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Takudzwa Gumbo and Stanely Mushava Entertainment Reporters
Social media poetry hub 263-Nhetembo administrator Rabison Shumba has harvested poems from the page into an anthology due for publication this year.
The Facebook page has attracted considerable attention from poetry buffs, with Edwin Msipa, Sharon Ngomani, Cornarth Macheka,Rodwell Harinangoni,Cee Mapanda emerging as prolific contributors. 263-Nhetembo marries the disappearing tradition of Shona poetry into social media to ensure continuity. Shumba said the project was conceived when he decided to start a “poem a day” challenge where he would come up with a poem daily for two months. “A friend of mine joined in to this challenge and we would post these Shona poems on our Facebook walls. In February we decided to involve a wider group of fresh, upcoming poets who have not been celebrated otherwise,” Shumba said.

“That was when the 263-Nhetembo project was birthed. To date, close to 20 upcoming poets are united through social media to publish their poetry online and, in the process, to receive feedback from each other as well as from those following the page,” he said.

Shumba said the page was on an impressive growth trajectory and amassed over 2500 hits within over the past four months alone.
He expressed hope that the forthcoming project will inspire, encourage and edify those who love the Shona language wherever they are.

The social media has gained expansive ground as a communication protocol and it is wise for authors to utilise it, Shumba pointed out.
“We are in the era where we are experiencing a massive boom in the adoption and regular usage of social media as a communication and collaboration tool across geographical boundaries,” he said.

“This has changed the way people consume online content. It is also changing the way writers and publishers interface with consumers of their material.
“The book ‘The Greatness Manual’ started as blog posts which were then put together into chapters. The Fountain of Inspiration Series of Books were literary written using a Nokia E71 cellphone and various social media platforms.

“A thought would come to mind which would be posted on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook using the phone and later on ‘harvested’ into a book.
“We anticipate that there will be products that will emanate from this project that will inspire, encourage and build those who love the Shona language wherever they are. It is through efforts like this that we will begin to see the uplifting of Shona heritage.

“Social media is indeed a phenomena that is here to stay and grow. We encourage more and more Zimbabweans to embrace social media as a way of enriching themselves through content offerings that writers are putting out for consumption,” Shumba said.