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
I see myself in public service in Zimbabwe. I would prefer an advisory role - cabinet secretary, minister of trade or the arts, or something like that. I don't want to be just a writer. Petina Gappah advisoryartcabinet Change image and 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
For the first years of my life, I went to school in Rhodesia. My memory of living in the townships is that they were actually really happy places. Petina Gappah happylifelive 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
You could have names like Hatred; you could have names that mean something like Suffering or Poverty. So names are not just names: names have real meaning, and they tend to tell the world about the circumstances of your parents at the time that you were born. Petina Gappah bearcircumstancehatred share on social
I'm not even sure that I want to go back... The Zimbabwe that I really loved, the Zimbabwe that I grew up in, just isn't there anymore, and I'm not sure about the country that has replaced it. Petina Gappah anymorebackcountry Change image and share on social
If I truly had the courage of my convictions, I would be a full-blown comic novelist. Petina Gappah blowcomicconviction Change image and share on social
The prolific Chinodya has written a number of striking books, most notably 'Dew in the Morning', an exploration of an idyllic rural boyhood; the sophisticated 'Strife,' in which sins from the pre-colonial past cast shadows into the present; and the rich and varied short-story collection 'Can We Talk?' Petina Gappah bookboyhoodcast share on social
There are some people who are happy to be African writers. They are pan-Africanists. I'm not a pan-Africanist. I think African countries have a lot in common. But we are also very different. Petina Gappah africanafricanistcommon Change image and share on social