On April 18, 1980, the last outpost of empire in Africa died. From Rhodesia's ashes rose a country that would take its place among the free nations as Zimbabwe, the last among equals. And men and women leapt to embrace this dream called Zimbabwe. Petina Gappah africaaprilashe share on social
Publishing can be a cliquish and incestuous business; it is not uncommon for writers from the same agencies and publishers to review each other. Petina Gappah agencybusinesscliquish Change image and share on social
It was one of those early mid-life crises, really. I started asking myself, 'What is it that I want from my life?' This question kept haunting me: 'Do I want to be a lawyer who always wanted to be a writer, or do I actually want to be a writer? Petina Gappah crisisearlyhaunt share on social
I wonder why people commit crimes that are premeditated - to gain love, because of hatred, or for financial reasons. Petina Gappah commitcrimefinancial Change image and share on social
A novelist, poet and playwright who writes equally well in Shona and English, Charles Mungoshi is Zimbabwe's finest and most versatile writer. His life project has been to interrogate the notion of family. Petina Gappah charleenglishequally share on social
'Authentic' is one of my least favourite words because in such a diverse country, whose authenticity are you talking about? Petina Gappah authenticauthenticitycountry Change image and share on social
I guess you could say I'm lucky because I've known a Zimbabwe that didn't have Robert Mugabe leading it. One of the saddest things about Zimbabwe is there are so many hidden casualties of the Mugabe government's misrule. They're not just casualties that you immediately see. Petina Gappah casualtygovernmentguess share on social
What we are trying to do now, this new generation of African writers, is to write about what it is to be a human being living in a particular African country. These are stories that resonate with anyone, anywhere. Petina Gappah africancountrygeneration share on social
I speak English. I dream in it. I cannot separate my English from my Shona; I see the world with those two languages. Petina Gappah dreamenglishlanguage Change image and share on social
Ian Smith thought his Rhodesia would last 1,000 years: it lasted less than 15. Petina Gappah 000ianlast Change image and share on social
