Mangaliso Kabulika
TELEVISION presenter, Cynthia “Blackbird” Mapando, is set to launch her first anthology on October 28, in Newlands, Harare.
Titled “‘I Need Saving”, the poetry collection is an inspiration from the tightest of situations and emotions that people face and keep quiet about.
“My poetry collection is more of a cry for help and rescue. Those moments when we feel like we are suffocating in the middle of the street and no one seems to pay attention.
“Those are real moments that people go through.
“It is a message that is coming to humanity to awaken and give hope to the moments we feel like we are suffocating,” she said.
Cynthia revealed the challenges she faced while compiling the book.
“I struggled in trying to figure out who I am. I believe I am on a journey and every second is a new chapter for me.
“Figuring myself out in a deeper way became a surprise to me as I started discovering who I never thought I was.
“Most of the words and ink spoke about my emotions and mood.
“The book gave me a deeper insight on who I am as an individual, some moments which are not pretty too,” she said.
Blackbird said poetry is sometimes confusing and hard to understand genre of literature in Zimbabwe.
“It might be appreciated but not understood hence many people find it difficult to attend poetry events.”
“We write for legacy.
“At the end of the day, you see that your book might just be sold to those who are close to you.
“You either win or lose and there is a higher chance of flopping if your marketing skills are a bit low.”
She added:
“When I wrote the book, what I only had in mind was a human being – old, small, young or adult.
“We all face situations in life which are a bit out of shape and sometimes we cannot run away from them so every individual, who is going to find comfort, within the words of the book, I was targeting them.”