The Pure Language of Poetry : A conversation between Akal Mohan & Anna Zgambo
An interview by Akal Mohan in Kenya with Anna Zgambo in Zambia.
Akal : Your bio says you live in Mtendere. Mtendere means peace, Google tells me so. Is it peaceful today? How are things over there?
Anna: Yes, it is a peaceful day in Mtendere. Mtendere is a ward in Munali Constituency in Lusaka. I was born in Munali at Kalingalinga Clinic in 1989. I studied literature at an institution in Munali called the University of Zambia. I love living and writing in my hometown.
Akal: From your response, I can see the care you have for Mtendere and Munali at large. You seem to have done all your growing up and studies in Munali. Why? Is it out of the love you hold for it?
Anna: I studied abroad and finished secondary school at the International School of Tomorrow in Moscow, Russia. I was an international student as an undergraduate. I studied English literature at the University of Pretoria in South Africa. Studying abroad taught me to appreciate life in Zambia.
Akal: “Studying abroad taught me to appreciate life in Zambia.” Isn’t this what we all need to hear? That life here could be greater than elsewhere?
Anyway, you have said elsewhere that you “practise your profession in poetry” and that you have “a mission to modernise Zambia with literacy.” I believe that for you to make such a statement, you must have examined the ability of poetry. Speak to us on this ability. Why do you trust in poetry this much? Why not the other genres?
And also what is the need to modernise Zambia through literacy?
Anna: Yes, I am trying to be a poetry specialist. I focus on writing poems because my passion is language. However, I have to work with other genres. I wrote a 50,000-word dissertation on The Old Drift, a novel by Namwali Serpell. I am currently writing screenplays with Becky Ngoma at Open Window University. I recently spent two months writing personal essays for a creative nonfiction course taught by Gankhanani Moyo. It is impossible to avoid other genres. I want to concentrate on poetry, but fiction calls me and, at times, screenwriting seduces me. The plan is to write a thesis on poetry for my PhD in Literature at the University of Zambia.
I trust in poetry because it is pure language. Stories can be told without words. Becky Ngoma convinced me that visuals are more effective than speech in storytelling. It is different with poetry. A poem is an artwork that can only be constructed with language. The purpose of poetry is to experience the power of words.
I am passionate about English, Nyanja, Tumbuka and French. Language empowers me to narrate my perspective and create meaning. Unfortunately, literacy levels are still low in Zambia. English is the only official language in my country, but many Zambians struggle to understand it. Nyanja is our lingua franca, but only a few people can speak it correctly. We have forgotten how to speak languages such as Tumbuka, Senga or Ngoni. Language skills are poor, and illiteracy disempowers the Zambian people.
Many Zambians cannot participate in democracy or enjoy development because they can’t read. The solution is to increase literacy levels, and poetry can help. Poetry encourages people to master language. I recommend reading poems to increase literacy levels in Zambia.
Akal: Such a profound response. Part of it answers a question that has occupied me for a while. The question on the limitations of language especially when conveyed through writing. You stating that poetry encourages mastery, in part answers that question for me.
Enough of ice breaking. Let’s get into your poems now 😊, shall we?
Anna: Yes!
Akal: You have “District,” “Time” and “Fury.” I don’t know how you read poems but for me anytime I am reading poetry submissions with more than one poem, I always want to understand why the first poem was first and not the last. “District,” which is your first poem, has physical elements––geographies if you may say. The other two, “Time” and “Fury” were mostly leaning to the abstract. Was there a creative statement you were making in arranging them in this order?
Anna: I wrote all three poems in that order at Open Window University. The course is called Introduction to Poetry With Gankhanani Moyo. He told us to write a poem about darkness, so I wrote “District.” He asked us to write about the previous day, and I wrote “Time.” I remember writing “Fury” in class while Dr Moyo waited patiently.
Akal: Anytime I am in a workshop or attending a creative writing class and the tutor asks for a poem to be written, I normally find it difficult. I am getting envious of how you managed to do this. Do you find it easier writing from prompts? Dr Moyo asking for particular poems feels, to me, like prompts.
Anna: I rarely use prompts but had to follow the lecturer’s guidance. I wrote District in one day and submitted the first draft to Dr Moyo on 7 November 2023. I spent four months editing the poem. I changed the title and kept removing adjectives. I revised the poem until it looked professional.
Akal: Great.
Earlier this year you were a part of the Idembeka Creative Writing Fellowship, class of ‘24. I was part of the ‘23 class and I must say it was one of the most impactful workshops I have had in my writing life. Unlike you, I didn’t study literature in varsity and up to now, haven’t done it in any higher level institution. All I know about writing is from workshops, conversations with other writers and of course from reading and writing.
Do you think writing can be taught? What difference have you noted between workshopping your poems and being edited by literary journals?
Anna: Yes, writing can be taught and learnt. I didn’t figure out how to write on my own. I wasn’t born literate. At school, teachers showed me how to spell, form sentences and express ideas in English. At university, lecturers taught me how literature works.
It’s fun and fulfilling to study literature. There is nothing else that I want to study. I am currently studying creative writing near home at Open Window University in Kabulonga. OWU exposes me to knowledge that I have never encountered on my own. I recommend literary education to develop creative writing in Zambia.
Creative writing is in the informal sector because qualifications are optional. Informality deprives writers of remuneration, security and benefits. Zambia needs professional writers who are qualified, regulated, compensated and secure.
It is an honour to be an Idembeka Creative Writing Fellow. I always include it in my bio and CV. The workshop connected me to writers who are now friends. We communicate in the Idembeka WhatsApp group, give each other feedback, exchange knowledge and share opportunities.
I believe in honest criticism and share my poetry with others before submitting to journals. Several people reviewed all three poems before I submitted them to Ubwali. Workshopping poems is part of my routine. I attend writing clinics every month and participate in various feedback circles.
It was painless to be edited by Ubwali. I trusted the editors and accepted their suggestions. The difference between workshopping poems and being edited by a journal is that a magazine has a brand to maintain. The editors and I co-created poems to uphold the magazine’s aesthetic.
Akal: Finally, I’m currently reading Kei Miller’s poetry collection, “There is an Anger That Moves” and in the first part of the collection he uses this line that he keeps as a refrain: In this country....
I throw this line to you Anna. Talk to Zambia. Open your heart to her and in parting, let’s hear what you have to say. Begin with, in this country––
Anna: Sorry for the delayed response. I had classes. However, I had a chance to research Kei Miller. Thank you for introducing me to his poetry. I love it.
Here is what I have to say to Zambia, after Kei Miller:
In this republic
power hides half the day
Tap water will visit
kitchens for a minute
In this republic
we vote for rainfall
Dreaming of droplets
to revive devices
Resurrecting phones
with drought’s teardrops.
Akal: I hope that Zambia will listen to you. Thank you for your time, Anna. I can only wish you the best in your writing endeavours.
Anna: Thank you for the interview, Akal. I appreciate your questions.
AKAL MOHAN is a Kenyan short story writer, essayist and poet. He has previously been shortlisted for the Africa Writers’ Award in poetry. Akal is also a 2023 Idembeka Creative Writing fellow and Ibua Novel Manuscript workshop attendee. In 2022, he was a recipient of two digital residencies organised by the University of East Anglia, one of which resulted in a short story collection that he contributed to. Akal reads in trust and writes in faith. He is an editorial assistant at Ubwali Literary Magazine.
ANNA ZGAMBO was born at Lusaka’s Kalingalinga Clinic in November 1989. She holds an English degree from the University of Pretoria, wrote a literary dissertation at the University of Zambia and studies creative writing at Open Window University in Kabulonga. She is a ZEPH author, Ngoma Awards finalist, Zed Rasta Awards Winner and 2024 Idembeka Creative Writing Fellow. Thorn Bird Literary Agency represents her. She lives in Mtendere. She is shortlisted for the inaugural Ubwali Hope Prize for her poetry Three Poems.
