BY CHIEDZA MAZHANGARA NOVELIST Walter Pastor Mukondo has encouraged fellow authors to embrace the use of native languages in their writings for easy understanding and appreciation of the country’s history.
The Harare-based Mukondo told NewsDay Life & Style, that when the native language is not maintained, important links to family and other community members may be lost.
“We must be proud of our local languages. I have realised that a number of authors are now shifting from vernacular to EngLish Language which is good, but I believe as writers, we should focus much on promoting our local languages.
“Our native language not only allows us to communicate and connect with one another, but it allows us to easily understand our history as a nation. So, there is need for authors to produce more content in vernacular than in English,” he said
He added: “In promoting our language, I suggest that authors should create content with more interesting stories making use of Shona proverbs and idioms which make readers have the zeal to keep on reading books.”
Mukondo said as a way of promoting writing in native Shona, he was using social media, Facebook to distribute his novels and short stories.
“Inspired by the COVID-19 situation, I have created a Facebook page Shona Novels Mutakunanzva where I am posting my short stories and novels,” he said.
“I have started with a very long novel titled Rudo Vaviri, which I am dropping at least one or more chapters a day.”
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Mukondo said there has been overwhelming response from the readers adding that the market has been a major drawback for many writers.
“After writing a book one expects to see his or her works being bought as hard or soft copies, but the sale of novels has dropped as people now seem to have many alternatives like watching television,” he said.
“I, therefore, urge readers to appreciate writers by paying for their works rather than photocopying them as this contributes to their suffering.”
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