Jeches refined poetic voice- I love the musical rhythm that evokes readers to jive as we always do to the mesmerizing tenor/wonder base of thumb-pianos. When the sun shall lay low and is overtaken by the night, When the night shall stand still and darkness overtakes every deep, When darkness shall scare my shadow and owls hoot all night long, I shall fear not for I know at midnight the moon will wait for me till sunrise. I shall fear not the sound of any for at dawn the birds will sing for me the loudest! Ruvimbo is an amazing rhythmic/poetic Dzimbadzemabwe storyteller, the heroine poet sees rays of freedom through broken dawn of metaphor her past is not a past of harmony of peace and freedom .She gulped tears of rough abuse and bathed in the sweat of tough pain. She is a fighter, an iconic womanity heroine of this red/black earth. She sees peace, freedom and harmony through the broken lights of metaphor, through breaking dawn of poetry and   through disintegrated rays of the imagery of the new sun. She sings that poetry of mothers that painfully walked over the hot sands of deadly violence. She writes bitter –sweet psalms on sandy paper mats wetted by the mucus of long gone sisters thrown in deep dungeons of stagnancy and dark pits of ignorance.

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The Jury Panel passed their Writing Ukraine Prize Longlist Verdict

Judging the large number of entries we received was for me a rewarding process for several reasons. First, it was fascinating to sift through the tremendous variety, and listen to the many voices that spoke out of the poems. Second, it was gratifying to praise genuinely well-crafted pieces, the very best of which have a touch of brilliance. Lastly, the variety itself confirmed the idea I’ve always entertained that poems can be their very own thing. Of the submitted works, some drew on oral traditions, or holy books and prayers, or on established formal schemes and elements. Some demonstrated courageous experimentation, while others reflected the spirit and determination of rap lyrics. It’s all good, as many of these poems showed me. I’m exceedingly grateful for having had the opportunity to read and learn from them-(Commentary by Writing Ukraine Prize Jury Member Dr. Olga Stein,)

Malawian African griot Khalipwina Mpina, your nerve nudging -heart tilting poetry is the lingua franca of bleeding hearts (Mooning the Morning collection), a critical review by Mbizo Chirasha

This scintillating but mind -boggling poetry collection is an exhibition of the sorrows, painful experiences, the moral grind, a myriad of political discord and social /economic eyesore as experienced by the poet-chronicler-writer/griot and his people. He sees the pain of the boiling country in the teary eyes of poor children he teaches every day, he watches intriguing short films of sorrow through the shrivelling breasts of mothers surrendering lives in the streets of suffering. He reads longform wrinkled facial pages of poverty marinated vendors- surely the language of the bleeding hearts. Mooning of the Morning Night is a dark story of a country/people/land disembowelled by political disharmony, moral discord and social/cultural decadence.

Oklahoma literary guru James Coburn moans Kenyan humanrights activist Edwin Chiloba with a heart raving poetic epitaph

On January 6, 2023, police found the rising Kenyan fashion designer and LGBT activist, Edwin Chiloba, 25, smothered to death. His body was discovered in a metal box that was dumped on a Kenyan road. Five people were arrested including Jackton Odhiambo, his alleged lover. Chiloba has been described as kind by his friends and tributes describe him as an “iconic fashion designer.”

Dutch poet Hannie Rouweler goes to Russia,

Your poetic voice has its own secrecy as you tread difficult paths in life and poetry in search of the truth. Your immersion in creativity captivates the reader, helps him to go through his labyrinths, listening to your words, covering many aspects of life and poetry. Your beautiful style always dances an inimitable dance - sometimes weightless or reckless, sometimes softly or with the fury of a righteous feeling. In your soul every word is verified to the accuracy of an elegant formula, to an intuitive understanding! And thus arises in the soul of the reader a complex but clear picture of the world, with its beautiful music and the syncopated changing rhythm of feelings and life events

Trendsetting Arts- Producer Thomas Block / IHRAF Team takes International Human Rights Art Festival beyond global podiums

One land marking- highlight is that of IHRAF getting positive -dominance and as being fully represented in three powerful countries of Africa Eastern (Kenya) by Grace Suge, Southern (Zimbabwe) by Mbizo Chirasha, Western by Wole Odenyin (Nigeria). These prolific and iconic writers, poets, essayists and human rights defenders   make up the IHRAF African Secretariat and Africa has become part of the important daily, monthly and yearly programming routines of the IHRAF Movement

In other breaking news,UHURU( a bilingual poetry classics collection now catalogued by the German national library

The literary journal Evergreen Review, published by the renowned New Directions publishing house in New York, recently published several of Mbizo Chirasha's poems. This poet of the "povo" is finally beginning to be noticed in the centers of the globalized world by readers who are increasingly interested in world literature. Mbizo Chirasha's poetry goes beyond…

A keynote german- based bookpress Stonybrook editions releases Uhuru ,a mbizo chirasha/andreas weiland bilingual poetic classic

I see the glow of the November moonlight/shine through the release of my newest poetic blockbuster Uhuru- A dedication to the African Povo. Uhuru is a vivid imagery of the African poor suffering under the gag of decadent political establishments , a metaphoric mirror for the enslaved writhing  under grind of archaic colonial and  barbaric neo- colonial imbeciles, aparadoxical literary-keg to free tired voti-zens groaning under the mosquito like crush of pseudo-revolutionary-democratic yet terroristic war-lordistic dissidents of peace .Uhuru - thelatest classic soon to be trendsetting literary letter-bomb  curated/translated from English to German by German born international- prolific arts luminary Andreas Weiland , edited by renowned German - American literary critic Karen Wittstock and as well creatively published by the illustrious ,German based international publisher Stonybrook editions

Prolific Israel literary surgeon Yehudt Malik-Shiran diagnoses my writings as “kicking protest poetry”

met landscapes and sayings in his poems. The human environment in which to fall in love is the simplicity of stroking a child’s head, the playful sight of a chirping bird and people going to work and encountering a sky devoid of makeup. Next to the beautiful simplicity of life, the condescending aggressiveness of people of status and power, politicians who do not see the person who elected them, as soon as they sit on the chair in the House of Representatives, is very noticeable. Complete disregard for the needs of the other. This ugliness is very prominent in Mbizo’s protest poetry. Kicking vocals. Seeks to draw the world’s attention to the behaviour of tyrannical rulers, dictators who see themselves and do not see the simple voices who asked for change in favour of economic growth.

My honoris- causa award to the poetics-curator extraordinaire and iconic literary maestro -Andreas Weiland

Andreas Weiland, poet, occasional film critic and art critic, born 1944( Art in Society Profile)   First poetry reading, together with Michael Horovitz, in Bochum in '69. Edited TOUCH, a small literary and film journal (with Steven Diamant) in the late '60s. Its section on the Independent Italian Cinema, included in issue # 3-4, 1969, was reprinted by the LONDON FILM FESTIVAL, thanks to Massimo Bacigalupo... There were also articles on a film by Jean-Marie Straub and Danièle Huillet (the Chronique of Anna Magdalena Bach), a long interview with Stan Brakhage (by P.Adams Sitney), an article by Georg Rudolf Lind on Pessoa, poetry in diverse languages, accompanied by translations into English...  Later on, wrote frequently on the filmic work of J.-M. Straub and Danièle Huillet, much of it unpublished but forwarded to the Straubs (own versions largely lost).  Excerpts of his film criticism (on Dore O. and on Massimo Bacigalupo) are published online by CANYON CINEMA, INC. (San Francisco) and the NEW YORK FILMMAKERS' COOPERATIVE... And on Pia Epremian (in print) by BIANCO E NERO, and other stuff elsewhere... Edited JIETOU / STREET in Taiwan in the '70s which featured articles on Yao Yi-Wei's play, A Suitcase, on the poet Yang Kwei, several articles on the Cloud Gate Dance Theater, etc. Held many talks on the NEW GERMAN CINEMA (Fassbinder, Costard, Wenders, Dore O. etc.) at the Deutsches Kulturzentrum / Deguo Wenhua Zhongxin in Taipei and at the Taida Film Club (Tien Center, Roosevelt Rd., Taipei)... Wrote pieces of film criticism for INFLUENCE, a film magazine edited by Ivan Wang, and for ARTIST MAGAZINE... Correspondence with several poets (Barbara Guest whose poetry was translated in the 70s, Anne Waldman, several others; with Cid Corman for several decades, practically until he died). Contributed poems to anthologies (UND ICH BEWEGE MICH DOCH, ed. by Juergen Theobaldy (Munich [Beck Verlag] 1977); AIQING DE GUSHI - 300 DEUTSCHE LIEBESGEDICHTE, Beijing 1998...); CRITICA DEL NOVECENTO / CRITICIZING THE TWENTIETH CENTURY, ed. by Massimo Bacigalupo and Anna Lucia Giavotto (Genova [Tilgher] 2001). And to several art catalogues, for instance: Wo bleibst du, Revolution. Freiheit Gleichheit Bruederlichkeit heute. 1789-1989, ed. by Peter Spielmann (Bochum [Museum Bochum] 1989. And: Doris Schoettler-Boll/Dekonstruktionen oder vom Widersprechen in Bildern, ed. by Klaus Honnef, Cologne (Rheinland Verlag and Landesmuseum Bonn) 1987. Poems have again and again been published in various poetry journals (among them Juergen Theobaldy's BENZIN; Mike Dobbie's STREET WORD; the KONKURSBUCH etc.). Wrote a long poem on 'Moses and Aaron' (the film by J.-M. Straub & Danièle Huillet) which Jean-Marie translated & published, in German and French, in an issue of the CAHIERS DE CINÉMA... Having read the ms. of Gedichte aus einem dunklen Land (then still unpublished),  Erich Fried wrote (in 1981), "Ich habe schon seit langer Zeit nicht mehr Gedichte gesehen (unveroeffentlichte oder neuerdings veroeffentlichte), die ich fuer so gut und so wichtig halte. Ich meine wichtig, weil sie unsere nicht nur literarische Landschaft bereichern. Dichten ist nicht so sehr eine literarische wie eine menschliche Betaetigung." And Peter Marcuse called his poems "clear, sharp, and didactic" after reading the ms. of Gedichte aus einem dunklen Land. In a letter Juergen Theobaldy recalled that, in a conversation, "Nicolas Born called him (...) a 'naturally gifted lyrical poet' [ein geborener Lyriker]" (quoted by W.Fang).

Kenyan/african griot Cynthia Abdallah writes a poetic memoir When Rivers Say Goodbye: A pre-publication critical review by Mbizo Chirasha

The siginificance of When rivers say goodbye is that it is weaved by an author born in east Africa of  Kirinyaga, of Kenyatta and of Kambarage and currently living in the land of Hugo Chavez, a staunch revolutionary, political cousin of the great Fidel Castro. Most African countries are born from a politically-motivated revolution, inspired by the struggles of Castroism, chavezism, and socialism. They are revolutionary nuggets of socialist-communist -nationalist-Marxist-Leninist ideologies. Kenya is one such political, ideological, revolutionary symbol of a country birthed out of such revolutions ,and now it is the birthright of the poet Cynthia Abdallah. When rivers say goodbye is not only a paradox but a symbol of hope, a character of home, an ideological statement, a sub-literary contentment, a father to daughter relationship, a poet/griot/ earthborn connection. There are no rivers who wave goodbye to each other when they are not related, rivers say that when they are related they are emotionally and ideologically connected. The fact is that rivers begin where another ends, or end where another commences. Like humans, rivers are generational and ancestral. It is a fact that there some rivers that are born out White Nile/Blue-Nile, Zambezi, Limpopo, Pongola or Garurep. To the mall and into the apple store .The toilet and its s

ihraf in anthologizing glitz with A Human Voice honeycomb: exhibiting the value of literary voices towards upholding political freedom/social justice

This anthology contains the best work from our first three years. In it, you will read about female perseverance through insurmountable odds, musings on masculinity and gender, outcries against interpersonal prejudice and systemic racism, and elegies for people whose lives were taken unjustly through conflict and war. Each of the authors in this anthology contend with their identities in the context of their environments, providing readers with their unique perspectives on issues of human rights. Some of these stories may be difficult to read, in their unflinching descriptions of abuse, death, war, and other traumas. It is this difficulty which grants each piece the power to deeply affect its readers. No one can experience everything, but everyone can choose to learn about others. In this anthology, you will find a great variety and depth of experience. Hopefully, you will find something new in these pages, a perspective or experience of which you weren’t previously aware or had limited knowledge. I certainly did.It is with great honor that I present A Human Voice: An Anthology of the First Three Years of the IHRAF Publishes Literary Magazine-(Leah Block Editor)

WOMAWORD is a new/vibrant/independent press to claim the podiums of the global literary-scape

Alongside many other literary/writivism/creative and artistic projects like Time of the Poet Republic. We are putting together a vibrant /independent publishing stable WOMAWORD aiming to empower/exhibit women voices of literary clout and global appeal. Our publishing ideology is biased towards women writers/activists/literalists/poets that their writings/voices be read/experienced unto the world literary-scape.

ihraf-africa caps october with a live wordfest-fringe,

The ihraf - africa adapts words into voices through a live literature gig dubbed Voices of Africa- Listen to our Voices . This is a fast paced -rhythm packed follow to the recently launched poetry blockbuster of a book , Voices of Africa: A Call for freedom that featured young /militant/established/brave voices from Africa concocted with a rare breed mix of literary/freedom solidarity voices from Netherlands , Mexico, Cyprus , Greece , Belgium , Krzystazan, China and more other vibrant voices from global diaspora.Voices of Africa was edited /curated by pan- Writivism-laureate and Ihraf African Director,Mbizo Chirasha and published by ihraf books. The live - wordfest fringe is produced by the ihraf.org founder /executive director Tom Block. Five writers were selected from the star-studded creme- dela creme of writers to lively read their writings- the readings are combined with a thought-stimulating Voices of Africa Symposia, the live event readers/writers includes

panafrican ihraf based Voices of Africa anthology gets global readership

Nevertheless, today Africa is a living irony, a breathing paradox. Former African liberators are now unrepentant Napoleons drinking the rich yellow of freedom eggs. In the Sudan, children are squashed under the grind of bullet thuds. In Kisangani, mothers drink tears of war for breakfast. In Maiduguri, lives crush under the terrorist metal shoes like anopheles. Cameroon is a den of voracious tigers and vivacious lions. Mali consciences are buried in sand dunes. In Azania, South Africa, the stomach of the gun sings more baritone than guitar strings. In Zimbabwe, corruption is the polish to spruce up parliament tarmacs. Africa is a living paradox. It chokes dissenting voices to extinction and thrashes freedom voices to smithereens like millet

iam a griot – descendant of rhythm and beat of ancient song.

After their strange overnight long walk to freedom base of Mbirashava – rains ceased fire, war-drums paused and their echoes got trapped into the blankets of early day mist. Then came my birth cry they say like an exclamation engraved on the yellow-disc of the smoke-bruised African sun. Claws of dawn caressed the sorrow-soaked red-hills.  My goddess wriggled in a thick volcano of red-clay mud, ochre-red blood and dead grass. Her womb groaned from labor pangs and suddenly the wind was cold. June dared the earth and everything in it. Cold-winds whined ferociously to disobedient flora and delinquent vultures. Winter, fast clicking a pause button to the jungle’s daily festivals

poetivism, a new artistic formulae of resistance

Poets mastered their art of poesy armed with positive zeal and an amazing dexterity, roasting page poetry into sizzling live spoken word and performance. They articulated their state of nation with that vigor of griots. Their pen, smoking guns of truth, and their voices, vuvuzelas of nonviolent protest. Their satire and metaphor rose political crocodiles and zealots from slumber. Behold, the revolution was sacred.

Ihraf books unleashes a Pan -writivism revolutionary poetic keg.

Voices of Africa collection is a pan-writivism band led by African patriots’ poets with their poetess patriots. Ghana, once the  colonial coast of gold sings her soprano to bones and soul of tata Nkrumah to rise and walk again for another dawn of renaissance ,South Africa handles the alto but Madiba was the shield against whirlwinds of xenophobia, alas the rainbow grand-kindred is no more , Kenya handles the tenor as the election mood gets electrifying until the dust settles down again and Ruto-the hustler president becomes the incumbent -cum- president -elect. The hot seat is both sweet and hot. Please Halla me ,Halla me please, these are sure-times of Second Republics, Second Republics are common like Vuvuzela and Sweet potato, Zimbabwe jives onto the literary revolutionary podium with a reggae like Bob-Marley dance. Zambia is not here; the new king is still roasting Zambezi breams for dinner. Malawi joins the brave -bandwagon reciting heart-pricking verses to the ghosts of Kamuzu and the unrepentant phantoms of Mutharika, grand-daughters of Sarowiwa and grandsons of Soyinka are like red honey bees, their spirits are fizzy pop-popping with pain, war, trouble and politics, they are singing Zangariwa songs. Sing sons and daughters of Achebe and Chimamanda, sing to the land eaten by termites and grazed upon by baboons before the harvest of real freedom.

African Dawn Rises with the birthing of the Peoples ‘Poet

Mandela is our revolutionary cousin, the rainbow is the color of our freedom
Limpopo…..the metaphor of boundaries,
Another paradox
…………recipe of the Rhodesian colonial diet
We are freedom babes of unfinished struggles
Our jugs of liberation are filled with bitter lemon and orange squash
We ate colonial samp with gusto and we shat the diarrhea of poverty
every midnight, dawns come with woes of propaganda toddlers wincing from claps of hunger
This afternoon, ideological imbeciles drank the sweat of the republic and later munched the rich steak of our flag
…..rigged elections are the itch of syphilis clutching the scrotum of the republic
Violence is the oil lubricating the rough political wheels of the state