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From debut Zimbabwean writer Tsitsi Mapepa comes the saga of the four Taha sisters, and the indomitable matriarch who carried her daughters—and her community—through times of drought and violence in their Harare neighborhood. From the red soil of her garden in Southgate 1, a crowded suburb of Harare, Nyeredzi watches the world. She knows not to venture beyond the grasses that fence them off from the bush, where the city’s violent criminals and young lovers claim the night. But on this red soil, she is sovereign. It is here where she learns how to kill snakes, how to fight off a man, and how to take what she is due. It is here where Nyeredzi and her three older sisters are raised, and where they will each find a different destiny. Decades prior, a young woman abandons a position of great power to seek justice in the second Chimurenga War, only to return to find her world in shambles. So Zuva Mutongi sets off to build a world of her own, raising four daughters—Nyeredzi, Hannah, Abigail, and Ruth—and defending them from the evils beyond their small Harare home. But when a letter from her long-estranged brother calls her back to a past life, Zuva must reconcile with her duty and heal the broken community she left behind. Tsitsi Mapepa’s vibrant debut is the history of a new Zimbabwe, with resilient women and men who raised a nation from its ashes. It is the chronicle of an L-shaped house, long awaited and much beloved, and the guests, welcome and unwelcome, who cross its threshold. It is the coming-of-age of four sisters, who will discover the secrets of womanhood on the volatile streets of Harare. But above all, it is a love song to one woman—a soldier, healer, chief, and mother—whose fierce devotion to her people is a testament to the bonds of blood that bind us all. Tsitsi Mapepa is a Kiwi, Zimbabwean-born writer who lets her creative side stream out in poetry, short stories, and novels. She studied at Manukau Institute of Technology, where she won an award of excellence in 2016 and the Kairangatira award in the BCA in 2018, before completing her Master's in Creative Writing degree at the University of Auckland in 2020. She resides in Auckland, New Zealand with her husband and three children. Ndima Ndima is her debut novel. Ndima Ndima will be available from Catalyst Press from November 9 2023. Please contact sarahbelle@catalystpress.org if you would like an advanced review copy! Advanced Praise for Ndima Ndima "Creating a world that feels both incredibly real and legendary, Mapepa beautifully explores the formation of Zimbabwe as an independent state in a way reminiscent of Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi’s Kintu. A truly insightful debut from an exciting new Zimbabwean author with a talent for writing the human experience." – Booklist "With its push and pull between tradition and modernity, male and female, peace and unrest, this collection would be an excellent choice for book groups or a world literature class. […] So many schools read the classic Things Fall Apart by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe; this novel with its focus on female protagonists could be an excellent pairing with that novel." – Youth Services Book Review, Starred Review A heartfelt coming of age tale from a talented new Zimbabwean writer brimming with striking and evocative descriptions of Zimbabwean life, and a moving exploration of a mother and daughter relationship. The mother-daughter duo of the indomitable former fighter Zuva, anointed chief of her people, and her daughter Nyeredzi who is curious to learn more about her culture and her role in it, is brought beautifully to life against the backdrop of a country in turmoil." – Irene Sabatini, author of An Act of Defiance "A compulsive read full of humanity, beautifully narrated and with a touch of magical realism, Ndima Ndima serves it all on one devastatingly gorgeous platter: hope, fear, love, tragedy, and triumph. Leaping forward and flashing back through time with masterful agility, alternatively narrated by the courageous Zuva and her young daughter Nyeredzi, Ndima Ndima is a gripping, emotional gem of a journey through Zimbabwean culture and history. Once it has gently pulled you in, it holds you rapt till you are released, exhausted and grateful, at the perfect ending. An astounding debut!" – Buki Papillon, author of An Ordinary Wonder "Tsitsi Mapepa’s debut novel Ndima Ndima transports readers to Zimbabwe’s capital city, Harare, in this beautiful, vivid, immersive story of Zuva, a warrior, mother, and wife raising her four daughters in a country thirsty for water, safety and peace. Set against the backdrop of the Chimurenga War, this is a story of courage, loss, resilience, and love. At its center is the mother-daughter relationship between Zuva and her youngest, Nyeredzi, a girl who inherits her mother’s spiritual gift and indomitable spirit. Part coming-of-age tale and part meditation on the tremendous strength of women, Ndima Ndima is a book that does what I love best about historical fiction. It illuminates a fascinating time and place in history that is new to me while exploring universal themes that feel close to home." – Adele Myers, author of The Tobacco Wives "Beautifully written, with talent and heart, Ndima Ndima is an immersive, moving read about the different strengths and lives of women. Nyeredzi is a relatable and easy-to-love character, but Zuva steals the show. My heart extends to this strong and fierce woman who, despite everything, wanted peace." – Shameez Patel Papathanasiou, author of The Last Feather and The Eternal Shadow "Ndima Ndima is part of a new generation of works by Zimbabwean women. I was drawn in by Nyeredzi, who reminded me of Dangarembga’s Tambu & NoViolet’s Destiny but with her own flare. The story is both magical and grounded, tender and yet gripping - the story of fighting for independence, family complications, mythology and the ongoing struggle for Zimbabwe. I couldn’t put it down! – Dr. Chipo Dendere, Assistant Professor of Africana Studies at Wellesley College

I've been listening to Professor Black Truth and Tariq Nasheed and Mint Condition.😎

Black Greatness: Have you seen the movie, 'Something the Lord Made'? Vivien Theodore Thomas (his mom just knew she was having a girl, and chose the name Vivian in spite of the fact that she had a son) was an American laboratory supervisor who developed a procedure used to treat blue baby syndrome Thomas did not have any professional education, nor experience in a research laboratory; however, he served as supervisor of the surgical laboratories at Johns Hopkins for 35 years. In 1976, Hopkins awarded him an honorary doctorate and named him an instructor of surgery for the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.. Without any education past high school, Thomas rose above poverty and racism to become a cardiac surgery pioneer and a teacher of operative techniques to many of the country's most prominent surgeons. *************************************************************** There are other Black Greatness movies out there that shine light on other contributions that we made to the WORLD, yet have gone undiscovered until recent years. Gifted Hands is a Story about neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson whose life went from a failing student to the Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He was the first to successfully separate conjoined twins who were joined at the back of the head, *************************************************************** Hidden Figures is a story of NASA's segregated group of African-American women hired to process aeronautic data in the space era. These African-American female mathematician's math skills helped put a US astronaut into orbit in 1960s. This is just some of the ladies *************************************************************** What other Black Greatness movies are out there?

ROFL.. @richardmurray no you didn't!! Bruh, I admit it - I'm a little technically challenged, and regrettably not bi-lingual, so I didn't recognize the context that implied that the page was a Cookies Notification, and all I had to do was Accept Cookies....lolol! Anyways, I have another bombshell. The Princess Bombshell is over my head, but I do love the wordsmithing and the descriptives used to set the tone. 'Sing from tween the years when the ant hordes drank Gold Mushrooms and the silver tree barks.... when beaming gardens lay spread across the world like free rainbows beneath the stars'. I'm totally there!

Brother D - How We Gonna Make the Black Nation Rise? Gil Scott-Heron - Revolution Will Not Be Televised (Official Audio) Bid Em In