LOCAL poet, Togara Muzanenhamo, has made it onto the list of finalists for the 2015 Glenna Luschei Prize for African Poetry, worth $5 000, with his debut poetry collection, Gumiguru, published in 2014.
BY SHARON SIBINDI
The winner will be announced on January 18, 2016.
Muzanenhamo also recently published a bi-authored poetry anthology, Textures, together with John Eppel. Both anthologies were published by amaBooks.
“His earlier book, Gumiguru, is being considered for the prize. The other two finalists are from South Africa — Kobus Moolman and Joan Metelerkamp. Moolman, University of KwaZulu-Natal academic and playwright, was a finalist in the inaugural Glenna Luschei Prize for African Poetry and was also the winner of the 2013 Sol Plaatje Europrean Union Award,” amabooks director, Brian Jones said.
Muzanenhamo launched his collaboration with Eppel at two events in Bulawayo and Harare.
He was recently announced as a finalist for this year’s Artistes-in-Residency programme and was a featured poet at the 2015 Poetry International Festival in Rotterdam and at the United Kingdom’s Ledbury Poetry Festival.
He said the pan-African poetry prize, funded by literary philanthropist and poet Glenna Luschei, is the only one of its kind in the world.
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“It is established to promote African poetry written in English or in translation and it recognises a significant book published each year by an African poet. Entries came from Zimbabwe, Cameroon, Nigeria and South Africa,” Jones said, adding that entries have doubled since the inaugural competition held last year.
