Poetry echoes from Bolsheviks Ndlovu

Poet Bolsheviks Ndlovu has released a Ndebele language anthology that seeks to alert the youth on the sacrifices of the country's leadership during the struggle for independence.

The book, Ndlovu's first, is titled Sem'yedwa Umanyathela and features 47 poems. In an interview, Ndlovu said he had chosen Ndebele language as the medium to express his ideas because the anthology was also an effort to preserve the country's indigenous languages which he said were under threat from Western imperialism.

"I chose to express myself in Ndebele because one of the main objectives of this anthology, besides looking at the politics of the day, is to preserve our culture which is being eroded as a result of Western influence," he said.

Ndlovu said he hoped the anthology would help people, especially the young, to understand the sacrifices made by the country's leaders in their quest to bring about independence.

He said he visited camps where the freedom fighters were trained in Zambia before compiling the anthology.

"This anthology is an effort to show my fellow countrymen that independence was won after a bitter and protracted struggle. I was in Zambia on a recent trip where I managed to visit camps like Nampundwe, Victory Camp and Mkushi camp and the things I saw there inspired me to compile the poems," he said.

Source: chronicle

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