IHRAM African Laureate Mbizo Chirasha in Conversation with an Australian based, Zimbabwean Multi-Genre Writer and Thought leader Thando Bhebhe

MC: Who is Thando Bhebhe and how long have you been writing?
Thando Bhebhe: Thando Bhebhe is a writer living at the intersection of intellect, intuition and lived experience. I am a blogger, turned author, having recently published my first two books online. This is a precursor to my future self-published physical copies. My writing is emblematic of the way I think, having recently discovered that I am a polymath with metacognition. My interests are many, my knowledge is broad, and I am a multi-genre author. 
This inner architecture makes me highly self-aware, able to observe my own thoughts in real time. This enables me to be descriptive in a way that my readers find disarmingly specific. I am Zimbabwean and Australian, having begun my writing journey at 13, shortly after moving to Australia. The contrast of environments cross-continentally, led me to seek solace in reading. This naturally led me into writing. As a lover of online writing communities, I always love to shout-out that my real start began on Inkpop - for those who remember it.

MC: How do you define or describe literary culture and writing culture?
Thando Bhebhe: Literary culture to me, is about the ecosystem that forms around storytelling and book-lovers. I have been involved in many a book club since high school, well into adulthood. What I have noticed among those involved - authors, readers, orators - is shared enjoyment of words that strike an internal chord. We are all looking to have our desires, fears, curiosities, and even anxieties mirrored back. We want to be validated that we are seen and understood. There's nothing like finding the perfect word for an experience you have already been having. 
Writing culture, on the other hand, is all about a shared passion for turning daydreams into art. Writing communities are a place to flirt with ideas, support your fellow artists and stay inspired. They are places to feel and be felt.

MC: What led you to get into the book, literary, creative, artistic and writing industry?
Thando Bhebhe: I have known I wanted to be a published author for as long as I have been writing. For years, my output confounded me as I thought I didn't write nearly enough for someone wanting to publish books. I always wrote in short bursts, even though my ideas far outweighed what I managed to write down. I've now accepted that I am an author who always needed lived experience as my main source of inspiration. I've also accepted the cyclical nature of my writing, hence why I write about intuition so much in my work.
I was lucky in high school to find friends with similar interests, and a librarian who was a published author. This imprinted in me that books and writing were a part of my norm. I met many authors during those formative years and even had a chance to interview my favourite author as a teenager, Juliet Marillier. Through this same librarian I had the opportunity of reading and reviewing manuscripts for Allen & Unwin.
I've made a concerted effort in my life to be surrounded by literary creatives and by books - from which I derive comfort. I adore libraries as third spaces that deserve protection. Libraries have always been where I found reprieve from the uncertainty and nomadic nature of my life. To be in this industry is a lifelong dream.

MC: Were you introduced to books, religion, culture and music somehow as you grow?
Thando Bhebhe: I was raised by a mother who loved reading and linguistics. In my family, visiting the library is as normal as grocery shopping is to others. I was raised in Zimbabwe, by Ndebele family members, though I am tribally Shona - as the society is patrilineal. I grew up being trilingual, though my grasp of Shona and Ndebele have decreased with time. I am to regain fluency, now that I have returned to my homeland. 
My mother was a very progressive Zimbabwean lady. I always tell people I am the black sheep of a black sheep. The soundtrack to my childhood is all my mother's influence with the main artists being - Mtukudzi, Norah Jones and Gary Moore. 
I can recall my mother driving me and my diasporan friends, while playing Evanescence on cassette. Her love of both African and Western music, created my varied musical taste. Today, my playlist spans a minimum of 7 languages. I group my music by genre and mood. I am always among the highest percentage of listeners in any YouTube Red or Spotify wrapped, because my life always requires a soundtrack to punctuage every moment. 
I pride myself in being an open-minded person. I love learning about other cultures, I enjoy cuisine from around the world and hope my legacy is that of someone who writes from varied ethnic perspectives.
I was raised in a Christian household, then began exploring my own spiritual options at 16. By 17, I identified as agnostic, and now identify as an Eclectic Spiritualist. Spirituality is a big theme in my writing as it informs my worldview. I have always been deeply spiritual, but needed the autonomy to decide what I believe - not cling to indoctrination.

MC: Who are your best writers, authors or novelists in Zimbabwe, Africa and the world?
Thando Bhebhe: My favourite writer in Zimbabwe is definitely Tsitsi Dangarembga. There is no contest for me thus far, and I take my time to explore, so come back to me in 5 years - the list may have grown. 
Is it cliche for me to add Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, to my favourite African authors list? I hope not, she is generational African voice. 
I must represent the Australians as well, though my pick is criminally underrated. Karen Brooks is my absolute favourite Australian author. She is emotive, writes complex characters and is excellent at writing historical fiction. 
Juliet Marillier is my favourite New Zealand author, still. That ember still burns from my teenage years. 
Here are my additional assorted favourites; Malorie Blackman, Emily Bronte, George Orwell, Bell Hooks, Gena Showalter, Patricia Briggs, Octavia E. Butler and Douglas Adams.

MC: Do you think the African populace shaped your artistic prowess and creative dexterity?
Thando Bhebhe: Absolutely. I believe my poeticism and lyricism are inherently African. Our own native languages have both of those ingredients baked into their rhythms and expression. I have read far more Western authors than African, simply due to the timing - as I deepened my reading practice in Australia. I have begun reading more African authors in my adulthood. I don't believe I need to know many African writers, to write with an African spirit. 
On a personal level, I have a deep interest in history, particularly precolonial history. I feel as an African, that I connect to the values of African societies before colonisation of land and religion - including the sex-positive aspects, that seem a lot harder to find on the surface of modern African cultures. What I love the most about my African values is the animism and belief in ukama - the kinship between people, land, spirits and ancestors. These principles, are very present in all my writing.

MC: How do you manage your writing career, family, professional daily work and creativity?
Thando Bhebhe: I am a high sensitive human being, so I create flexible schedules, depending on my health and vitality. I am internally guided on my creativity, so I do not require external validation to work on my projects. I work when the energy is right, and I have learned to honour my natural cycles instead of forcing productivity.
Balance matters to me. I tend to notice when I am feeding only a few buckets of my life and neglecting the full spectrum. I am constantly in relationship with myself through journalling, yoga and meditation. This helps me notice my own behaviour and recalibrate, ensuring I am feeling my family and professional life in equal measure.

MC: Do you think Africa is still carrying the torch as a peaceful continent, give us your opinion as a writer?
Thando Bhebhe: Africa IS a peaceful continent that has been plundered and targeted by wealthy 'philanthropists'. Africa is a continent who has not been left to her own devices since the West were made aware of Mansa Musa. Africans are a peaceful people, whose tribes and nations are run by systems not native to the continent. Any unrest in Africa, has its roots firmly in colonialism. Africa's peace has been disturbed, not extinguished.

MC: How many books have you written so far, tell us more about the journey and your experiences?
Thando Bhebhe: I have written two books so far, both of which are a collection of essays and vignettes originally displayed on my blog
confessionsofalibra.com. I felt led spiritually to begin with The Velvet Edict, a book on erotic philosophy first and sensual storytelling. My goal was to combine Western academic essay-writing with African oral storytelling, which is why the chapters alternate in form.
The second book I put together from my blog posts is The Ungoverned Feminine. I am a proud feminist and vocal critique of the patriarchy, religion and colonialism. In that book, my aim was to be vulnerable in my thoughts, lived experience, and pop-culture explorations. I added vignettes once again, as I believe in showing, not just telling -an African principle, I honour deeply. I have enjoyed curating these books, and have a few projects already planned for later this year.

MC: Have you won awards, accolades , prizes  and fellowships through writing?
Thando Bhebhe: I have not at this stage, but that will change in the near future. Watch this space.

Thando Bhebhe is a Zimbabwean-Australian writer whose work lives at the intersection of intellect intuition and lived experience. She began writing at thirteen, shortly after migrating to Australia, where books became her first sense of home. A lifelong polymath, she is known for her multi-genre approach and ability to merge academic insight with lyrical storytelling. Her debut books, The Velvet Edict and The Ungoverned Feminine, weave essays and vignettes to explore erotic philosophy, feminism, ancestral memory and personal mythology. Thando's writing draws deep from African cosmologies, particularly ukama and animist worldviews that shape her relationship to land, spirit and self. She identifies as an Eclectic Spiritualist and often writes on intuition, embodiment and healing. As a critic of patriarchy, religion and colonial systems, her work interrogates inherited structures while imagining freer futures. She has a long history of engaging in online writing communities and blogging for her audience on confessionsofalibra.com

Her thematic interests span across histories, sensuality, gender, astrology, science, gender, diasporic identity and the psychology of desire. Thando's artistic philosophy is rooted in vulnerability, emotional precision and the belief in symbolism as explored through storytelling. Thando's currently based in Zimbabwe, where she continues, writing, and building a land based creative life. Thando considers libraries to be her second home, and credits the literary community for shaping her craft. Thando sees her work as part of a wider African renaissance in spiritual, intellectual and artistic expression. She is working on several upcoming projects to be released later this year. Her mission is simple: to tell the truth beautifully, in a voice that is unmistakably her own.