Stanely Mushava Arts Correspondent
Avant-garde novelist Ignatius Mabasa will on August 29 and 30 merge tradition and creativity as he tells Shona stories at Alliance Francaise.
The event, taglined “Denhe Rengano” (Calabash of Stories) will be supported by Kwayedza where he straddles two portfolios as columnist and creative mentor.

Mabasa, who has lifted accolades for his novels “Mapenzi’’,”Ndafa Here?” and “Imbwa Yemunhu” is one of the most highly regarded local writers.

The novelist told Herald Entertainment that public storytelling marks his assumption of a more active role in the promotion and safeguarding of local languages as the Ministry of Sport, Arts and Culture is encouraging through the draft National Arts, Culture and Heritage Policy.

“I will be telling stories at Alliance Francaise for a very simple reason – I love storytelling and sharing the drama and magic of the stories,” Mabasa said.

“I love it when the hunter becomes the hunted and when the predator becomes the prey – the element of the unexpected,” he said.

“Storytelling is a rare opportunity to feed the imagination as the audience gets to see and listen to Lion, Elephant, Baboon and the other folktale characters, and become part of their world, their philosophy, struggles, fears and joys.

“The world of storytelling is full of surprises, impossibilities and rich philosophy and values. The things that we are used to in our everyday lives are given a new dimension,” Mabasa said.

This will not be the recording poet’s first public storytelling event as he had a stint as a writer and storyteller in residence at Canada’s University of Manitoba in 2010.

Mabasa also tells stories in Harare schools and is a prolific writer of children’s books in Shona and English under his Bhabhu Books stable.

He said telling stories in public venues and schools is his contribution to sharing indigenous knowledge and culture.

“When I tell stories, I assume the role of a teacher, but a teacher without chalk and a board to write on,” Mabasa said.

“There is so much information about our lives as Africans or Zimbabweans that young and even adults need, but have nowhere to find that information.

“In my stories, you will find that human relations are so important, and the need to know and respect the authority and even wisdom of the elders.

“I tell stories about socialisation in general. About the dangers of keeping secrets, of being jealous, cheating and being lazy.

“I tell stories to inspire and motivate children and parents to love the Shona language and for enjoyment. For those parents and children coming to watch and listen to the two shows, this is an opportunity to enjoy the richness and beauty of the Shona language in a non-formal or fun way,” he said.

The language consultant also believes that the stories will build children’s vocabulary and fluency, as well as help them structure their thinking when they get to write their creative compositions at school.

“The children stand to benefit as they can become more confident in expressing themselves by assuming the roles of their favourite animal characters or just identifying with certain characters,” Mabasa said.

“As the children relate the stories to others, folktales will help them strengthen their memory and categorisation skills.

“They will become more culturally aware and get in the habit of listening and reading often outside of school,” he said.

As suggested by his punchline “Kushereketa kwaTsuro kwava nemagetsi” (Hare’s tricks go electric), Mabasa’s stories incorporate the traditional and the modern.

“In one of my stories, Tsuro Magen’a buys a radio and causes chaos in the forest,” Mabasa said.

“The stories I tell are suitable for children aged from four years up to adults that are young at heart.”

 

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