Moto Moto: Fire is Fire, My Journey into the Heart and Soul of Zimbabwe

I have completed two books to be published before the end of this year.
The collection of my social, philosophical and political commentaries and the first volume of my prose demand more quality time. And I have two more books to complete before November. They are the books of my temporal and spiritual drawings and paintings and the fully illustrated Virtuous Woman in colour.

My very long short story on the critical situation in Zimbabwe has done more for my psyche than all the previous short stories I have written, including the prize winning One Day At Obalende Bus Stop.

My story on the trials and tribulations of those in Mugabe's Zimbabwe has been written and my fictional narrator Domboramwari, which means God's Stone, is the conscience of Zimbabwe. He prefers his books to all the furniture in his house and when he fled to South Africa, led by his South African girlfriend, Nkosi, he took only his books.

The research on the history of Zimbabwe enlightened me and Domboramwari says Africans should not dance to the tune of the Americans and Western Europeans whenever they are castigating African leaders. We should address our problems through our own African channels.

How did the death of First Lady Sally Mugabe in 1992 affect the state of mind of President Robert Mugabe?
I have to go back to how the death of their only child, Nhanodzenyika, which means "our country has problems" in 1966, contributed to Mugabe's depression during the Bush War and the joys of the victory of the liberation struggle in 1980 became sour when Sally died on that fateful Monday morning of January 27, 1992. Three days to my birthday. And his new wife Grace has failed to save Mugabe from manic depressive insanity.

As I was writing the story, I saw Mugabe in a dream and we were in a waiting room with other people. He was standing with a young girl I concluded was his daughter. Then as we regarded each other, I stood up for him to sit down, because there was no more sitting space in the waiting room. In Africa, younger people don't sit down and keep our elders standing  He was looking 20 years younger than his 83 years and I told him so. He was cordial in a warm African way, even though he never smiled.

I believe this dream was a message to enable me tell the truth in my historical story on the crisis in Zimbabwe. Because, this story will be read by millions of people in Zimbabwe and other countries in Southern Africa and beyond.

I used symbolic Shona names such as the Mbira musical instrument, and how can you write about the heart and soul of Zimbabwe without Shona Sculpture. So, Pa Ntzombone is a Shona stone sculptor and when he talked about the 50 million years old Butter Jade of six and seven hardness on Moh’s scale, it was a discussion on the relationship between geology and history.

"Only God knows the age of the earth, no matter what the white people claim," said Domboramwari.

Often what we are looking for beyond the sky, is right there under our feet.
Look beyond your nose.

Our destinies are not in the stars
But in our own hands.
And the fault may not be in our genes.
But in our thoughts.


Let me end this food for thought with these philosophical lyrics of Moto-Moto: Fire is Fire.       

Moto moto

Kana vunze chairo moto
Sei kumirira kuti ritange rave rimi
Kuti uti moto
Usamirire kuti ritange rave rimi
Kuti uti moto
Bva zvawausika ndiwe
Kuzvisikira mbune
Kuti zvinzi moto
Bva zvawakwenya jisa
Kuzvikwenyera mbune
Kuti zvinzi moto
Inga vakuru vakare vaiyambira
Kuyambira musapira gotsi
Kupira gotsi rufuse
Rufuse rune kakudziya
Kudziya kwakabva pavunze
Vunze rinenge rasha
Hezvo ndisu tinenge tausika
Kuusika tibike bike
Kubika kana kudziya
Kuudziya nevaranda
Navaranda tovarairwa
Pedzezvo topisa usavi

Fire is fire
Even ambers are fire
Why wait until it's a huge flame
To accept that it's fire
Don't wait until it's a huge flame
To accept that it's fire
You have made the fire
Making it on your own
To prove that it is fire
You lit the matches
Lighting it on your own
To prove that it is fire
Our elders used to advise
Advise us not to turn our backs
Turn our backs to a bed of fire
A bed of fire which is hot
Which is hot because of embers?
Embers, which are burning
We make the fire
For cooking or for warmth
Then we sit around the fire with servants
And we get carried away