THE Literature Festival (LitFest) opened in Harare on Wednesday evening with an intriguing one-man play titled Diary of Madness.
BY TINASHE MUCHURI
Written by Philani Amadeus Nyoni and Thabani Hilary Moyo, the play was produced by Naughty by Nature and it fused theatre, poetry, music and film.
The poems in the play, staged by one of its writers came alive through theatrical and film illustrations.
A Shakespearean poet, who has since gone over 363 sonnets, Nyoni seems to be retracing the footseps of his idol, William Shakespeare, and uses the concept of “madness” to express societal ills.
Nyoni picked someone from the gallery, while reciting the poem, Debra, a love proposal.
Rhythms and rhymes carry Nyoni’s theatrical expression, though it leaves the gallery wondering how a “madman” can be that creative with words.
In the very contemporary piece, Nyoni also touched on the current rage of bond notes, saying: “They have turned bondage into currency.”
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The persona in Nyoni’s act also addressed the subject of HIV and assured his listeners that while he may be HIV positive, it was not a death sentence.
“It’s not death I carry, though it has no cure,” he said.
In a discussion that followed, Nyoni said he was “an old spirit in a new skin”, as he addressed the use of old school music in his piece.
Nyoni started writing poetry in 2005 and began performing poetry at the old Book Café in 2009.
He is a published poet and has recently published an anthology of Shakespearean sonnets.
Meanwhile, LitFest director, Chirikure Chirikure said the literary fiesta, which has a voluntary five-member team, worked in collaboration with institutions such as Great Zimbabwe University, University of Zimbabwe, Amakhosi Theatre Productions, Culture Fund of Zimbabwe, Pen Zimbabwe and Zimbabwe-German Society.
This year’s edition was officially opened by Pen Zimbabwe leader, Grace Mtandwa, who said she was happy with the collaborations with LitFest.
