Barbara Makhalisa (Nkala)

Writer

Barbara Makhalisa is one of the earliest female writers published in Zimbabwe. Also known as Barbara Nkala (her married name), she is the author of several books written in Ndebele as well as school textbooks.

An author of fiction and non-fiction books published in both Ndebele and English languages, Barbara is a trained educator having studied at Gweru Teachers’ College, majoring in English. She taught at various secondary schools in the country before joining Longman Zimbabwe in 1981, where she rose to the position of commissioning editor for humanities subjects.

In 1991, she left Longman and worked in her family company for five years before being invited to head the International Bible Society-Zimbabwe (IBS Zimbabwe) as National Director where she was in charge of the Chichewa Bible translation project in Malawi.

She coordinated the translation and publishing of the new IBS Shona and Ndebele Bibles, as well as a Chichewa New Testament. She left IBS Zimbabwe and founded Radiant Publishing; whose vision is to publish for transformation.

Barbara’s writing career began when she won a national competition for her first book, Qilindini, a detective thriller written in Ndebele and published at a time when she was only the second female writer in Ndebele. Her second book, Umendo is considered a classic for its portrayal of the marriage institution. Her other books include Umhlaba lo! Impilo yinkinga, The Underdog and Other Stories, Different Values and Eva’s Song: A Collection of Short Stories.

An experienced editor and Ndebele translator Barbara has scaled up her contribution to the development of literature in Zimbabwe through her Barbara Clara Makhalisa Nkala (BCMN) Literary Trust that is working on promoting the advancement and publishing of Ndebele literature, a reading culture and reading resource centres through funding and training.

In 2015 she received an Honorary Degree from the National University of Science and Technology (NUST). Barbara has excelled in writing as a writer and also as an editor at one of the country’s top publishing house. Her work at mentoring and promoting the development of other writers for the future makes her a living legend, whose dedication to her craft is second to none. — NACZ.