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SYMPATHY SIBANDA

Beaven Tapureta Bookshelf —
The year 2009 was a watershed in Sympathy Sibanda’s writing career as it was the year she published her debut collection of poems titled “Matters of Life” (Veriest Solutions International). This was the time she was studying for her degree in Sociology at the University of Zimbabwe. She also had been an active member of the Budding Writers Association of Zimbabwe (BWAZ) where I worked as senior programmes officer, a position that privileged me to witness the first shots of blooming flowers which today have become names to reckon with in the writing sector.

Names such as Lawrence Hoba, Tinashe Muchuri, Linda Gabriel, and many others who are now published authors or well-known performing poets. At BWAZ, Sympathy had brought a neat sheaf of poems that would make up the anthology “Matters of Life”.

She wanted me to read and assess them, which I passionately did and was mesmerized by the poet’s youthful but insightful perspectives on life. She tackled real matters of life which include depression, hope, emancipation of women and girl child rights, incest, abortion, HIV and AIDS, etc. The anthology was finally published in 2009.

Seven years later, she publishes a double anthology of Christian poetry titled “On His Bossom versus Celestial Sympathy” (2016, Balukwe Content), edited by journalist and published author Phillip Chidavaenzi.

Of course, during these seven years after “Matters of Life”, a lot has happened in the poet’s life in terms of education, employment and relationship.

She graduated from university, found employment, married and wedded her beloved husband Takemore Mazuruse, a journalist, communications expert, media consultant, author and humanitarian worker. She has thus joined the class of local ‘new generation’ female writers who have to balance time between writing, employment and family.

Having had a taste of both the first and second anthologies I can infer that Sympathy’s poetical transition from being narrative and ‘protestant’ to being lyrical and a courageous exponent of Christian philosophy is visible.

In “Matters of Life” for instance, her poems are replete with words, unusually long lines and stanzas, and yet the message is outstanding. In her new anthology, the poems are pruned to make them highly lyrical.

You stumble upon haiku-like poems such as “I Perish” and “Forgive”, indicating the poet has mastered one of poetry’s qualities of expressing emotions or ideas in abbreviated form.

Furthermore, while in the 2009 anthology Sympathy is somehow concerned with different issues of life in a realistic way, she has, in the latest collection, moved deep into the exploration of the soul of a person and the world he/she lives in.

In the process of that exploration of the past, the present, and future of the human soul, a celestial solution runs through. The latest anthology is a celebration of having found a heavenly solution to the misery of humanity.

The fire of a young poet resounds in “Matters of Life” whereas she is as gentle as a caring and mature counsellor in the latest double anthology, proclaiming the unwavering love and sympathy of God.

I have two poems that can explain the change of tone in both anthologies. One is titled “Mind Your Own Business” (Matters of Life) and the other is “Bad Word” (Celestial Sympathy) which both deal with rumor or gossip. “Mind Your Own Business” is, right from its title into the poem itself, a harsh warning to rumourmongers.

It is coarse, reflecting an irate persona. Here are the first three lines:

“Some people can’t keep their mouths shut

Their noses protrude into other people’s businesses

Their tongues are venomous and leave you dejected and desolated…”

The poem “Bad Word” (Celestial Sympathy) is subtle and gentle; the persona speaks from an advisory seat as follows:

“Once it’s out

You can’t retract.

A little thought

Of how they’ll feel

Will save the world

From aches of the heart

Caused by one slip

Of a crooked tongue”

The poem “Fallen Hero” (Matters of Life) is largely bent on showing the stark ignorance and pride of a friend who could not listen but now is dead because of HIV and AIDS. The ‘heroism’ being spoken of is a clever satire which draws little sympathy but direct admonition.

The poem “Deathbed” (Celestial Sympathy) written from an AIDS victim’s point of view, meditatively describes his lonely condition. After reading this poem you would want to care more for an AIDS victim next door.

Apart from the technical and ‘emotional’ transition, Sympathy’s latest offering “On His Bosom vs. Celestial Sympathy” is a powerful collection instilling hope for a better tomorrow and inspiring faith in the promise of celestial sympathy made at Calvary through Jesus Christ’s crucifixion.

The meaning of her name apparently inspired the title only that now it is celestial sympathy that she is writing about, not herself.

The poet shows why our world is in need of God’s sympathy. Poems about hunger, war, HIV and AIDS, death and environmental degradation are found in the anthology but the poet believes this ‘world’ is transient because in the end celestial sympathy will reign. She has a poem condemning the constant destruction of nature in the world which humans have “filled it/ with filth and more filth/actions of aggrandizement”.

True love no longer exists in a world where relatives conduct lavish funerals yet with the deceased “in life/eye to eye/never glanced”.

The anthology editor Phillip Chidavaenzi sums it all up when he says, “This is a work of art that every believer needs to have on their bookshelf.”

Sympathy has a deep passion for nurturing young people into great achievers. Last month, she teamed up with a local NAMA-award winning writers’ association Writers International Network (WIN) Zimbabwe to visit Domboramwari High School in Epworth where she rendered a powerful motivational speech, read from her new anthology and also donated a few copies of “Matters of Life”.

WIN works with schools in Epworth under its Epworth Outreach Programme which has so far established young writers clubs in schools to provide free literary mentorship services. Sympathy has also launched her own schools outreach which will see her touring schools in and outside Harare.