Chirikure Chirikure

Poet

Born in 1962 in Gutu, Chirikure Chirikure is a prolific poet, songwriter, and author. A graduate of the University of Zimbabwe and an Honorary Fellow of the University of Iowa, US, he belongs to a class of accomplished and resourceful Zimbabwean writing and performing artists.

He worked with one of Zimbabwe’s leading publishing houses as an editor/publisher for 17 years, until 2002. He now runs a literary agency and also works as a performance poet, cultural consultant and translator. He has contributed some pieces in a Shona poetry anthology, Zviri Muchinokoro (2005, ZPH Publishers). He has written and translated a number of children’s stories and published some educational textbooks.

Over the years he has also been an occasional contributor to the print media and ran a radio programme for young Shona writers. Chirikure performs his poetry solo and/or with his Mbira music ensemble. Exhibiting resourcefulness, Chirikure ably mastered the art of fusing poetry with music, particularly Mbira music.

He has recorded an album of poetry and music, Napukeni (2002), with his colleagues, Dete Mbira Group. He has also written lyrics for a number of leading Zimbabwean musicians and he occasionally performs with some of them. Understanding the power of collaborations in artistic productions is one of his outstanding attributes.

Along the way, he amassed a number of accolades. All of Chirikure’s poetry books received first prizes in the annual Zimbabwe writer of the year awards. His first volume, Rukuvhute, also received an Honorable Mention in the Noma Award for Publishing in Africa, in 1990. His other book, Hakurarwi – We Shall not Sleep, was selected as one of the 75 Best Zimbabwean Books of the 20th Century in a competition run by the Zimbabwe International Book Fair in 2004. In that competition the same book got a prize as one of the best five Shona publications of the 20th century. He never shies away from writing and performing in his mother language – ChiShona.

Chirikure has participated in several local and international festivals and symposia over the years. His passion for writing educational books contributes immensely to the learning process in the country particularly now when the educational trajectory fully embraces arts, heritage and culture education. Aussicht auf eigene Schatten (poetry in Shona and English, with German translations) (2011), Heidelberg, Germany: Verlag Das Wunderhorn aptly displays his sterling efforts in breaking the language barrier and offer poetry and writings in a variety of languages.

Chirikure remains an iconic figure in the arena of performing arts (poetry), songwriting and writing educational books. His works are very inspirational to upcoming poets and aspiring writers. He has over the years created a niche in the highly competitive sphere of the performing and literary arts as distinct aesthetic genres. — NACZ.