Upcoming Events on Sarudzai Mubvakure's Reviews

After reading the Chrome Rain series on Ivor Hartmann's Facebook page yesterday, i was sharply reminded. Ivor Hartmann is gradually releasing the story in parts of which i have read five. The story is about a young woman, Mry-Ann, who leaves her home upset and it's possible she might never return. She has to go through the desert which has it's dangers. For survival she knows she has to get to an oasis called the Al Wabe. When she finally arrives at the oasis she meets a 'Doc' who lives in a tent heavily painted with Alchemy symbols. That is what struck a chord in me. It reminded me that i have to complete my review of Paulo Coelho's book, The Alchemist which in contrast is about a shepherd boy, who after meeting a mysterious King, decides to sell the rest of his sheep and cross the desert to reach the Eqyptian pyramids in pursuit of a hidden treasure. As he crosses through the desert he arrives at an oasis where he meets an Alchemist. My review of The Alchemist, as promised, will follow shortly. Ivor Hartmann's Chrome Rain Story, which has some science fiction, can be followed on Facebook.

Therefore, with loads of reading and reviewing to be done i am beginning to realise that this is a full time job. I am an Occupational Therapist by profession but soon i will be reading and writing full time!!. I love to encourage others in their craft and see them bloom. At the same time, I love learning from those that are doing an excellent job of entertaining the world with the written word. Both aspects of what i am doing help me to improve on a daily basis.

Books Reviews:

Just a short recap and to let you all know that i intend to keep to my word. These are my outstanding reviews:

1.African Folktales for Children by Uncle Blen Blen

2. A Caribbean Tale by Rudy Gurley

3. Many Rivers by Christopher Mlalazi

4. Harare North by Brian Chikwava

5.Dreams from my Father by Barack Obama

6. Elergy for Easterly by Petinah Gappah

7. Journeys of Love, Voices of the Heart" by Hillary Roy and Rose Mitchell

Then something knew that i would like to add to my list. This is a debut novel by Janine Dube called A Dark Horizon. The front cover is above. I have copied the blurb of her book from her website.

"After inheriting a struggling company Rachel is tempted into marrying an older man who also happens to be one of the wealthiest and most powerful businessmen in the country. She knows she faces an uphill struggle but she relishes the challenge of resurrecting the ailing company. Soon she is facing more challenges in the form of his children, especially his son who is adamant that she is wrong for his father. As she struggles to prove herself at work and at home she is unaware of the meticulously planned plotting meant to bring her already shaky world crushing down."

From the blurb i am sure that i will enjoy reading about the the struggles and hopefully triumphs of the protagonist Rachel.

Short Stories:

Over at the Story Time E-zine i have been reading some short stories. The ones i have read so far are incredibly written with thought provoking themes and life lessons (ALL of them). The ones that come immediately to mind are Yesterday's Dog by Masimba Musodza and Dear Sender of the Bulldozers by Christopher Mlalazi.

A Disapppointing Truth:

This is the title of my debut novel which i must say has been generating a lot of reader interest in the past few months. I have started a blog at http://adisappointingtruth.blogspot.com/.

Anyway, the plot is generating much debate and discussions. Many people have shared their experiences with me for example which characters they hate, which ones they love. Some have told me the moments of their tears of sadness and tears of joy. As a result of all this, a few people, of their own volition, have decided to start a book club! Hopefully i will be able to persuade them to write their opionions on my blog!! So that is an update on my writing and very encouraging indeed.

In addition, a friend of mine called Dayo Ogunmuyiwa has asked if he could work on a screenplay based on A Disappointing Truth. That is fantastistic!! Will tell you what he comes up with.

My new books:

I have some new novels that have been working on and hopefully will have them published in the next four years.

1. Amelia's Inheritance ( You can find an extract to read on this blog)

2. Sarah - Truth on Another Level (Sequel to A Disappointing Truth)

3. Tom & Eliza

4. Marcus and the Daughter (a story based in Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, the United States, Italy and London)

New Horizons:

1. Because of my passion for film and screenwriting, i will be starting a blog where i will be reviewing the plots, dialogue and characters of some of my favorite films. This will be purely for my learning. I had a fantastic opportunity of working on some TV scripts with US Film Director Rahman Oladigbolu. A great learning experience for me.

2. I am going to start publishing some of the songs i have written over the years. Certainly new beginnings.

Anyway, i suppose i will get back to my reading, writing and publishing!!

On Holy Pilgrimage - A Long Journey For Freedom by Rahman Oladigbolu

Paperback: 444 pages
Publisher: Oracle Publishers (September 12, 2005)
ISBN-10: 0976835401
ISBN-13: 978-0976835400





On Holy Pilgrimage - A Long Journey For Freedom is a beautiful true story about how a young man, Rahman Oladigbolu, dared to have a dream - his dream was to go to America and be a film director/maker. In the beginning, we are given beautiful vivid descriptions of Rahman's early life growing up in Nigeria, Africa. Rahman is a prince in the Yoruba tribe of the Oyo state. Due to his royal heritage and his father's prospering businesses, Rahman has a privileged lifestyle - being chauffeur driven to school and living in houses that leave his friends in awe and envy. After his mother and father separate, Rahman goes to live in another Nigerian state to live under the care of his maternal grandparents. He begins to see them as his parents and we are moved by the incredible love that Rahman has for his grandmother. The descriptions of Rahman's early school life are incredibly amusing particularly the incident where all the children of the town swarm to Rahman's house just to hear him speak some English - which they can neither speak nor understand. What the children do not realise is that Rahman himself is terrible at the language (at the time), but they are none the wiser!

The story moves on with Rahman's increased desire to become a filmmaker. A relative who studied filmmaking, in America, in the 1970's, inspires him. It is from this relative that Rahman gets to see a written screenplay for the very first time. After finishing his high school exams with top grades, he opts out of going to a Nigerian University to study for a higher degree as his plans obviously lie elsewhere. He contacts an uncle, living in America, for assistance to realise his dream however, his first hurdle is obtaining an American Visa, which he has heard is extremely hard to get. We watch Rahman as he goes through an agonising journey of trying to get the `golden' American Visa. He tries all avenues to get this American Visa, both crooked and straight, but all roads lead to nowhere. In the height of disappointment, we are marvelled by Rahman's unwavering faith and determination to realise his dream. Then comes the climax of his struggles, which sidetrack and delay his plans to travel to America. He develops a mysterious disease that cripples him both mentally and physically. The very long and descriptive account of his ordeal is almost unbearable to read and your heart cannot help but to bleed for him. It is unclear as to the cause of his illness i.e. whether his illness has a scientific explanation or his illness is as the result of witchcraft. The author goes into a lengthy discussion about this. However, whether the reason is scientific or witchcraft, the truth is that Rahman's agony, pain, and struggles are real and he needs a way out.

A glimmer of hope seems to appear in the midst of it all - he meets a beautiful girl called Nike. Rahman falls for her deeply and it seems that she is the compensation for all the `hell' that he has been through. Unfortunately, Nike betrays him with one of his best friend's. Rahman is heartbroken and we are left exhausted wondering whether the madness will end. However, through the loss of the love of his life Rahman gains a valuable revelation regarding the meaning of love. Through much deliberation, he realises that he did not actually love Nike - he used her to fill the vacuum of his life that was caused by the disappointments. He comes to a powerful realisation that the best love is when two independent people who are content with who they are, offer each other security, trust and understanding. The ability to offer this, Rahman says, stems from an understanding and trust of oneself. Rahman teaches us that true love suffers long and it casts out any trace of fear. His religion, which from his descriptions seems to be predominantly Islamic, provides a source of comfort and strength throughout his ordeal. He comes to believe that only God can save him from the darkness he has found himself in. He knows that God will be the light that will eradicate the darkness. He remembers his grandfather once saying to him -"You will win by the grace of God." Close to the end of the book, the author says that he has found a better faith. His faith is - 'the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want'. From this we realise that Rahman is transitioning from religion to relationship i.e. a relationship with the Lord. We wonder whether the Lord he refers to is Jesus Christ of the Christian faith, who is the Good Shepherd.

At the end of Rahman's journey, we are elated as Rahman finally realises his dream and manages to contain his health struggles. He injects us with a syringe full of faith to believe that all is well and that he is well. Through a series of agonising (some humiliating) events, he eventually crosses the seas to America. He has realised his dream. He has arrived at Freedom. A freedom which has come at a high price. The price is almost ten agonising long years of waiting, pain, ill health and the loss of people that he loves dearly. However, at the end of this Long Journey we realise that Freedom was not obtained just by entering America to pursue his goal of being a film maker - no! True freedom is coming to the knowledge of who you are and what your calling is. Rahman Oladigbolu experienced this true freedom. That is what he fought for - "You will win by the grace of God". He experienced the realisation of his calling and role in this our world that `God created out of his love for stories' (Ellie Wiesel). It took great adversity and great pain but the result, I am sure he would agree, is beautiful. Rahman Oladigbolu is presented as an intelligent, kind, very determined, compassionate, and incredible individual whose name we will continue to see `shining in lights' in the world of creativity in the years to come. This is not just a story about the Nigerian experience on the road to live in America but it is a human story. This is a true story of love, strength, pain and the audacity of faith. A must read for all dreamers - those who dare to believe that their dream can, and will come true. !!!