POET and author Tawanda Vombo said the Mwanasikana EP recent launch was an important event that spoke to girls about the challenges they face in society.
The show also highlighted the importance of education and the need for more opportunities for upcoming poets.
The poetry themed show "Mwanasikana" was held at Bryson Junior School on November 18.
The show was hosted by Tawanda Vombo and featured five poems that spoke on societal issues impacting girls.
The poems also touched on topical issues like materialism, drug abuse, adultery, and pregnancy
The first poem, "Parufu pangu," described how society has evolved from a time when individuals respected their parents, abstained from drug abuse and married couples did not commit adultery. The poem also spoke about how churches were once for praying and worshipping, but are now always asking for money.
The second poem, "Ndizvo here mwanasikana," was a poem in which Tawanda got into the shoes of a father giving advice to his daughters about relationships, blessers (older men who give money and gifts to young women in exchange for sexual favors), pregnancy, and respecting their bodies. The poem also spoke about how children often ignore the advice of their parents, and end up contracting diseases from blessers and leaving their parents to take care of their children.
The third poem, "Kudhara ikoko," was a poem about how society lost its way. The poem described how people are no longer respectful of each other, and how they are more concerned with material possessions than with each other.
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The fourth poem, "Handisi right," was a poem about how people often make excuses for their bad behavior. The poem said that people often say that they are "not right" when they do something wrong, but that this is just an excuse to avoid taking responsibility for heir actions.
The fifth poem, "Bota," was a poem about the importance of education. The poem says that education is the key to success, and that everyone should strive to get an education.
"The poems speak to society. They speak to exactly what the youths are facing at school and their communities.
We are living in an era where drugs , alcohol, immorality and pregnancies have been normalised and the poems should bring out valuable lessons that safeguard this generation from all sorts of social ills," said Vombo.
Besides being a poet, Tawanda said he is was also an author, scriptwriter and aspiring filmmaker.
"I was shortlisted in the Intwasa Short Story Competition and the Literacy Editors Africa Short Story Competition.
I was part of the six cohorts that were selected this year for the Almasi TV Intensive Workshop with Matt Negrette, the writer and producer of the Hollywood popular series, The Walking Dead. My objective is to write and produce my own films in the future,“he said.
Vombo said that he faced financial challenges as an upcoming poet and pointed that this had greatly affected the local industry.
Vombo had his first publication titled Munhumutapa a historical fiction story published in November 2022 and got nominated for National Arts Merit awards which were held in February.
