Zimbabwe Diaspora Focus Group
The BZS is represented in a focus group that has been set up by the Foreign Office to make sure that the views of the Zimbabwean diaspora are fed into British Government policy on Zimbabwe. The Government of Zimbabwe has meanwhile been putting thought into it s own policy on the disapora – a National Migration Management and Diaspora Policy statement was released in July.To find more background visit ZDFG
Zimbabwe Diaspora Higher Education Initiative The BZS is working in partnership with the Council for Assisting Refugee Academics [CARA]; the International Organization for Migration [IOM]; and the Zimbabwe Diaspora Development Interface [ZDDI] on an initiative to involve Zimbabwean academics in the diaspora, and friends in Zimbabwe to support the latter in regaining lost skill and capacity.
For more information, see BZS Chair Knox Chitiyo’s report on the London consultation. The CARA site supports more information
The BZS links:
Please also check out our links on this web site that include Diaspora links to musicians and to theatre projects or companies or reviews. Also our culture: publishing pages.
Zimbabwean and African writers
The Caine prize for African writing will be well known to many academics but perhaps not so well known to the general reading public. Similarly there are many outstanding books (novels)written by Zimbabweans that deserve to be read but often go unnoticed by the diaspora.
The BZS review does carry book reviews but here we will be compiling links to author sites or commentary or blogs when they become available. Please let us know if you maintain a site or have a publication which people should know about so we can help spread the word!
And so the list begins:
Brian Chikwava Harare North(2009) Caine prize winner BBC link and review
Alexandra Fuller Don’t Let’s Go to the dogs tonight(2002),Leaving before the Rains Come(2015)
Petina Gappah– best known for Elegy for Easterly which won the Guardian First Book award in 2009 and her most recent book is The Book of Memory (2015)
Peter Godwin best known for his book Mukiwa(2004), When a Crocodile Eats the Sun(2007) and most recently(2008) The Fear
Tendai Huchu The Master, The Magistrate and The Mathematician (2014); the Hairdresser of Harare(2010)
No Violet Bulawayo We Need New Names Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and winner of the Guardian First Book Award and others
Dambudzo Marechera the House of Hunger; and others. Here is a You Tube link to many videos/ interviews.
Bryony Rheam The September Sun(2009) uk(2012) review