Valerie Tagwira
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Valerie Tagwira is a
Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...
an writer who is a specialist obstetrician-gynecologist by profession.Sara Davies
"Literary conversation with Valerie Tagwira"
''Harare News'', 4 June 2014.
Her debut novel ''The Uncertainty of Hope'', published in 2006 by Weaver Press, won the 2008 National Arts Merit Awards (NAMA) Outstanding Fiction Book."‘The Uncertainty of Hope’ wins NAMA award"
Valerie Tagwira website, 14 February 2008.


Early life

Valerie Joan Tagwira was born in the city of
Gweru Gweru, originally known as Gwelo, is a city in central Zimbabwe. It is on the centre of Midlands Province. Originally an area known to the Ndebele as "The Steep Place" because of the Gweru River's high banks, in 1894 it became the site of a m ...
, in central Zimbabwe, but lived for most of her childhood in Rutendo ( Redcliff), a town in the
Midlands Province Midlands is a province of Zimbabwe. It has an area of and a population of 1,811,905 (2022). It is home to various peoples. Located at a central point in the country, it contains speakers of Shona, Ndebele, Tswana, Sotho and Chewa, as well as ...
. She attended Monte Cassino Secondary School in Macheke and St James High School in
Nyamandhlovu Nyamandlovu also known as Nyamayendlovu is a rural district located roughly 40 km northwest of Bulawayo and in Matabeleland North Province of Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, offic ...
. She graduated in 1997 from the
University of Zimbabwe The University of Zimbabwe (UZ) is a public university in Harare, Zimbabwe. It was opened in 1952 as the University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, and was initially affiliated with the University of London. It was later renamed the Univers ...
's Medical School, and subsequently studied at the
Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) is a professional association based in London, United Kingdom. Its members, including people with and without medical degrees, work in the field of obstetrics and gynaecology, that is ...
while working in London, UK. Her first novel, ''The Uncertainty of Hope'' – which is set in
Mbare Mbare, originally known as Harari, is a suburb in the south of Harare, Zimbabwe. Founded in 1907 as a township, it includes an informal settlement. Mbare Musika is the largest farm produce market in Zimbabwe. History Mbare was the first to ...
, a suburb of
Harare Harare ( ), formerly Salisbury, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Zimbabwe. The city proper has an area of , a population of 1,849,600 as of the 2022 Zimbabwe census, 2022 census and an estimated 2,487,209 people in its metrop ...
, Zimbabwe, and, as she has described it, "is all about the day-to-day nitty-gritty during the hard times of 2005" – was written during the time when she was in England, between 2002 and 2010, travelling home twice a year.


Writing

''The Uncertainty of Hope'', published in 2006 by Weaver Press, received widespread favourable reviews. Percy Zvomuya in the ''
Mail & Guardian The ''Mail & Guardian'', formerly the ''Weekly Mail'', is a South African weekly newspaper and website, published by M&G Media in Johannesburg, South Africa. It focuses on political analysis, investigative reporting, Southern African news, loca ...
'' wrote: "Tagwira's book is a celebration of urban sisterhood and abiding relationships that withstand the deprivations of harsh, life-negating policies." According to reviewer Annie Gagiano, "the overwhelming, lingering and realistic impression left by this work is of lives lived under extreme difficulty, but faced with immense courage, dignity and the vital support of caring friendship among women. It is, indeed, a highly accomplished first novel and a valuable addition to the African literary archive, however painful it may be to read its many harrowing moments." Writing in ''
The Standard The Standard may refer to: Entertainment * The Standard (band), an indie rock band from Portland, Oregon * ''The Standard'' (novel), a 1934 novel by the Austrian writer Alexander Lernet-Holenia * ''The Standard'' (Tommy Flanagan album), 1980 * ...
'' newspaper, Bertha Shoko concluded: "This is a 'must read' for anyone with a passion for good literature. Tagwira manages to make me angry, happy, hopeful, and hopeless, as she narrates this touching story about Zimbabwe". Charles Mungoshi in '' The Herald'' said the novel was a welcome addition to the canon of Zimbabwean literature, while the reviewer for ''The Zimbabwean'', calling the book "satisfying and thought-provoking", was reminded of award-winning Ghanaian writer
Ama Ata Aidoo Ama Ata Aidoo (23 March 1942 — 31 May 2023) was a Ghanaian author, poet, playwright, politician, and academic. She was a Secretary for Education in Ghana from 1982 to 1983 under Jerry Rawlings's PNDC administration. Her first play, '' The Dil ...
's novel ''
Changes Changes may refer to: Books * '' Changes: A Love Story'', 1991 novel by Ama Ata Aidoo * ''Changes'' (The Dresden Files) (2010), the 12th novel in Jim Butcher's ''The Dresden Files'' Series * ''Changes'', a 1983 novel by Danielle Steel * ''Chan ...
''. ''The Uncertainty of Hope'' won the National Arts Merit Award (NAMA) for literature in 2008,Emmanuel Sigauke
"Valerie Tagwira Wins the NAMA award"
''Wealth of Ideas'', 14 February 2008.
and is studied by Advanced-Level students as part of the
Zimbabwe School Examinations Council The Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC) is an autonomous parastatal under the Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture of the Republic of Zimbabwe, responsible for the administration of public examinations in Zimbabwean schools. Its ...
(ZIMSEC) English Literature curriculum. Tagwira also writes poetry and short stories. She is included in the anthologies ''Writing Mystery and Mayhem'' (Weaver Press, 2015), edited by Irene Staunton, and '' New Daughters of Africa'', edited by
Margaret Busby Margaret Yvonne Busby, , Hon. FRSL (born 1944), also known as Nana Akua Ackon, is a Ghanaian-born publisher, editor, writer and broadcaster, resident in the UK. She was Britain's then youngest publisher as well as the first black female book p ...
. Joanne C. Hillhouse
"In Company with New Daughters of Africa"
''Jhohadli'', 8 October 2018.


Bibliography


Novels

* ''The Uncertainty of Hope'' (2006). Weaver Press


Anthology appearances

* ''Writing Mystery and Mayhem'' (2015). Weaver Press


References


External links


Official website
* Sara Davies
"Literary conversation with Valerie Tagwira"
''Harare News'', 4 June 2014. * Ambrose Musiyiwa
"An Interview With Novelist Valerie Tagwira"
Worldpress.org, 15 April 2007.
"Interview with Valerie Tagwira"
''World Press Review'', 18 February 2009.
"The Uncertainty of Hope: A book that reminds us who women are in Zimbabwe"
''Kubatana''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Tagwira, Valerie Living people 21st-century novelists 21st-century Zimbabwean writers 21st-century Zimbabwean women writers University of Zimbabwe alumni Year of birth missing (living people)