ZIMBABWE: On writing and loving, protest and crackdowns I S3 Ep32

Day 134 and we speak to poet Togara Muzanenhamo at his writing desk in Harare, Zimbabwe. We spoke at an incredibly tense time in Zimbabwe and covered what was happening out on the street, but also how Togara was carving out space during the crisis to write. Including at the end of the episode a beautiful quiet and transporting reading of one of his works that he had written during lockdown - an extract from long form poem, Sundogs. * Zimbabwe's economy in collapse and the very real danger of a pandemic in this context, with healthcare workers striking to protest Government corruption * a new wave of protests were taking place as we spoke sparked by the arrest of a prominent journalist and activist and it was suspected that the Government was using Covid to implement a crackdown on protestors and to put a curfew in place * we speak about working within a crisis and how to create a refuge in writing when the world is going mad around you * the surprising new intimacy created during this time This episode was recorded on 10 August 2020 ***** Guest Insights Togara read from his poem, Sundogs, that he has been working on during lockdown. It details the 1910-12 Japanese Antarctic Expedition lead by Lieutenant Nobu Shirase. Sundogs will appear in Togara's  collection of poems 'Virga' published by Carcanet Press in August 2021. Virga retells stories of the twentieth century using the weather and the memory of the wind. Read more of Togara's work here:  https://www.poetryinternational.org/pi/poet/10960/en/tile And listen to Togara reading more of his work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taKJyLC67rc&ab_channel=poetryinternational ******* If you have enjoyed this episode and would like to see the story unfold *subscribe to Coexisting wherever you listen to your pods, so each new episode comes up automatically!  * share with a friend *leave a rating/review on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/co-existing/id1517874874 *connect on: FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/coexistingpodcast INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/coexistingpodcast/  LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/company/coexisting TWITTER: @coexistingpod It all helps people to find us! •••• SPONSOR LINKS: OTTER.AI SO useful for podcasters and for creatives alike who need a quick way to get thoughts down on paper if you would like to try out my awesome transcription tool, use this link to try out a month of PREMIUM features. https://otter.ai/referrals/SQ99ZMYK After the first month you can revert to basic (free) or premium which gives you 6000 minutes transcription time.  OPENRENT THE best way to rent your property out as a private landlord in the UK, an UBER easy to use site, they think of everything - and you save a packet in agent fees (I saved multiple hundreds v a high street firm) - use this sponsor link for a free trial! https://openrent.co.uk/invite/c/coexisting