VICTORIA Falls award-winning poet Obert Dube has embarked on a poetry education programme which is set to educate rural school pupils in Lupane on HIV and Aids as well as avoiding early pregnancy through poetry after getting clearance from the Ministry of Education.
BY SHARON SIBINDI
“I got the permission from the Ministry of Education after I had applied. My mission is to go to all rural high schools in Lupane and preach the gospel of shunning early pregnancy through my poetry and also educate the students on HIV and Aids,” Dube said.
A teacher at Mosi oa Tunya High School in the resort town, Dube said most rural school children were disadvantaged as they do not get good sources of edutainment.
“Most school children in rural areas are disadvantaged. They are vulnerable as they do not have some form of edutainment like children in towns that get to know some of these things through DStv,” he said.
“A lot of rural high school girls are deceived by kombi drivers and conductors who give them peanuts and then get them pregnant. Some of them become infected with STIs and even HIV.”
Dube said he was talking from experience as one of his cousins was a victim.
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“This is really painful because some of the school children who are victims at times are orphans and some are intelligent young girls whose future is jeopardised,” he said.
Dube said he will tour every remote rural school including in areas such as Siyamagoza, Ekuphakameni and Gwayi.
He said some of the poems which he will recite include Ngazenza, Isikolo and some from his gospel poetry album.
Dube received an award at the National Arts Merit Awards in 2014 for being an outstanding poet. He has performed at several functions such as during the unveiling of the statue of the late Father Zimbabwe, Joshua Nkomo. He has also performed for President Robert Mugabe.
