By Chimeno Azriel
Worth Noting:
- Born on the 16th January 1978 in Shamva ,Zimbabwe, Elias is the last born in a family of 9 where his father was a polygamist. He grew up using the name Elias Chipadze and during an interview, Elias poured out how difficult his childhood was.
- “My peaceful life changed when my mother died in 1992 when I was doing form 1 and had to live with my father’s other wives and had to bear all the pain and hard life.” said Elias. After his life turned upside down, Elias had to work for other families in Shamva for his food. It was during his work routines that he would entertain his paymasters’ children with folktales, stories and jokes that his father used to tell him.
Growing up in the rural areas in Zimbabwe living a difficult and hard life, a young man managed to survive so that he could be a testimony to all aspiring writers as well other readers. The then a Shamva boy lived a life of not knowing what he was going to eat, what to wear and what the next day was holding for him, little did he know what God was preparing for him. Living a life of a beggar yet his his family was alive , growing up and moving from village to Village looking for food, shelter and clothes yet his other elder brothers and sisters were enjoying their lives. Such is a touching story of a former village herdboy who endured a painful journey but later to become an established and respected author in Zimbabwe and the rest of the world. His story is so touching but the rural based writer overturned the tables of his life.The following is a biography of a Zimbabwean rural- based writer of this time who had to endure all to overturn the tables.
Elias Machemedze is a Zimbabwean village boy who has managed to bring change in his home town from being a mere folk-teller and a story-teller to a pen and paper author. The biography takes a closer look on how the former bare footed boy managed to rise to the occasion and become a renowned author and publisher in his country.
Machemedze the brains behind the 2008 -2011 Zimbabwe Ordinary Level World Shona setbook ‘Sarawoga‘, had a difficult path as his writing career was never been a bed of roses as he had to endure painful moments from his relatives ,neighbours and the whole village.
The journey to the top was met with pain, rejection, poverty, being excommunicated , being looked down upon, obstacles as his manuscripts were once torn into pieces, the same manuscripts being turned down by publishers followed by false allegations but the then young scholar managed to fight until the ever popular novel ‘ Sarawoga‘ was released nine years later marking his journey to the top as the most sort after writer and a publisher who had a chance to sit down and also handshaked the President of Zimbabwe Emmerson Mnangagwa during the launch of Elias’ biography book about one of the Veterian Nationalist the late Hebert Chitepo.
Born on the 16th January 1978 in Shamva ,Zimbabwe, Elias is the last born in a family of 9 where his father was a polygamist. He grew up using the name Elias Chipadze and during an interview, Elias poured out how difficult his childhood was. ” My peaceful life changed when my mother died in 1992 when I was doing form 1 and had to live with my father’s other wives and had to bear all the pain and hard life.” said Elias. After his life turned upside down, Elias had to work for other families in Shamva for his food. It was during his work routines that he would entertain his paymaster’s children with folktales, stories and jokes that his father used to tell him. People loved his stories and each and every day, his audience grew more.
Machemedze had passion for literary arts but it was after his folktales anthics spread in the whole Community and his aunts were not happy with developments and they became more aggressive and jealousy to the extent of walking with tattered and torn clothes but that did not hinder him from writing scripts in which one of his novels ‘Sarawoga‘ was developed. They even tore his already finished script into pieces and had to re-write the script again and thanks to his mentor Mr Enock Kalani who had to re-proof read his novel. Mr Kalani had to nurture him into a novel writer.
According to Elias, his father Sekuru Machemedze used to communicate with the ancestors and the then young Elias would accompany him to the shrines. “my father used to communicate with our fore fathers and I would accompany him to the shrines” said Elias who had to wore tattered and torn clothes because of poverty. Their clan was of chieftainship, but his family was too far to be accorded the title.
In an interview with the now acclaimed and establishes author, he said one day he accompanied his father to the shrine and the spirit Nyamapako narrated what usually happens in their family and as well as how one step son was killed after he tried to inherit the Kingship which was not his and as the spirit medium narrated, young Elias was busy writing the narration and that was the begining of the story line “Sarawoga”. “I once accompanied my father to one spirit medium and he narrated about one Chief Nyasoro who raised step son who later wanted to take what did not belong to him through the white settlers and the spirit intervene and Sarawoga’ was killed mysteriously and as the spirit medium narrated, I would be writing notes and the storyline of “Sarawoga” was created.” said Elias.
Things began to be worse because of jealous, envy and part of witchcraft from his aunties who could not bear the youngman’s popularity and they made sure Elias’s life become miserable. He remembered in 1993 when he had to visit neighbours fields collecting remained maize and gathered a bucket of maize so that he had to purchase shoes and as all these things happened, Elias would write the events down. With all these things happening, that did not hinder the Zvamanyanga student from doing his call of being a writer.
It was in 1994 when the then young History teacher Mr Manyika came to teach at Zvamanyanga Secondary and was impressed by the young man’s good communication skills which was accompanied by good Shona Skills and storytelling and he was the one who encouraged him to take his skills into writing a novel. Elias had to consult the literature guru Mr Enock Kalani to help him on how to write a book.
In December 1995, the book was developed into a manuscript and Elias began to write it and he finished writing in 1996. During the initial stages the book was titled ‘Kamoto Karimuhundi’ but after Mr Kalani edited the book, it was then titled ‘ Sarawoga‘ and Elias began to be more popular in the village as the only student in the village to come up with a rich shona novel.
His popularity angered his family even more and was accussed of stealing his auntie’s money but his brother Eliot rescued him from further interogations from the Police and back home, there was no peace until one village woman had to take care of him for safety. This did not kill the spirit of Elias of becoming an established author despite all the challenges and obstacles. His sister Martha came to the village with anger and caused scenes after she came to the village with groceries and clothes for the boy and four days later his brother Ignatious came with uniforms and shoes but was against Elias becoming an author to the extent of tearing the finished book into pieces. His brother could not have it for Elias to kill his precious time scribbling and claiming to be a writer. ” I remember my brother coming from Victoria Falls with shoes and uniforms and he ended up tearing my finished manuscript because he wanted me to concentrate on school work rather than ‘writing books” narrated Elias. He had to rewrite the book again but now he was living in the mountains and Mr Kalani had to edit it again before the manuscript was typed at Ponesai Vanhu Technical College in 1996 and now the novel was now awaiting to be published. The book went through various establishing companies who rejected his book citing that the author was notestablished and the book was not going to make it in the market which had established authors already. “After I re-wrote the book, my manuscript was typed at Ponesai Vanhu Technical College and it went various publishing companies but they all rejected it citing stiff competition from other already exhisting established authors at that time and I was devastated, but that did not kill my eager for the book to be published and his popularity even grew and he was now the talk of the village.
It never rained but it poured for Elias as his Sister passed on at the age of just 28 in 1997 and the rumour spread that sekuru Machemedze was responsible for the misfortunes in the family and the allegations also pointed to Elias and no one was now able to be associated with the young man and his father as well. ” it pained me when i lost my sister who just died mysterically and the fingers started pointing to my father and I to the extent of the Community excommunicating with us”. said Elias who had to endure all the pain.
He started to do piece jobs and had to buy the monthly magazines Parade and The Horizone and on radio he had to listen to the then radio 2 and 4 listening to ‘Muninga dzepfungwa’ and ‘ Vanyori vamangwana’ respectifully. ” I uses to buy the monthly magazines and listening to radio programmes so that I shapern my writing skills.” narreted Elias. While waiting for the publishmentvof his book, he started to pen another novel, ‘ Moyo Inzenza’.
As he was busy trying to make some avenues for his book to be published, he was hit by another blow as his brother Ignatious passed on again two years after his sister died and the fingers pointed again to sekuru Machemedze until sekuru left the village and went on to live with his son- In- Law fearing for his life.
Inspired by the late Joseph Kumbirai, the late Patrick Chakaipa who used to write about traditional customs and Culture and him coming from a family where cultural norms and values are highly revered, Elias soldiered on to the top to become one of the much respected author. Nine years later, ‘Sarawoga’ was published after a long battle of life and other obstacles. The book was later published by Priority Projects Publishing and that became the rise of the poor Elias Machemedze. In an interview, Elias paid tribute to his former teachers and one Mr Jonathan Kudangirana who fought hard for the novel to be published. “It took 9 years of hard struggle for my first novel to be published and the rejection of my manuscript by other publishing companies prompted me to establish my own publishing company Literature Uproar which will be officially opened soon so as to help other aspiring writers not to be in the situation which I encountered. The book ‘Sarawoga’ won the Zimbabwe International Book Fair in 2005 as the Outstanding Creative Work Category beating other books published by the companies that rejected his book.
Now an established author, Elias later released the biography of the Nationalist Advocate Herbert Chitepo which was graced by The President of Zimbabwe Emmerson Mnangagwa and later he released ‘Moyo Inzenza‘ which was received well by multitudes of readers because of its rich in shona content.
His published novels are being received with great joy by readers because of his good command in deep Shona which leaves the reader wanting to continue reading.
As the story of Elias Machemedze as a celebrity began, it left the whole Village stunned as his first book later became a school setbook which was to be read and studied across Zimbabwe and even the late Music Icon Dr Oliver Mtukudzi adopted it into a feature film and it appeared on Zimbabwe Television and even made the song based on it. The village which disowned him was now speechless as the writer climbed up the ladder with his writing skills.
The author pay tribute to those who helped him rise to the occasion and it included academic and writer Memory Chirere for the encouragement and assistance.
Elizabeth Angira 
Simiyu S. Stanford