The Big Interview

Chidavaenzi: On The Big Interview tonight we debut with our first guest, Lazarus Sauti, who published his debut short story and poetry collection last year. Lazarus Sauti (LS) speaks to the Writers Clinic (WC) about his work and creative process as a writer and poet. Enjoy...

WC: Nei? How did you come up with that title?

LS: The book is simply a collection of questions around issues that vex humanity, as appropriately said by reviewers like Phillip Chidavaenzi, Tanaka Chidora and Beaven Tapureta. The questions include: Why people are corrupt? Why do people cheat? Why do people lie? Why do people fake miracles? Why people are poor when the country is endowed with natural resources? These questions therefore influenced the title Nei?

WC: We have few people writing short stories in Shona. Why did you choose this genre?

 LS: Most writers prefer novels. By so doing, they are neglecting short stories. I chose to write short stories in Shona to promote the genre that is being relegated to the fringes here in Zimbabwe. 

WC: You also have a blend of both poetry and short stories. What inspired that?

 LS: Innovation inspired me. I think mixing 27 poems and five short stories in one collection offers variety to the reader. 

WC: In the short story, Misungo, and the poem, Kakonye, you deal with the emotive subject of corruption. Do you think as authors we carry enough weight to contribute to the fight against corruption and in what ways?

LS: My responsibility as a writer is to reflect, as well as interpret, my society. I used the short story, Misungo, and the poem, Kakonye, to fight corruption, a vice that is stalling sustainable socio-economic development in Zimbabwe. I used the two pieces to sound the alarm. Remember, literature is an instrument used by writers to express and change the world. Accordingly, writers carry enough weight to contribute to the fight of socio-economic vice like graft and corruption by exposing such issues. 

WC: In another story, Ndaibhadharwa Kufambisa Minana: Delight Munjanja (I was paid to fake miracles), you deal with contentious subject of fake miracles in modern-day Pentecostalism. Is this story based on real life personal encounters or just your imagination?

LS: Fake miracles dominated our traditional and online news platforms. This dominance triggered my emotions to do that unique piece to expose the evil crowd-pulling tricks of fake prophets. Yes, the story in based on real life events happening within and across the country. 

WC: Why did you choose the question and answer “newspaper approach” to tell this particular story?

LS: As a journalist, I was trying to be experimental with the question and answer “newspaper approach”. I used my news gathering and writing skills to package that story in a way that is easy to read, follow and grasp. 

WC: Which writers, locally and internationally, have inspired you the most and in what ways?

LS: Phillip Chidavaenzi. His writing style is easy to follow. His writing thus influenced me in trying to package my stories in an easy-to-follow style. Memory Chirere, Chirikure Chirikure, Ignatius Mabasa, Milton Chitsime, Alois Sagota, Setty Mhandu, Oscar Gwiriri, Stanley Mushava and Tinashe Muchuri are young generation local authors who also inspired me the most.

WC: And internationally?

LS: Internationally, Frantz Fanon of the Wretched of the Earth fame and Ngugi wa Thiong’o, author of Decolonising the Mind, also inspired me to be proud of my local language, culture and identity. 

WC: One thing we particularly find striking about your collection is your choice of titles for the pieces — Ndepapi Pacho? (Where Exactly?), Chii? (What?) Hii! Zvanikowo! (Get Off) and Shhhhh! (Hush). What would be going on in your mind as you craft such titles? 

LS: I can say sadness, but not always. Burdened. Maybe, just maybe… But honestly, I chose those titles not only to tease the reader in an insightful manner, but also to quickly grab their attention.

WC: And you did! In the poem, Ndepapi Pacho, you appeal to the ancestors to have mercy in the face of climate change. Is this something you really believe or its just sentimentalism?

LS: Ndepapi Pacho explores indigenous knowledge and its importance in people’s life. Before the advent of Christianity, the Shona people consulted ancestral spirits for all their worries in life. The poem, therefore, is simply reminding people not to forget their ancestral spirits. I believe that respecting our indigenous knowledge systems and our ancestors, of course, will help in fighting plagues such as poverty, climate change and disease.

WC: What inspired your desire to publish in Shona when many of your generation opt for English as they eye a potential international market?

LS: Language is a carrier of culture, identity and heritage. The decision to publish in Shona was simply inspired by my desire to document, promote, protect and uphold our local languages, which are fast becoming endangered. I strongly believe that a written form of Shona language is an indispensable cog of a successful language reinvigoration effort. 

WC: We suppose you have written many more pieces than those published in Nei? Was the selection process easy, difficult?

LS: To be honest, the selection was difficult. My editor, Tinashe Muchuri, helped a lot in the selection process.

WC: Nei? was nominated for the Outstanding First Published Creative Work award at the National Arts Merit Awards 2018. The judges, however, decided against awarding any of the nominees in that category because they felt the books were not good enough. How did that make you feel?

LS: The adjudicators' decision is final. I did my best, but the adjudicators felt my best was not good enough. The nomination opened many doors for me, however. The Library of Congress in America, for instance, bought 13 copies of the book, thanks to the nomination.

WC: Where there any lessons that you drew from that experience?

LS: One important lesson I picked from the experience is to always perfect my art. My next projects will tell a lot about my progress as a writer. 

WC: You belong to a growing crop of Zimbabwean journalists who have turned to creative writing. Do you think that gives you some kind of edge, or advantage?

LS: Yes. My background as a journalist helped me develop a strong sense of storytelling. I tried to be objective and concise in most, if not all, poems and short stories. Objectivity and conciseness are key pillars of good journalism. 

WC: The great African writer and scholar, Professor Ngugi wa Thiong’o, has argued that every writer is a writer in politics. When you look at Nei?, do you agree with that assertion? Is there any political backdrop to your stories?

 LS: Writers live to explore the realism of society. They exist to light up both the good and the bad. Writers advocate for transformation. They are activists. Writers like George Orwell, author of Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four, and Margaret Atwood, a major supporter of feminism and environmental causes, meld writing with activism. Therefore, the link between writing and activism is inescapable. In Nei? I am the voice that is drawing attention to important issues of my time. I am writing in support of good deeds and against social ills like corruption, prostitution and cultural decadence. Is there any political backdrop to my stories? Mmm, it depends on one's interpretation of the text. Remember, messages are polysemic. 

WC: When you look back at Nei?, would you say there are certain things you could have done better? If yes, which are these?

LS: Yes. More experimentation and imagination.

WC: How long did it take you, from the time you conceived the book, until it was published?

LS: Two years. 

WC: Where do you see yourself in the next 10 to 20 years in terms of your writing?

 LS: My goal is to be an accomplished, fine and consistent creative writer in the next 10 to 20 years. I am working hard to achieve this goal. 

WC: What are some of the major obstacles that you face as a young writer?

LS: Lack of financial resources is a major problem. Being a self-publisher, I need more financial resources to produce a professionally packaged book. 

WC: Any final word to your compatriots?

LS: I want to urge budding writers to join mentorship platforms like Writers Clinic, a brainchild of author Phillip Chidavaenzi. This Clinic helped me to be the writer I am today. Furthermore, writers must read. Reading improves vocabulary, word power and critical thinking. The more people read the better they become as writers and this is helpful to our local publishing industry.

WC: Thank you, Lazzie.

LS: You are welcome.