Valerie Tagwira 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 Mozam ...
an writer who is a specialist obstetrician-gynecologist by profession.
[Sara Davies]
"Literary conversation with Valerie Tagwira"
''Harare News'', 4 June 2014. Her debut novel ''The Uncertainty of Hope'', published in 2006 by
, won the 2008
National Arts Merit Awards
The National Arts Merit Awards (NAMA Awards) is a set of annual awards granted by the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ) in recognition of outstanding achievements in the arts and culture.
The categories have differed over the years. In 202 ...
(NAMA) Outstanding Fiction Book.
["‘The Uncertainty of Hope’ wins NAMA award"]
Valerie Tagwira website, 14 February 2008.
Biography
Valerie Joan Tagwira was born in the city of
Gweru
Gweru is a city in central Zimbabwe. Near the geographical centre of the country. It is on the centre of Midlands Province. Originally an area known to the Northern Ndebele people, Ndebele as "The Steep Place" because of the Gweru River's high ...
, in central Zimbabwe, but lived for most of her childhood in Rutendo (
Redcliff), a town in the
Midlands Province
Midlands is a province of Zimbabwe. It has an area of and a population of 1,614,941 (2012). It is home to various peoples. Located at a central point in the country, it contains speakers of Shona, Ndebele, Tswana, Sotho and Chewa, as well as of ...
. She attended
Monte Cassino Secondary School in
Macheke
Macheke is a small Zimbabwean town located in Murewa District, province of Mashonaland East, located about 105 km south-east of Harare on the main A3 Harare-Mutare highway road. According to the 1982 population census, the town had a popula ...
and St James High School in
Nyamandhlovu
Nyamandlovu is a rural district located roughly 40 km northwest of Bulawayo and in Matabeleland North Province. iNyamayendlovu loosely translated means "elephant meat" in the local language, isiNdebele.
The community is predominantly Ndeb ...
. She graduated in 1997 from the
University of Zimbabwe
The University of Zimbabwe (UZ) is a public university in Harare, Zimbabwe. It opened in 1952 as the University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, and was initially affiliated with the University of London. It was later renamed the University o ...
's Medical School, and subsequently studied at the
Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) is a professional association based in London, United Kingdom. Its members, including people with and without medical degrees, work in the field of obstetrics and gynaecology, that is ...
while working in London, UK. Her first novel, ''The Uncertainty of Hope'' – which is set in
Mbare
Mbare is a suburb in the south of Harare, Zimbabwe. Founded in 1907 as a township, it includes an informal settlement. Mbare Musika is the largest farm produce market in Zimbabwe.
History
Mbare was the first township, now known as a high dens ...
, a suburb of
Harare
Harare (; formerly Salisbury ) is the capital and most populous city of Zimbabwe. The city proper has an area of 940 km2 (371 mi2) and a population of 2.12 million in the 2012 census and an estimated 3.12 million in its metropolitan ...
, Zimbabwe, and, as she has described it, "is all about the day-to-day nitty-gritty during the hard times of 2005" – was written during the time when she was in England, between 2002 and 2010, travelling home twice a year.
Writing
''The Uncertainty of Hope'', published in 2006 by Weaver Press, received widespread favourable reviews. Percy Zvomuya in the ''
Mail & Guardian
The ''Mail & Guardian'' is a South African weekly newspaper and website, published by M&G Media in Johannesburg, South Africa. It focuses on political analysis, investigative reporting, Southern African news, local arts, music and popular cultu ...
'' wrote: "Tagwira’s book is a celebration of urban sisterhood and abiding relationships that withstand the deprivations of harsh, life-negating policies." According to reviewer Annie Gagiano, "the overwhelming, lingering and realistic impression left by this work is of lives lived under extreme difficulty, but faced with immense courage, dignity and the vital support of caring friendship among women. It is, indeed, a highly accomplished first novel and a valuable addition to the African literary archive, however painful it may be to read its many harrowing moments." Writing in ''
The Standard'' newspaper, Bertha Shoko concluded: "This is a 'must read' for anyone with a passion for good literature. Tagwira manages to make me angry, happy, hopeful, and hopeless, as she narrates this touching story about Zimbabwe".
Charles Mungoshi in ''
The Herald'' said the novel was a welcome addition to the canon of Zimbabwean literature, while the reviewer for ''The Zimbabwean'', calling the book "satisfying and thought-provoking", was reminded of award-winning Ghanaian writer
Ama Ata Aidoo
Ama Ata Aidoo, ''née'' Christina Ama Aidoo (born 23 March 1942) is a Ghanaian author, poet, playwright and academic. She was the Minister of Education under the Jerry Rawlings administration. In 2000, she established the Mbaasem Foundation to ...
's novel ''
Changes
Changes may refer to:
Books
* ''Changes'', the 12th novel in Jim Butcher's ''The Dresden Files'' Series
* ''Changes'', a novel by Danielle Steel
* ''Changes'', a trilogy of novels on which the BBC TV series was based, written by Peter Dickinson ...
''.
''The Uncertainty of Hope'' won the National Arts Merit Award (NAMA) for literature in 2008,
[Emmanuel Sigauke]
"Valerie Tagwira Wins the NAMA award"
''Wealth of Ideas'', 14 February 2008. and is studied by Advanced-Level students as part of the
Zimbabwe School Examinations Council
The Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC) is an autonomous parastatal under the Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture of the Republic of Zimbabwe, responsible for the administration of public examinations in Zimbabwean schools. Its ...
(ZIMSEC) English Literature curriculum.
Tagwira also writes poetry and short stories.
She is included in the anthologies ''Writing Mystery and Mayhem'' (Weaver Press, 2015), edited by
Irene Staunton
Irene Staunton is a Zimbabwean publisher, editor, researcher and writer, who has worked in literature and the arts since the 1970s, both in the UK and Zimbabwe. She is co-founder and publisher of Weaver Press in Harare, having previously co-founded ...
, and ''
New Daughters of Africa
''Daughters of Africa: An International Anthology of Words and Writings by Women of African Descent from the Ancient Egyptian to the Present'' is a compilation of orature and literature by more than 200 women from Africa and the African diaspora, ...
'', edited by
Margaret Busby
Margaret Yvonne Busby, , Hon. FRSL (born 1944), also known as Nana Akua Ackon, is a Ghanaian-born publisher, editor, writer and broadcaster, resident in the UK. She was Britain's youngest and first black female book publisherJazzmine Breary"Let' ...
.
[ Joanne C. Hillhouse]
"In Company with New Daughters of Africa"
''Jhohadli'', 8 October 2018.
References
External links
Official website* Sara Davies
"Literary conversation with Valerie Tagwira" ''Harare News'', 4 June 2014.
* Ambrose Musiyiwa
"An Interview With Novelist Valerie Tagwira" Worldpress.org, 15 April 2007.
"Interview with Valerie Tagwira" ''World Press Review'', 18 February 2009.
"The Uncertainty of Hope: A book that reminds us who women are in Zimbabwe" ''Kubatana.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tagwira, Valerie
Living people
21st-century novelists
21st-century Zimbabwean writers
21st-century Zimbabwean women writers
University of Zimbabwe alumni
Year of birth missing (living people)