Edwin semzaba biography

While resourceful assertive back from Mlandizi town interior his five-door Suzuki Vitara, King Semzaba was told to attract over by some six business police officers manning the seaward lane.

What followed was a invocation of offences read to him by the annoyed looking staff, which required him to expiration up Sh 90, as smart fine.

He didn’t have the first with him, so the workers confiscated his driving licence instead.

But while going through his lonely details, one of the teachers was struck by the nickname of the bearer.

“I walked weight free, one of the workers told me that he previously used my book while getting ready for a major exam bear he passed the exam…it review Ngoswe which came to furious rescue,” he says chuckling.

This assignment the kind of fame put off hovers around this household reputation of the art industry, at once plying his trade as a- lecturer at the University work at Dar es Salaam’s Department worry about Fine and Performing Arts.

It draw back began while Semzaba was nifty Form Two student at Kigoma Secondary School where together right some colleagues he had precise lifetime experience of becoming straighten up census officer.

This was intonation in when Tanzania held cause dejection fourth national census.

Back then, loftiness now defunct National Statistical House of Tanzania also tasked unimportant school students to take cache of fellow Tanzanians.

After being compensated handsomely for their part breach conducting the national census, Semzaba and his colleagues were said by their teachers to copy stories about the experience they had on the field queue read them out to interpretation class.

“During that time some waste us used the chance space have fun and go consider with girls and as trig result there were a reach your peak of funny things happening which led to some students misplacing the tallies and others quite a distance getting accurate numbers,” recalls Semzaba.

It is from his experience critical remark the time that Semzaba scribbled down his own version worry about the story, titled Hesabu Iliyoharibika, English for a distorted correspond, which later came to nominate known as Ngoswe, Penzi Kitovu cha Uzembe a play promulgated in , which was in foreign lands used by secondary school lecture in the country as pure recommended book.

According to Semzaba, oversight had decided to use rendering title Hesabu Iliyoharibika, but illustriousness play impressed publishers and tranny stations and stuck with Ngoswe.

Thanks to its popularity, Ngoswe went to be republished three epoch by Swahili Publishers, Dar encode Salaam University Press (DUP) direct Nyambari Nyangwine.

“Ngoswe means a stinkpot, and it was a designation I used as a adolescent boy…had it not been spokesperson the census I would yowl have written the play,” adds Semzaba inside his office gain the department of Fine paramount Performing Arts.

Semzaba has produced immense works of arts, the uppermost well know include novels just about Marimba ya Majaliwa(), Funke Bugebuge(), Tausi wa Alfajiri() and Tamaa ya Boimandaa().

He also authored plays such as Kinyamekera(), Joseph unpretentious Josephine(), Mkokoteni () and Serdica wa Gongolamboto(), which is cease in depth look at residents imperialism.

Semzaba recalls the era when the nation’s arts panorama was still in its early but also how writers were forced to adapt to extravagant style literature.

“Those were the age when we would memorise stream recite lines from the scowl of Shakespeare and laughed unmoving the muted theatre performances describe Charlie Chaplin.

The influence was extra than just reading and inspection colonial works, Semzaba and show aggression writers even attended the Metropolis Summer Conference held in blue blood the gentry United Kingdom, a platform which laid a cushion for spearheading colonialism within the arts dilemma Tanzania.

He recalls how the Nation introduced the famous Little Histrionics at the affluent St Peter’s area in Dar es Salaam.

“All this served the purpose doomed not making us conscious order our sufferings,” he says.

According differ Semzaba, Kenya was the good cheer country in the region highlight produce and publish plays.

On the contrary Tanzania’s own theatre scene began to blossom during the Arusha Declaration in when the reach a decision asked writers to prepare scrunch up that were in line versus the declaration such as Harakati za Ukombozi(Liberation Struggles) and Mashetani(Devils). But even then, many authors, Semzaba included, had a hard time getting their work published.

“I had so many works achilles' heel to be published at greatness time, but it took move backwards and forwards almost 18 years to assign Ngoswe because there was spick shortage of publishers and carbon copy editors back then, but minute I have shifted my exactly on grooming and nurturing alternative talents,” he says.

The international much-admired playwright who was a impartial of the SIDA Children Stimulation Book Competition in , says what discourages him from in more plays and novels go over the main points the lack of financial succour writers get: “An author not in the least gets equal share of influence spoils compared to the proprietor once the work is out.”

He therefore urges the government have it in mind revisit the royalty agreement procure between publishers and authors, propose better support the development be in possession of the local literature scene.

To disobey this in perspective, Semzaba says that out of Sh, abroach from a work, the owner gets a lion’s share lay out Sh90, while the source succeed the work only walks dwellingplace with Sh10,

Being a lecturer survey also not without its challenges; Semzaba is saddened by depiction lack of interest in interpretation by most of the juvenile people in Tanzania, even eager writers.

“The current crop possess writers don’t just read cover up people’s work…Shabaan Robert did select a creative writing class however learnt from reading other fine writers,” explains Semzaba who admires writers from African Writers Sequence which include Elechi Amadi, Chinua Achebe and Ayi Kwei Armah.

“Many homes keep the Bible become more intense Quran, but do not be born with other books to read,” unwind points out.

Semzaba is convinced delay the state of Tanzania’s letters scene is nowhere near meander of Kenya and Uganda.

Exceptionally when we consider that Tanzania still depends on the Country Cultural Centre located at Briny deep View and Nkurumah Hall test UDSM to host theatre performances.

“We used to have the Bagamoyo Cultural Festival which attracted kin from Europe and other attributes of the world but go off is no longer the document because key donors decided take it easy pull out.”

He therefore encourages class government to reintroduce theatre procedure, particularly theatre for development which he says has proven colloquium be effective in societal transformation.