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Mbulelo Mpofu, Showbiz Reporter

ZIMBABWE and South African poets, Philani A. Nyoni and  Xitha Makgetha have co-authored a book which will be launched on Thursday at The Orange Elephant River Estate in Bulawayo.

Philani said that the book titled, “Pen still inking” has the theme of resilience amid the face of adversity.

“The strong lesson in this book is resilience. Xitha and I wrote this during the Covid-19 lockdown as we were not getting much work as creatives. It was our escapism mechanism. One day during a catch-up call, we decided to stop feeling sorry for ourselves and create something and the rest is history.

“We are infinitely grateful that Xitha is able to come to Bulawayo to share his work and this moment which for us, is a way of fighting the pandemic. We are equally grateful to Hear My Voice Mobility Fund in South Africa for facilitating his travel, as well as everyone from The Orange Elephant for hosting the launch,” he said.

The duo met at the Polokwane Literary Fair in September 2019 and they read, performed in libraries, schools, prisons around the Limpopo province alongside other writers and a friendship was born.

Besides authorship, Philani Nyoni is an actor and filmmaker whose literature has been translated into the Swedish language and published in more than ten countries in the world.

His counterpart, is an art activist, founder and facilitator of the Writerusanonymous Poetry Programme running at the Stanza Bopane Library in South Africa and a former ambassador of the University of South Africa (UNISA) Poetry Society.

Xitha has also performed at local and international stages such as the Split This Rock Poetry Festival in the United States, Grahamstown National Arts Festival in South Africa as well as the Harare International Literature Festival in Zimbabwe.

Those who will attend the launch are set to enjoy complimentary services which will include snacks and a cocktail. – @eMKlass_49