HARARE - Two of the poets featured in Sunflowers in Your Eyes, Blessing Musariri and Ethel Kabwato, together with their enterprising editor, Menna Elfyn, will be touring England and Wales in June to promote their book. The tour will certainly be a good showcase of Zimbabwean poetry to an audience that would otherwise not be aware of it.
Their first reading will be at the historic Wales Millennium Centre on June 3, followed by another at the Dylan Thomas Centre on June 4. They will also be appearing at the Hay Festival and the Trinity Ffrinj Festival in Wales on June 6 and 7 respectively. Their last event is in London on June 11 at the St Johns Church, Hoxton.
Zimbabwean writing, compared to other African literature, has had poor international impact, apart from Brian Chikwava and Petina Gappah who have been receiving rave reviews worldwide for their debut books. The tour is the first such by writers currently based in Zimbabwe. Thanks to the generous sponsorship of cultural organisations like the Academi, The British Council in Wales and in Zimbabwe, The Dylan Thomas Centre and Trinity University College.