Tendai Rinos Mwanaka
We have come full circle to another Zimbolicious, Zimbolicious Anthology Vol 10: An Anthology of Zimbabwean Literature and Arts, in our 10th year of curating and publishing this anthology of Zimbabwean Literature and arts. In this volume we have work from 17 poets, writers and artists from Zimbabwe and a guest poet from Italy, Ivan Pozzoni. We start the anthology with two book reading discussions in which we analysed a Shona collection of totemic poetry by Oscar Gwiriri, Nhemeramutupo, published in 2025 by Mwanaka Media and Publishing, and as well another Mmap book, a collection of African science fiction stories by our serial contributor to the anthology, Matthew Kunashe Chikono, Blue Threads and other stories, published in 2023. In these discussion we argued, stretched and bended rules of writing the Zimbabwean stories. The emphasisespecially with Gwiriri’s book being on promotion of our languages, especially our real languages, not those bulkanized forms like Shona. And with that intent, we find in the contributions this year, the writers writing with vigour in local languages like ShiManyika, ChiNdau, Zezuru and Ndebele. We also have poetry in English by a clutch of poets like Dzviti, Chasumba, Matandarike, Mauyasva, Ncube, Gwiriri and Vuma, and also English short stories by Chabata, Chikono, and Mzinyathi. All these are interspersed by photography by Tendai Rinos Mwanaka. And as can be deciphered, Zimbolicious Anthology Vol 10 is full of amazing artworks and stories of Zimbabweans, about their lives in their home.
