MULTI-TALENTED poet, filmmaker, singer and playwright Chioniso Tsikisayi says socio-economic, love, familial issues and politics that exist within the fabric of African identity compels her to place a mirror on contemporary society through her artistic work, particularly spoken word poetry.
In an interview with NewsDay Life & Style Tsikisayi said she yearned to be seen and heard, while her audience are entertained and enlightened through her pieces.
"At the very least I hope to challenge people to look at their lives and others through a more empathetic and conscious lens," she said.
Tsikisayi pointed out that spoken word poetry interrogated issues that people choose to be silent about and likened poetry to an X-ray that captures fractures in the anatomy of society, people have no idea exist.
"So, in a sense, to be a poet is to be a surgeon of language and to have the ability to dissect issues that people are not comfortable to talk about. Spoken word like oral tradition, is really an ancient practice used to pass information, entertain and preserve the customs and culture of people,” Tsikisayi said.
Recalling her most memorable standout experience in her career when she performed at Grand Slam Africa in Nairobi, Kenya in 2022, Tsikisayi said: "I came first runner up even though I had no expectations to make it that far in a competition outside my country. It was really a pivotal moment in my career as all things seemed to fall into place afterwards, my sense of self and urgency to grow beyond the region, crossing boundaries with this talent."
Being a woman of many talents, Tsikisayi has written short stories, films and is also a singer. She noted that art is generous in that it can be experienced through a number of avenues.
Earlier this year she worked with Clinton Zvoushe and Xolani Mkwananzi on a short film Queue For A Dream, a lush lyrical expression of a longing for different ambitions and desires by Zimbabweans from different walks of life.
- Tsikisayi's poetry mirrors contemporary society
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Her debut novel What It Means To Outlive A Daughter was shortlisted for the 2024 Island Prize, which recognises authors from the African continent.
In 2021 Tsikisayi made it to the top three in the Intwasa Short Story Telling competition. She won the Canopus Award for Excellence in Interstellar Writing in the long form fiction category in 2022.
In the same year she debuted as a playwright when her play A Woman Has Two Mouths was selected for the African Women Playwrights Network festival of plays held in Accra, Ghana.
Last year she was bestowed with Roil Bulawayo Arts Awards Outstanding Poet award.
