Profile – Founded in the late 1950s, the Literature Bureau of Rhodesia (The Literature Bureau of Zimbabwe after 1980) was a government-sponsored agency promoting indigenous languages through subsidised publications. The Bureau is credited with the development and proliferation of indigenous literature and authors including Shona and Matabele in Rhodesia, the most notable being that of Solomon Mangwiro Mutswairo(Mutsvairo) who is deemed by many as the father of the Shona Novel. His debut novel; Feso was first released in 1956 under the supervision of the Southern Rhodesia Writing Bureau. Other writers of this early period followed with their own novels, such as Patrick Chakaipa’s Karikoga Gumiremiseve (1959), and Kenneth S. Bepswa’s Ndakamuda Dakara Afa (1960). When these authors started to write their novels, they covered topics like murder, polygamy, and the effect of westernization on Africans, particularly those in urban areas. All fell under the auspices of the Government through the Bureau.
During its lifetime, the Bureau was criticized for directly shaping certain narratives in attempts to control and censor ideas that were in opposition to the colonial state. It finally ceased operations in 1999. And for all its criticisms it left a large void in the publishing market since.
Sources:
1. The Influence of Rhodesia Literature Bureau on the Shona literature in Selected Zimbabwean Novels. Submitted by: Doctor Shaimaa Mohamed Mohamed Hassanin Lecturer of English language and American Literature Horus University- Egypt (HUE).
2. Opinion and analysis: Why Zimbabwe needs a Literature Bureau 04 October 2013 – The Herald
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Archival Significance
An original piece of research produced by Abantu Archives itself, rather than an acquired historical item, examining the Rhodesian Literature Bureau’s role in shaping African-language publishing from the colonial period through to 1999.
Institutional Context
Authored and published directly by Abantu Archives.
Content Summary
Profiles the Literature Bureau of Rhodesia and its influence on African-language literature over more than four decades.
Research Utility
A primary reference for researchers using this Archive, tracing the institutional history of state-sponsored African-language publishing.
Abantu Archives Note
An original Abantu Archives publication, not an item acquired from an external source.