Percy Zvomuya
Percy Zvomuya is a writer and critic who has written for numerous publications, including Chimurenga, the Mail & Guardian, Moto in Zimbabwe, the Sunday Times and the London Review of Books blog. He is a co-founder of Johannesburg-based writing collective The Con and, in 2014, was one of the judges for the Caine Prize for African Writing.
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/ 25 September 2007

In search of kola nut crackers

In my search to trace the replication of traditional chieftaincy systems from the Cameroon and Nigeria in South Africa, my friends said I was on a fool’s errand. ”I don’t think you will find any. All these guys call each other chief. How will you be able to tell a real chief from the many ‘chiefs’ who are out there?”

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/ 12 September 2007

A personal truth

One of the upshots of the Zimbabwe crisis is the number of books deciphering it. Writers go there, spend a few months and decide, after seeing so much crazy stuff going on, that they can write a book. The results, mostly, have been at best half-ignorant books telling us what we already know and, at worst, downright inaccurate fantasies that feed into racist stereotypes.

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/ 12 September 2007

The Opposite House

Helen Oyeyemi is without doubt a very intelligent writer. Comparisons to Ben Okri, Chinua Achebe and others are not empty literary plaudits. Aptly for a writer tastefully compared with giants such as these, Oyeyemi takes risks.

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/ 7 September 2007

Zim wants to cash in on 2010 Cup

The Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition (CZC) has described as ”scandalous” the decision by Zimbabwe to spend up to -million on sprucing up hotels and its infrastructure to cash in on the 2010 Soccer World Cup in South Africa. ”It’s a tragedy to try to create world-class facilities in a situation of misery,” CZC spokesperson Elinor Sisulu said.

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/ 31 August 2007

Africa welcomes US gay-bashers

Bernard Nzimbi, head of the Anglican Church in Kenya, entrenched his anti-gay position by consecrating Anglican clerics Bill Atwood and Bill Murdoch as bishops last Thursday in Kenya. Atwood and Murdoch, from the United States, oppose gay unions, which have been authorised by certain Anglican dioceses in North America.

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/ 27 August 2007

Human rights overhaul

The findings contained in the 260-page report by Kader Asmal’s ad hoc committee on the review of Chapter 9 and related institutions makes far-reaching recommendations that might require the amendment of the Constitution, the retrenchment of up to 40 commissioners and will test the political will of the executive.

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/ 17 August 2007

SADC summit’s bob and weave

As South African President Thabo Mbeki prepared to present his progress report on the mediation process in Zimbabwe to regional leaders gathered at this week’s Southern African Development Community summit, Zimbabwean Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa was insisting that there was no need for political reform in Zimbabwe.

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/ 10 August 2007

SA social network takes a beating

As more and more people flee Zimbabwe and pour into South Africa’s cities, the social networks that have developed over the years to accommodate Zimbabweans are growing overburdened and, as a result, recent arrivals are increasingly having to brave life on the streets.