Sekai Irene Nzenza Kanhutu is a

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and ...

an writer, cultural critic and politician.

Biography

She was born in rural

, where she trained as a nurse, before doing additional nursing studies in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and subsequently going to live in Australia. She held senior positions in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

and

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. Her semi-autobiographical first book, ''Zimbabwean Woman: My Own Story'', was published in 1988. Her book ''Songs to an African Sunset'' (1997) describes her return to her family's village in the early 1990s.Nzenza-Shand, Sekai. ''Songs to an African Sunset: A Zimbabwean Story'' (1997) ().(30 October 2003
"Life Matters: Feature Interview: Dr Sekai Nzenza-Shand"
''

Radio National Radio National, known on-air as RN, is an Australia-wide public service broadcasting radio network run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). From 1947 until 1985, the network was known as ABC Radio 2. History 1937: Predecessors a ...

'' She has a Ph.D. in International Relations from the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb no ...

.Sylvester, Christine
Fictional Development Sovereignties
in Edkins, Jenny, et al. (eds), ''Sovereign Lives: Power in Global Politics'', Routledge 2004, pp. 143–44 ().Bond, Marybeth, & Pamela Michael
''A Woman's Passion for Travel: True Stories of World Wanderlust''
2004, p. 65 (). Sekai wrote a weekly column for '' The Herald'' newspaper from 2011 to 2018, often returning to the theme of Zimbabweans reclaiming their cultural heritage and village roots. She entered politics as the Member for Chikomba East in Zimbabwe's 2018 harmonised elections. She was appointed as Zimbabwe's Minister of Public Service Labour and Social Welfare on 7 September 2018.Butaumocho, Ruth
"Nzenza: People’s servant with heart of gold"
''The Herald'', 26 September 2018.

Bibliography

* ''Zimbabwean Woman: My Own Story'', London: Karia Press, 1988. . * ''Songs to an African Sunset: A Zimbabwean Story'', Lonely Planet Publications, 1997. .

References

External links

Sekai Nzenza page
at ''The Herald''. * * * 1964 births Living people Zimbabwean expatriates in England Zimbabwean expatriates in Australia University of Melbourne alumni 20th-century Zimbabwean writers 20th-century Zimbabwean women writers 21st-century Zimbabwean writers 21st-century Zimbabwean women writers Zimbabwean politicians {{Zimbabwe-writer-stub