{"id":528,"date":"2014-06-07T16:36:00","date_gmt":"2014-06-07T16:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mrmushava.wordpress.com\/2014\/06\/07\/zimbabwean-literature-operating-at-zero-profitability\/"},"modified":"2026-10-26T04:07:31","modified_gmt":"2026-10-26T04:07:31","slug":"zimbabwean-writers-hit-zero-return","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/?p=528","title":{"rendered":"Zimbabwean Writers Hit Zero Return?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
A.C Moyo (Photo Credit: The Herald)<\/span><\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
\n
Prolific novelist, playwright and screenwriter Aaron Chiundura Moyo has indicated that he will cap his pen and pursue other interests if nothing is done to demobilise piracy.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Piracy has emerged as the principal death-knell against the arts sector. Literature has been grounded to zero profitability, with no significant measure in force to protect authors.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Major publishers have remained buoyant largely from textbook revenue but for creative writers, times have never been more austere.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
Moyo, far and away one of the more accomplished artists, revealed that his 14 books have collectively earned him less than US$400 from 2000 to date.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
Put differently, the author has earned in approximately 168 months the amount a disgruntled civil servant normally gets in one month. <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
One can only surmise with Geoffrey Chaucer, \u201cIf gold rusts, what then can iron do?\u201d considering that Moyo is one of the established writers and privileged few whose works have been selected as set-texts for schools.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
In 1991, Moyo\u2019s play \u201cKuridza Ngoma Nedemo\u201d raked in around $20, 000 (local currency) in royalties. <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
The dramatist produced a slip sent by his publishers showing that one of his more popular works had earned $25, far below the minimum retrievable amount, over the past year.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
Moyo, who recently completed his 15th<\/sup> title entitled \u201cKereke Inofa,\u201d indicated that the release of project could as well stamp the epilogue for his 40-year career if the industry is not reconfigured to favour content-creators.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
Literature Today<\/span><\/i>engaged Moyo for a discursive conversation on issues assailing the book sector and the possible solutions.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
Piracy<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
The reception of literature has taken a slump with new media constantly trending in. Piracy has claimed the even writers\u2019 measly share. <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
Moyo is of the view that literature, as a durable art form, does not face extinction.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cWhat has changed is its availability and the way it is now being assessed. Whereas publishers were the traditional sources of literature, an illicit industry has emerged with the sole function of selling stolen works,\u201d Moyo said.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cI have engaged police and parent ministries on the problem. I have observed that they are not even in consensus among themselves that piracy is a crime. Some chefs<\/i> see it as a form of employment while others are discreetly involved,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cSchools are the biggest letdown. We have a situation whereby a schools buys one original copy of a book and photocopies it for the rest of the students.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cInstead of authors and publishers getting their dues from proper sales, the school or the individual who owns the photocopying machine or scanner pockets our profits. <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cThen there are fake publishers who are contracted to supply schools with textbooks at a cheaper rate than the authentic publishers. <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cOf course, it\u2019s feasible for them to mark down the prices of the books because they do not have the burden of royalties, taxes and other costs saddled by the original publisher.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cAll they have to do is to obtain a master copy from the original publishers and break it into hundreds of copies.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cNow, there can only be one name for all this: Umbavha!<\/i>This is sheer criminality and must be treated as such,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
Self-Publishing<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
Lowsales have led publishers to reject works from established and upcoming authors, notwithstanding individual merit, as an undesirable liability.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
This has given rise to self-publishing as writers stake their claim to having their voices heard whatever the impediments in the book value chain. <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
Moyo acknowledged the importance of the phenomenon in sustaining creativity but has reservations, considering the compromised quality of the emerging projects.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cYes, publishing has never been easier. It no longer requires passing through the prohibitive bureaucracy older writers had to endure to see their works in print.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cHowever, my reservation is on whether the new authors living up to the same standards set by the preceding generations. In my opinion, they are not,\u201d Moyo said.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cThere are book launches everywhere but the quality of these new works is something else compared to what used to obtain when one had to pass through a rigorous screening and editing process, with a number of scholars and editors between them and the printing press.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cThe glamour of yesteryear literature is nowhere in these new works except for rare exceptions.Some of the authors use uncensored street language without regards for societal values,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
Acculturation <\/span><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
The virtual shutdown of the domestic sector has facilitated the preponderance of foreign texts.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
The bulk of these have nothing to offer in terms of cultural value enhancement. A significant chunk thrives on eroticism and other base appeals.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
Local languages are also wilting, in the absence of a vibrant industry to grow them, regardless of the official recognition they were recently accorded in the new, people-driven Constitution.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
Moyo thinks the amplitude of the problem cannot have been done away with the mere stroke of a pen but a wide-scale change of attitude.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
Most of the Government officials who must be championing the language crusade, he said, are mentally colonised and it will take sustained effort to rouse them from theslumber of foreign education.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cLast week I was in Chivi for a developmental seminar. The Japanese ambassador made his presentation in laboured Shona which was a laudable effort on his part,\u201d Moyo said.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cIronically, our own minister\u2019s turn came, he chose to impress the villagers with his English.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cInstead of exporting our own languages to the world, our own entertainment sector is becoming a cocktail of Congolese, Jamaican, Nigerian and American influences.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cTongai Moyo had to adopt the name Igwe because of the influence of Nigerian movies. Yet his own language has equally royal names like Shangwiti, Hwereshenga and Ishe.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
Digitisation<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
Moyo clarified the extent of his involvement in e-book initiatives which are emerging in response to the digital migration of readers.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cI have to be clear on this one. The rights to all my works I jointly held by the publishers and myself. There is no way I can unilaterally cede them to a third party.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cYes, I have been approached by a number of companies in pursuit of the digital rights of my works.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cHowever, I am not in a position to grant them that. It is up to the publishers, to give the green light. In fact, it has to be a joint contract.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cI have only committed to one digital hub in the event that I produce entirely new works but nothing is concrete yet,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
Closing In<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
There have been several shortlived campaigns against piracy which have been generally non-events.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
Authorities seem to be in consensus that piracy is a point of no return. Professor Fred Zindi, a noted music critic, recently eulogised the tamper-proof vinyl record as the golden age of music. <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
However, technology being a watch who hands no one can impel anti-clockwise, there is need to shrug off effortless nostalgia and stake a claim in the dynamics of the day.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
Where legislation is lax and law enforcement is slack, both can be called to order. Technology is neither an invincible behemoth nor is it inherently prejudicial of art.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
The last time I was in a bookshop I bought a book which has sold 20, 000, 000 copies in series. According to the laws of the country, copyright infringement is punishable by a $250, 000 fine. <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

The authors are living of their work while our own sector is in shambles. Local publishers are not utilising universally accessible digital\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A.C Moyo (Photo Credit: The Herald) Prolific novelist, playwright and screenwriter Aaron Chiundura Moyo has indicated that he will cap his pen and pursue other interests if nothing is done to demobilise piracy. Piracy has emerged as the principal death-knell against the arts sector. Literature has been grounded to zero profitability, with no significant measure in force to protect authors. Major publishers have remained buoyant largely from textbook revenue but for creative writers, times have never been more austere. Moyo, far and away one of the more accomplished artists, revealed that his 14 books have collectively earned him less than US$400 from 2000 to date. Put differently, the author has earned in approximately 168 months the amount a disgruntled civil servant normally gets in one month. One can only surmise with Geoffrey Chaucer, \u201cIf gold rusts, what then can iron do?\u201d considering that Moyo is one of the established writers and privileged few whose works have been selected as set-texts for schools. In 1991, Moyo\u2019s play \u201cKuridza Ngoma Nedemo\u201d raked in around $20, 000 (local currency) in royalties. The dramatist produced a slip sent by his publishers showing that one of his more popular works had earned $25, far below the minimum retrievable amount, over the past year. Moyo, who recently completed his 15th title entitled \u201cKereke Inofa,\u201d indicated that the release of project could as well stamp the epilogue for his 40-year career if the industry is not reconfigured to favour content-creators. Literature Todayengaged Moyo for a discursive conversation on issues assailing the book sector and the possible solutions. Piracy The reception of literature has taken a slump with new media constantly trending in. Piracy has claimed the even writers\u2019 measly share. Moyo is of the view that literature, as a durable art form, does not face extinction. \u201cWhat has changed is its availability and the way it is now being assessed. Whereas publishers were the traditional sources of literature, an illicit industry has emerged with the sole function of selling stolen works,\u201d Moyo said. \u201cI have engaged police and parent ministries on the problem. I have observed that they are not even in consensus among themselves that piracy is a crime. Some chefs see it as a form of employment while others are discreetly involved,\u201d he said. \u201cSchools are the biggest letdown. We have a situation whereby a schools buys one original copy of a book and photocopies it for the rest of the students. \u201cInstead of authors and publishers getting their dues from proper sales, the school or the individual who owns the photocopying machine or scanner pockets our profits. \u201cThen there are fake publishers who are contracted to supply schools with textbooks at a cheaper rate than the authentic publishers. \u201cOf course, it\u2019s feasible for them to mark down the prices of the books because they do not have the burden of royalties, taxes and other costs saddled by the original publisher. \u201cAll they have to do is to obtain a master copy from the original publishers and break it into hundreds of copies. \u201cNow, there can only be one name for all this: Umbavha!This is sheer criminality and must be treated as such,\u201d he said. Self-Publishing Lowsales have led publishers to reject works from established and upcoming authors, notwithstanding individual merit, as an undesirable liability. This has given rise to self-publishing as writers stake their claim to having their voices heard whatever the impediments in the book value chain. Moyo acknowledged the importance of the phenomenon in sustaining creativity but has reservations, considering the compromised quality of the emerging projects. \u201cYes, publishing has never been easier. It no longer requires passing through the prohibitive bureaucracy older writers had to endure to see their works in print. \u201cHowever, my reservation is on whether the new authors living up to the same standards set by the preceding generations. In my opinion, they are not,\u201d Moyo said. \u201cThere are book launches everywhere but the quality of these new works is something else compared to what used to obtain when one had to pass through a rigorous screening and editing process, with a number of scholars and editors between them and the printing press. \u201cThe glamour of yesteryear literature is nowhere in these new works except for rare exceptions.Some of the authors use uncensored street language without regards for societal values,\u201d he said. Acculturation The virtual shutdown of the domestic sector has facilitated the preponderance of foreign texts. The bulk of these have nothing to offer in terms of cultural value enhancement. A significant chunk thrives on eroticism and other base appeals. Local languages are also wilting, in the absence of a vibrant industry to grow them, regardless of the official recognition they were recently accorded in the new, people-driven Constitution. Moyo thinks the amplitude of the problem cannot have been done away with the mere stroke of a pen but a wide-scale change of attitude. Most of the Government officials who must be championing the language crusade, he said, are mentally colonised and it will take sustained effort to rouse them from theslumber of foreign education. \u201cLast week I was in Chivi for a developmental seminar. The Japanese ambassador made his presentation in laboured Shona which was a laudable effort on his part,\u201d Moyo said. \u201cIronically, our own minister\u2019s turn came, he chose to impress the villagers with his English. \u201cInstead of exporting our own languages to the world, our own entertainment sector is becoming a cocktail of Congolese, Jamaican, Nigerian and American influences. \u201cTongai Moyo had to adopt the name Igwe because of the influence of Nigerian movies. Yet his own language has equally royal names like Shangwiti, Hwereshenga and Ishe. Digitisation Moyo clarified the extent of his involvement in e-book initiatives which are emerging in response to the digital migration of readers. \u201cI have to be clear on this one. The rights to all my works I jointly held by the publishers and myself. There is no way I can unilaterally cede them to a<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-528","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-books"],"yoast_head":"\nZimbabwean Writers Hit Zero Return? | Blockspace<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/?p=528\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Zimbabwean Writers Hit Zero Return? | Blockspace\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A.C Moyo (Photo Credit: The Herald) Prolific novelist, playwright and screenwriter Aaron Chiundura Moyo has indicated that he will cap his pen and pursue other interests if nothing is done to demobilise piracy. Piracy has emerged as the principal death-knell against the arts sector. Literature has been grounded to zero profitability, with no significant measure in force to protect authors. Major publishers have remained buoyant largely from textbook revenue but for creative writers, times have never been more austere. Moyo, far and away one of the more accomplished artists, revealed that his 14 books have collectively earned him less than US$400 from 2000 to date. Put differently, the author has earned in approximately 168 months the amount a disgruntled civil servant normally gets in one month. One can only surmise with Geoffrey Chaucer, \u201cIf gold rusts, what then can iron do?\u201d considering that Moyo is one of the established writers and privileged few whose works have been selected as set-texts for schools. In 1991, Moyo\u2019s play \u201cKuridza Ngoma Nedemo\u201d raked in around $20, 000 (local currency) in royalties. The dramatist produced a slip sent by his publishers showing that one of his more popular works had earned $25, far below the minimum retrievable amount, over the past year. Moyo, who recently completed his 15th title entitled \u201cKereke Inofa,\u201d indicated that the release of project could as well stamp the epilogue for his 40-year career if the industry is not reconfigured to favour content-creators. Literature Todayengaged Moyo for a discursive conversation on issues assailing the book sector and the possible solutions. Piracy The reception of literature has taken a slump with new media constantly trending in. Piracy has claimed the even writers\u2019 measly share. Moyo is of the view that literature, as a durable art form, does not face extinction. \u201cWhat has changed is its availability and the way it is now being assessed. Whereas publishers were the traditional sources of literature, an illicit industry has emerged with the sole function of selling stolen works,\u201d Moyo said. \u201cI have engaged police and parent ministries on the problem. I have observed that they are not even in consensus among themselves that piracy is a crime. Some chefs see it as a form of employment while others are discreetly involved,\u201d he said. \u201cSchools are the biggest letdown. We have a situation whereby a schools buys one original copy of a book and photocopies it for the rest of the students. \u201cInstead of authors and publishers getting their dues from proper sales, the school or the individual who owns the photocopying machine or scanner pockets our profits. \u201cThen there are fake publishers who are contracted to supply schools with textbooks at a cheaper rate than the authentic publishers. \u201cOf course, it\u2019s feasible for them to mark down the prices of the books because they do not have the burden of royalties, taxes and other costs saddled by the original publisher. \u201cAll they have to do is to obtain a master copy from the original publishers and break it into hundreds of copies. \u201cNow, there can only be one name for all this: Umbavha!This is sheer criminality and must be treated as such,\u201d he said. Self-Publishing Lowsales have led publishers to reject works from established and upcoming authors, notwithstanding individual merit, as an undesirable liability. This has given rise to self-publishing as writers stake their claim to having their voices heard whatever the impediments in the book value chain. Moyo acknowledged the importance of the phenomenon in sustaining creativity but has reservations, considering the compromised quality of the emerging projects. \u201cYes, publishing has never been easier. It no longer requires passing through the prohibitive bureaucracy older writers had to endure to see their works in print. \u201cHowever, my reservation is on whether the new authors living up to the same standards set by the preceding generations. In my opinion, they are not,\u201d Moyo said. \u201cThere are book launches everywhere but the quality of these new works is something else compared to what used to obtain when one had to pass through a rigorous screening and editing process, with a number of scholars and editors between them and the printing press. \u201cThe glamour of yesteryear literature is nowhere in these new works except for rare exceptions.Some of the authors use uncensored street language without regards for societal values,\u201d he said. Acculturation The virtual shutdown of the domestic sector has facilitated the preponderance of foreign texts. The bulk of these have nothing to offer in terms of cultural value enhancement. A significant chunk thrives on eroticism and other base appeals. Local languages are also wilting, in the absence of a vibrant industry to grow them, regardless of the official recognition they were recently accorded in the new, people-driven Constitution. Moyo thinks the amplitude of the problem cannot have been done away with the mere stroke of a pen but a wide-scale change of attitude. Most of the Government officials who must be championing the language crusade, he said, are mentally colonised and it will take sustained effort to rouse them from theslumber of foreign education. \u201cLast week I was in Chivi for a developmental seminar. The Japanese ambassador made his presentation in laboured Shona which was a laudable effort on his part,\u201d Moyo said. \u201cIronically, our own minister\u2019s turn came, he chose to impress the villagers with his English. \u201cInstead of exporting our own languages to the world, our own entertainment sector is becoming a cocktail of Congolese, Jamaican, Nigerian and American influences. \u201cTongai Moyo had to adopt the name Igwe because of the influence of Nigerian movies. Yet his own language has equally royal names like Shangwiti, Hwereshenga and Ishe. Digitisation Moyo clarified the extent of his involvement in e-book initiatives which are emerging in response to the digital migration of readers. \u201cI have to be clear on this one. The rights to all my works I jointly held by the publishers and myself. There is no way I can unilaterally cede them to a\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/?p=528\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Blockspace\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-06-07T16:36:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-10-26T04:07:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-BkoMq0AG1q0\/UAksDLYFhuI\/AAAAAAAADQM\/a1W7pC-jhTo\/s400\/aaron_Chiundura_711734000.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"hardsouth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"hardsouth\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blockspaceballads.com\\\/?p=528#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blockspaceballads.com\\\/?p=528\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"hardsouth\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blockspaceballads.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a336a678f28eacb341ce63c6b84b17d0\"},\"headline\":\"Zimbabwean Writers Hit Zero Return?\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-06-07T16:36:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-10-26T04:07:31+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blockspaceballads.com\\\/?p=528\"},\"wordCount\":1240,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blockspaceballads.com\\\/?p=528#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\\\/\\\/2.bp.blogspot.com\\\/-BkoMq0AG1q0\\\/UAksDLYFhuI\\\/AAAAAAAADQM\\\/a1W7pC-jhTo\\\/s400\\\/aaron_Chiundura_711734000.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Books\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/blockspaceballads.com\\\/?p=528#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blockspaceballads.com\\\/?p=528\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blockspaceballads.com\\\/?p=528\",\"name\":\"Zimbabwean Writers Hit Zero Return? 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| Blockspace","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/?p=528","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Zimbabwean Writers Hit Zero Return? | Blockspace","og_description":"A.C Moyo (Photo Credit: The Herald) Prolific novelist, playwright and screenwriter Aaron Chiundura Moyo has indicated that he will cap his pen and pursue other interests if nothing is done to demobilise piracy. Piracy has emerged as the principal death-knell against the arts sector. Literature has been grounded to zero profitability, with no significant measure in force to protect authors. Major publishers have remained buoyant largely from textbook revenue but for creative writers, times have never been more austere. Moyo, far and away one of the more accomplished artists, revealed that his 14 books have collectively earned him less than US$400 from 2000 to date. Put differently, the author has earned in approximately 168 months the amount a disgruntled civil servant normally gets in one month. One can only surmise with Geoffrey Chaucer, \u201cIf gold rusts, what then can iron do?\u201d considering that Moyo is one of the established writers and privileged few whose works have been selected as set-texts for schools. In 1991, Moyo\u2019s play \u201cKuridza Ngoma Nedemo\u201d raked in around $20, 000 (local currency) in royalties. The dramatist produced a slip sent by his publishers showing that one of his more popular works had earned $25, far below the minimum retrievable amount, over the past year. Moyo, who recently completed his 15th title entitled \u201cKereke Inofa,\u201d indicated that the release of project could as well stamp the epilogue for his 40-year career if the industry is not reconfigured to favour content-creators. Literature Todayengaged Moyo for a discursive conversation on issues assailing the book sector and the possible solutions. Piracy The reception of literature has taken a slump with new media constantly trending in. Piracy has claimed the even writers\u2019 measly share. Moyo is of the view that literature, as a durable art form, does not face extinction. \u201cWhat has changed is its availability and the way it is now being assessed. Whereas publishers were the traditional sources of literature, an illicit industry has emerged with the sole function of selling stolen works,\u201d Moyo said. \u201cI have engaged police and parent ministries on the problem. I have observed that they are not even in consensus among themselves that piracy is a crime. Some chefs see it as a form of employment while others are discreetly involved,\u201d he said. \u201cSchools are the biggest letdown. We have a situation whereby a schools buys one original copy of a book and photocopies it for the rest of the students. \u201cInstead of authors and publishers getting their dues from proper sales, the school or the individual who owns the photocopying machine or scanner pockets our profits. \u201cThen there are fake publishers who are contracted to supply schools with textbooks at a cheaper rate than the authentic publishers. \u201cOf course, it\u2019s feasible for them to mark down the prices of the books because they do not have the burden of royalties, taxes and other costs saddled by the original publisher. \u201cAll they have to do is to obtain a master copy from the original publishers and break it into hundreds of copies. \u201cNow, there can only be one name for all this: Umbavha!This is sheer criminality and must be treated as such,\u201d he said. Self-Publishing Lowsales have led publishers to reject works from established and upcoming authors, notwithstanding individual merit, as an undesirable liability. This has given rise to self-publishing as writers stake their claim to having their voices heard whatever the impediments in the book value chain. Moyo acknowledged the importance of the phenomenon in sustaining creativity but has reservations, considering the compromised quality of the emerging projects. \u201cYes, publishing has never been easier. It no longer requires passing through the prohibitive bureaucracy older writers had to endure to see their works in print. \u201cHowever, my reservation is on whether the new authors living up to the same standards set by the preceding generations. In my opinion, they are not,\u201d Moyo said. \u201cThere are book launches everywhere but the quality of these new works is something else compared to what used to obtain when one had to pass through a rigorous screening and editing process, with a number of scholars and editors between them and the printing press. \u201cThe glamour of yesteryear literature is nowhere in these new works except for rare exceptions.Some of the authors use uncensored street language without regards for societal values,\u201d he said. Acculturation The virtual shutdown of the domestic sector has facilitated the preponderance of foreign texts. The bulk of these have nothing to offer in terms of cultural value enhancement. A significant chunk thrives on eroticism and other base appeals. Local languages are also wilting, in the absence of a vibrant industry to grow them, regardless of the official recognition they were recently accorded in the new, people-driven Constitution. Moyo thinks the amplitude of the problem cannot have been done away with the mere stroke of a pen but a wide-scale change of attitude. Most of the Government officials who must be championing the language crusade, he said, are mentally colonised and it will take sustained effort to rouse them from theslumber of foreign education. \u201cLast week I was in Chivi for a developmental seminar. The Japanese ambassador made his presentation in laboured Shona which was a laudable effort on his part,\u201d Moyo said. \u201cIronically, our own minister\u2019s turn came, he chose to impress the villagers with his English. \u201cInstead of exporting our own languages to the world, our own entertainment sector is becoming a cocktail of Congolese, Jamaican, Nigerian and American influences. \u201cTongai Moyo had to adopt the name Igwe because of the influence of Nigerian movies. Yet his own language has equally royal names like Shangwiti, Hwereshenga and Ishe. Digitisation Moyo clarified the extent of his involvement in e-book initiatives which are emerging in response to the digital migration of readers. \u201cI have to be clear on this one. The rights to all my works I jointly held by the publishers and myself. There is no way I can unilaterally cede them to a","og_url":"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/?p=528","og_site_name":"Blockspace","article_published_time":"2014-06-07T16:36:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-10-26T04:07:31+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-BkoMq0AG1q0\/UAksDLYFhuI\/AAAAAAAADQM\/a1W7pC-jhTo\/s400\/aaron_Chiundura_711734000.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"hardsouth","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"hardsouth","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/?p=528#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/?p=528"},"author":{"name":"hardsouth","@id":"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a336a678f28eacb341ce63c6b84b17d0"},"headline":"Zimbabwean Writers Hit Zero Return?","datePublished":"2014-06-07T16:36:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-10-26T04:07:31+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/?p=528"},"wordCount":1240,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/?p=528#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-BkoMq0AG1q0\/UAksDLYFhuI\/AAAAAAAADQM\/a1W7pC-jhTo\/s400\/aaron_Chiundura_711734000.jpg","articleSection":["Books"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/?p=528#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/?p=528","url":"https:\/\/blockspaceballads.com\/?p=528","name":"Zimbabwean Writers Hit Zero Return? 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