BY KUDZAI KUWAZA AWARD-winning author Benjamin Sibangani Sibanda says he is in the process of penning his fourth novel based on the economic challenges bedevilling the country.
Sibanda has three novels under his sleeve namely When Freedom Came (2014), Whose Land Is It Anyway (2016) and Escape from Freedom published last year.
The novel When Freedom Came is based on shattered expectations after the country gained independence where hope of progress and success is dashed by deeply ingrained corruption within a government that had just come into power.
His second book, Whose Land is it Anyway is based on the chaotic land reform programme by the government which, though meant to address land imbalances, faced numerous problems with politically connected officials grabbing multiple farms.
The emotive land issue seen through the lens of Sibanda’s pen earned him a prestigious National Arts Merit Award (Nama) in 2017.
Sibanda’s third novel, Escape From Freedom is based on the Matabeleland disturbances referred to as Gukurahundi that is said to have resulted in the loss of an estimated 20 000 lives.
The book also touches on challenges around the issues of ethnicity and identity in the country.
Speaking at the reading of his three books in Harare last week, Sibanda said his novels were inspired by actual events, adding that it took him three years to complete his first novel because he was not really convinced, he was a writer at that time.
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“I write fictionalised stories of actual events commonly known as historical fiction. It has taken three novels and a Nama award for me to actually believe I am a writer,” he said.
Sibanda said his novels were not critical of the country’s leadership as believed in some quarters.
“I write not to be confrontational with the government, but to offer solutions. We think short term. We need to think beyond generations,” he said.
“I have no doubt that things will come right in Zimbabwe, but my only problem is that I do not think I will be around to see it.”
In an interview with NewsDay Life & Style on the sidelines of the event, Sibanda said his forthcoming novel would be a sequel to his first novel When Freedom Came and would be based on the economic crisis in the country, particularly the issue of hyperinflation that has wreaked havoc on the livelihoods of the country’s citizens.
“I had aimed to complete the book by the end of this year, but due to disruptions this will not be possible,” he said.
Sibanda said one of the challenges of being an author in Zimbabwe was selling books.
“I think writing is the easiest thing because once I have the idea I can put it on the page, but selling is a challenge,” he said.
“When I wrote my first book, I just penned it and I did not think about selling. It is when it came to the selling that I realised there are many challenges. The major obstacle to selling books is the poor reading culture in the country.
The book reading event was attended by several members of the academia.
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