Project Description
Otilia Tsvegie Mukozho
Otilia Tsvegie Mukozho was born in 1979 in Zimbabwe. She attended Girls High School Harare from 1992-1997. She is a published writer, artist and poet under the name Tsvegie. Author of ‘Gift of the Past’ (Minerva Press. London. 1997), and a contributory poet in a ‘A Woman’s Plea’ (Zimbabwe Publishing House. Harare. 1998). Tsvegie started painting abstracts and still life in the 1990s and has had an exihibitation at the Matombo Gallery and Zimbabwe National Gallery in 1996-1997. She received excellent reviews on ‘Albino Lacking Reality and Dejected’ titled paintings from The Herald and Sunday Mail (Zimbabwe). A member of Zimbabwe Women Writers Organisation between 1994-1997.Her paintings portray the life of ordinary Zimbabweans in a multi cultured society. She has worked as a youth worker for Zimbabwe Family Planning, Zimbabwe Mental Health Organisation and Zimbabwe Red Cross whilst she was in High School 1992-1997.
She left Zimbabwe in 1997 on completion of her A’ Levels and went on to study Social Work in the UK and qualified in 2006. Still awaiting her asylum application decision, she continues to write and paint about current affairs and International issues.
Black or White
Black or white?
Isn’t the case my friend
Mugabe must go.
Bury him in the DRC mines.
Like a Pharaoh buried with all his riches.
Black or white
Isn’t the case my friend
Whose side are you on?
The killing of Zimbabwe
Or the success of Zimbabwe
Once a nation of great wealth and stability
Black or white
Isn’t the case
Never has been
Mugabe is intimidating you
His grip is choking you until
nothing of you is left
Alas for the uneducated
who follow like bees to the nest
Only to find no honey
Black or white
Has never been the case my friend
If so, where do you the
coloured or albino fit in?
Whose side are you on
my friend?
Black or white??
By Tsve’gie (11.09)
Darfuri Woman
Born so beautiful
and loyal to her culture
Mutilated at a young tender age
A loyalty she doesn’t question
Always giving always toiling
without complaining
A beautiful melodious laughter
explodes as she toils all day
for her family
Born so beautiful
yet so disadvantaged
Innocence shattered
to circumstance by birth
Her blackness is
her curse
An unwanted people
Rejected by the land of her fathers
Her religion can not even
rescue her
from her decided fate
Raped,
Tortured
Beaten,
Broken
Mutilated a suffering
beyond her imagination
Husband killed
children killed
Broken soul left
to die
Left to die and be forgotten
TSVE’GIE (11.09)