Brian Kazungu, 25/04/2021

Businessman, author and songwriter, Mutumwa Mawere is set to re-launch his book, the literary masterpiece, When Minds Meet on World Press Freedom Day, the 3^rd of May this year at The Royal India Restaurant, Sandton, in South Africa.

This year’s Press Freedom Day theme ‘Information as a Public Good’ resonates with the book When Minds Meet, which according to Mawere, touches on critical issues that must be considered for the African continent to deliver the promise of a better life to its citizens.

The book which is a collection of articles that he wrote for various news publications on issues that are meant to form part of the conversations among Africans towards a better continent is a mind opening piece of literature on the realities that are prevailing in the continent.

Mawere, an academic of note whose scholarly exploits includes studies in Actuarial Sciences, Economics, Business Management as well as Finance and Investments done in various countries such as the UK, USA, Zimbabwe and Swaziland is also championing a Media Excellency initiative.

When Minds Meet which is made of up of 71 chapters and 436 pages, is an engaging, informative and enlightening piece of literature for anybody interested in knowing why Africa hasn’t made significant progress many decades after its independence.

It is also an invaluable resource for entrepreneurs, government actors, policy makers, donors and all those who seek to understand this continent and the world better.

Some of the chapters in this read-worthy book include, Justice and Fairness, State vs People, Poverty Fight, Government and Business, Nationalization, Inequality as well as Powerful Minority and Property Rights.

Much of the content in the book where he addresses a number of issues that needs attention if Africa is to rise up the global economic ladder is based on his personal experiences in the corporate world including a stint at the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation.

The United Nations said that this year’s Press Freedom Day theme ‘Information as a Public Good’ serves as a call to affirm the importance of cherishing information as a public good, and exploring what can be done in the production. Distribution and reception of content to strengthen journalism, and to advance transparency and empowerment while leaving no one behind.

In the same vein, through C2C platform, Mawere is engaging journalists from different countries towards helping them to factually report information on issues in various communities in a way that enables the audience to make better informed decisions.

While explaining the Media Excellence initiative, Mawere said “excellence in the media industry can be achieved only when the hearts and minds of the consuming public are persuaded to learn, unlearn and relearn about what is required to lift the standards of journalism to the ideal that powered the idea that informed the genesis of the profession.

The book re-launch which is powered by the Africa Heritage Society, 1873 Network and Banking on Africa’s Future is set to be attended by various thinkers, academics and business people in the comfort of The Royal India Restaurant, a prime food and entertainment hotspot.

The Royal India Restaurant, a splashy food and events joint which is situated in Sandton is an inviting and serene place with a wide selection of wines, teas and other fast foods that can be best enjoyed either within the restaurant or in the comfort of your homes as a take away.

It is a very welcoming and accommodating place for those who want a perfect outing be it for business or for leisure and it has the capacity to accommodate a considerable number of people especially for seminars, retreats and parties across all the seasons.

Besides the wide range of dishes and the beautiful ambience of the environment for hosting events, there is also a wide selection of beverages such as the Masala tea and wines such as the Lavo wine range which can be found at this exquisite hospitality establishment.

With a narrative that spans across childhood to adulthood, village life to city life, success and failures, poverty and affluence, friendship and deception, in Born To Fight, Rutendo packed her inspiring and yet touching life story in a way that is both educational and entertaining.

She wrote the book in a way that equips readers with weapons of knowledge on how to fight the battles of life.

Going through the pages of this emotion filled and mind-set shifting piece of literature is like watching a documentary of a young female warrior who passes through the twists and turns of the battlefield from one war to another.

In Born To Fight, Rutendo narrates how she survived dangerous wild animals in the rural areas as well as how she handled teenage peer pressure at school and how she also withstood corporate sabotage in pursuit of a better life.

Every chapter in the book starts with a relevant Bible verse, followed by a wise quote and then ends with life lessons that can be drawn from the story so that readers can learn and be entertained at the same time.

In order to find out more about Rutendo’s personality and inspiration behind the book Born To Fight, below is her interview with zwnews24’s Brian Kazungu.

Zwnews24: Briefly describe yourself (background, personality, passions, dreams and aspirations etc.) so that readers (audience) can have a clear picture of who you are and what you stand for.

Rutendo Gwatidzo: I am a family centered woman who is proud to describe herself as a wife and a mother. I am passionate about serving people in society and in the body of Christ. More-so, I am very vocal and relentless in inspiring hope to my listeners. 

My faith, Christianity, is at the core of who I am and it defines everything that I do and more-so, at Celebration Church, Borrowdale, Harare, Zimbabwe, I am honored and privileged to serve in a leadership capacity.

As an entrepreneur, together with my husband, we co-founded Astromobile which is an award winning software and mobile phone business which grew into five African countries. It also won a continental award in 2015.

I’m also the managing director of MRTG Trust, an organization that supports orphans and underprivileged children with educational assistance. My vision is to extend this to millions of kids in Africa, starting with all the countries that Astromobile operate in.

I am a motivational speaker, mentor, and writer, and I have now recently added the title of author to my sphere of work since launching my debut book: Born to Fight. 

Zwnews24: What is the motivation behind your writing career? What do you seek to achieve and why? Do you think you have already achieved your goal as a writer or do you see yourself achieving those goals through your literary work?

Rutendo Gwatidzo: The motivation behind my writing career was sparked when I was asked to share my story in the Woman Excel Publication entitled: Book of Successful Zimbabwean Women Volume 2, in 2018.

In the process of writing my story and then sharing it with others, I found that many people found my background interesting and were curious to know more about my experiences. 

That encounter made me to realize that I had something powerful to share which could help others especially those of a similar background like mine as well as other people who are trying to find victory in tough situations. This gave birth to the book – Born to Fight.

In my writing, I seek to motivate, inspire and encourage people to reach their greatest potential through helping them to see different perspective on issues which then helps them to come up with effective tools to fighting the common battles of life and come out as victors.

Personally, I haven’t reached my goal yet; this is just but the beginning but I am glad that I am in the right direction. My book has already started to transform lives, and so, I can see myself achieving all the goals behind my literary work.

Zwnews24: When and how did you start writing and what has been the impact of that move on you and on the people around you, including family and friends?

Rutendo Gwatidzo: I started writing my first book in August 2019 and I completed it in December 2019. I then submitted it for editing and the process took about 3 months for us to come up with the final book.

I am happy to say that my husband and children were always supportive of this dream right from the time I told them about it. 

They helped to edit my book, gave me ideas on who I could ask for endorsements and they were also my cheerleaders all the way through. It felt like we were going through the process together.

Zwnews24: What are the titles of the books that you have written so far? Would you describe what each of these books is all about and the intended benefit of each of these books to your audience? 

Rutendo Gwatidzo: Born to Fight is my first book, but watch this space…a new book is loading as we speak even though I can’t share too much about it yet.

Born to Fight is basically a book that talks about the struggles of life and how we can overcome them when we use winning strategies. 

It highlights the importance of changing your perspective on various issues in a way that helps you to come up with effective tools that you can use in the different battles of life. The book is an eye opener on so many aspects.

I wrote this book in order to share the principles that I have learnt on how to overcome challenges in the right way. 

Personally, I faced a lot of difficult challenges in life and I believe that I have so much to share from my experiences, and so, I am convinced that this book can be of help even to the next generation.

I wrote it so that I can show readers that the struggle is real and to help them realise that it will be unrealistic to think that one can go through life without facing fights, struggles or conflicts. 

In this book, I focussed on showing readers that in every phase of life, you must overcome some obstacle or hindrance in order for you to get to the next stage. I wanted my audience to understand that the struggle is real but we don’t need to live in fear, since with God and with the use of winning strategies, we are destined to greatness.

I also wrote this book in order to share the secrets of living a victorious life. We were created to live a victorious life and sometimes, all we need is to journey with someone who helps us to see how we can achieve a victorious life. 

So, please, come on the journey with me through the pages of this book. Together, we will smile, laugh, learn and be victorious. You don’t want to miss this.

Zwnews24: If people want to buy your book or invest in your work, where can they find it and how do they get in touch with you either for feedback on your work or any other related correspondence? 

Rutendo Gwatidzo: People can give feedback concerning this book or get in touch with me to invest in my work or even to find current information on where my books are sold through the following platforms:

Facebook: RutendoGwatidzo_Official or Rutendo Gwatidzo Mugwara. 

Instagram: rutendo_gwatidzo

Twitter: @RGwatidzo

Purchases can be done online as well as in the following book shops and other designated places: Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/rutendogwatidzo

Wordwide Bookstore, Celebration Centre, Borrowdale, Harare, Zimbabwe

Innov8 Bookstores, Harare, Zimbabwe

Best Books Bookstore, Harare, Zimbabwe

Woman Excel Offices, Harare, Zimbabwe

Astromobile Offices, Belvedere, Harare, Zimbabwe

Zwnews24: What are your guiding values which determine what and how you write? Are there things that you do not write about at all or is there a certain approach to writing which you do not use because of these values? Share your insights. 

Rutendo Gwatidzo: My values are shaped by a Biblical Worldview.  I believe that all answers to life’s troubling questions start with Christ and can be found in the Bible. I also believe that working hard and doing so with integrity are important values for anyone aspiring to be a writer.

As writers we must aim to be honest in what we share about ourselves and to point our readers towards life-giving principles. That’s why my key message is that we were born to fight but we are destined to win. 

In that regard, I will not write about anything or use an approach to my writing that does not align with a Biblical Worldview since I believe in building up the next generation. 

I am mindful of the fact that what we write is not just judged by today’s readers but by future generations as well, and as such, I always aim to write something that will leave a generational legacy.

Zwnews24: How did you feel when you got published for the first time and what has been the effect of that moment on your writing career now? 

Rutendo Gwatidzo: What I felt when I got published for the first time was incredible and indescribable. Seeing a printed copy of a book that I wrote made me to realize that, yes, I can do it, and that anybody else can do it also. All what is needed is to act upon that thought.

Now, I can say that my writing career has just begun and I will not stop. I will not even allow the sky to be my limit: it can only be a dwelling place. I’m already pregnant with many other books.

Zwnews24: What has been some of the most cherished and memorable feedback that you have received from your readers so far and how has it impacted you in your pursuit of literature, either as a profession or as a hobby? Please share some of the priceless feedback that you received from your readers.

Rutendo Gwatidzo: Every piece of constructive feedback is something that I cherish. I value feedback from ordinary people who can relate to my experiences especially those who come from the same background. 

Life can really be a struggle and it means a lot to me to be able to relate to and inspire people facing hardships and pain. 

I have also received amazing feedback from people that I admire and look up to, including those who endorsed my book. To find out more on what they said, grab a copy of the book.

More-so, I consider myself very honored to get a lot of good public feedback especially on Facebook from different readers. Both my private page and my public page have overwhelming good feedback.

It is such feedback that keeps me going, and therefore, I would like to say ‘thank you all for the great support, I appreciate you so much.

Zwnews24: What are some of the challenges that you face in your writing and what is it that makes you to continue writing regardless of these challenges?

Rutendo Gwatidzo: Balancing time between being mother, wife, entrepreneur, philanthropist, leader at church, sister, friend etc. is just so challenging.

However, the feedback that I receive from my readers keeps me going and the impact the book has had so far even to high school students has kept me motivated. 

The phone calls and transformational testimonials that I have received so far made me to realise that my purpose is indeed greater than my pain, and as such, I will not stop.

Zwnews24: What are your words of advice and motivation to other writers, both established and aspiring ones in their pursuit of literature, either as their hobby or profession?

Rutendo Gwatidzo: My advice to other writers is that if you can’t fly in your writing, then you got to run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, if you can’t crawl then roll…. whatever you do, keep moving. Don’t stop.

In simple terms, if you can’t write plenty of pages, then write a few, write a paragraph or even a sentence as long as you keep on writing. ACTION, ACTION, ACTION is all you need.

Zwnews24: What do you think is the relevance and impact of literature in your community, in your country or across the whole world? Do you think literature should be recognized, celebrated and be promoted? 

Rutendo Gwatidzo: Literature is very relevant in our lives and it has a huge impact on how a society understands its environment in a certain time and space. People learn and make sense of life through story telling. Even our own ancestors were known to tell stories to younger generations at the end of each day. 

All the academic achievements that we have are a result of literature, since someone had to put it in writing for the benefit of another. As such, I believe that we should always be on the lookout for literature that educates people and moves generations forward. 

Such literature is what I want to promote, celebrate, and recognize. This is because literature is powerful and can do more than just entertain people, it can influence people positively. Literature that influences people positively is always truthful, it values the dignity of life, and it seeks to avoid harming others through hate. 

It helps the reader to learn new things about themselves or their worlds and it enables them to relate to that world in a healthy and productive way. I don’t believe we must all like the same things in literature, but I want to be intentional about supporting work that builds us up as a society. 

Zwnews24: How deep is your passion for literature? What have you already done, what are you planning to do and how far would you go to promote literature in your community, in your country or across the whole world?

Rutendo Gwatidzo: I am very passionate about local authors of today. I see many bright young people publishing books on their own and I get interested to read their books and learn from what they share. I also tend to read from African motivational authors and quite often, I buy their books and share. 

As I have already mentioned before, I work with a Trust that seeks to provide educational support to underprivileged children and orphans and this usually involves making sure that they have access to educational content. It is therefore my wish and vision to extend this across borders and even beyond.

Zwnews24: Besides writers, who are the other active players that you can think of in the field of literature? In that regard, is there a person, group of people or organization that you know which is helping to develop and promote literature in your community, in your country or across the whole world? Who are they and what is it specifically that they are doing in this context and how is it inspiring you and positively impacting individuals and communities?

Rutendo Gwatidzo: You might have heard that my first platform for sharing my story was the Woman Excel Book: The Book of Successful Zimbabwean Women, Volume 2.

I find that Woman Excel, as an organization is taking the initiative to find and publish these stories and is doing an important job of chronicling our modern history and telling untold stories of women heroes. Woman Excel also takes the extra step of launching each volume of their books with schoolgirls in attendance as this is their target market. 

It’s amazing to see young adolescent girls and women in the same room with women entrepreneurs, CEOs, movers and shakers as they gather to celebrate women and their success. I believe that this goes a long way in helping young girls build their self-confidence and to find the courage to pursue their own empowerment in meaningful, productive, and healthy ways.

Zwnews24: What has been some of the best works of literature that you have enjoyed so far (Books, blogs, poems etc.)? 

Rutendo Gwatidzo: I have enjoyed many books from the different local authors including those of people who endorsed my book. Sadly, Patson Dzamara was promoted to glory and is no longer with us but his books will forever be of great impact.

Zwnews24: What has been some of the best platforms for the development and promotion of literature that have been of help to you as an author? 

Rutendo Gwatidzo: The Writers Clinic platform has been a wonderful source of learning. In this group, we learn, we laugh and we grow. I greatly enjoy the teachings from this platform. Seasoned authors, new authors and aspiring authors are all found in this platform. You can imagine the diversity of learning that the platform offers.

zwnews24: What are some of the literature awards that you know of and what do they seek to reward or promote? What is your take on their criteria? If you were to give awards in literature, what would be your prizes and the related criteria for selecting recipients and awarding such rewards?

Rutendo Gwatidzo: NAMA is the most popular one in Zimbabwe even though it doesn’t focus on literature only. When it comes to awarding the works of literature, personally, I would give prizes for “edutainment” – the ability of an author to entertain but still educate. My criteria would be based on how interesting and dramatic the story was and how educational the content is. 

For prizes, I would give a trophy, because you can keep a trophy for life. It will always remind you of the victory.

The questions in this interview are adapted from the book, General Emeritus – Wisdom, Mysteries and Dark Sayings, a poetry anthology written by Brian Kazungu: https://amzn.to/2T8sEQX

Temba Munsaka’s novel, The Fall of a Despot, is a gripping and thrilling story of renegade super military spies that had a fall-off with their superiors, including army generals and the president of a fictitious country called Azambezia.

Temba Munsaka, author of The Fall Of A Despot

The book which is a possible and potential candidate for Netflix and Hollywood blockbusters centres around four special military secret service agents who rebelled against authorities after they realised that their government was no longer serving the interest of the people.

With the plot spanning over several countries including Azambezia, South Africa, Libya and Angola etc., the novel depicts what happens when the issues of unbridled political power goes haywire.

The mind twisting story gets super charged when the renegade spies realised that they were all set up into killing their own parents as part of their initiation into the secret service and this turned them into a rogue super unit that went on a revenge mission against anybody who was involved in the death of their parents.

The storyline and the vividness with which Temba narrates the whole ordeal does usher the book in the same realm of scripts for movies like The Hit Man’s Body Guard, The General Commander, Olympus Has Fallen, White House Fallen and Black Hawk Down among others.

Dan is the main character in this novel from start to finish, but his nicknames change with time, from being, The Boy, a childhood nickname and becomes, The Dealer, a super-efficient military sniper who handles big businesses for big people especially in the echelons of military and political power.

Using an exceptional command of military and spy language, Munsaka’s story telling ability gives a modern touch to narratives of military escapades in the field of literature in Africa to be general and Zimbabwe to be specific as once witnessed in novels such as Karikoga Gumiremiseve by Patrick Chakaipa in the 1950s.

With the sudden global attention on Africa in social, economic and political issues, the book is likely to be translated into a movie that follows the likes of Queen Sono, also an Afrocentric spy movie featuring actor Pearl Tusi and is directed by award winning Soweto born Kagiso Lediga

Netflix has become one of the prime platforms for movies and its penetration into the African market especially on viewership is substantial as shown in an article in South Africa’s techno centred news platform MyBroadBrand which reported a year on year value growth of 110%.

The article titled Massive increase in how much South Africans are spending on Netflix, dated 1 March 2020, reported that according to the bank, FNB, its customers’ increase on expenditure on entertainment stood at 110%, 45%,  231% on platforms like Netflix, Showmax and Spotify respectively.

With Africa suddenly becoming the central focus of and for movie content, The Fall of a Despot is likely to be turned into a movie script for a global audience soon especially for its relatable African story.

Movies like Black Panther which also features Zimbabwe’s Danai Gurira and Kenya’s Lupita Nyongo, with a storyline on Africa and the world’s corridors of power, went on to be a successful award winning movie project.