Gretelle Tavongaishe Gazah, a 19 year old Women University of Africa Harare Campus first year social work student is set to launch her second book, an afrocentric feminist novel in the capital on the 28th of January 2023 from 1300h to 1700h at Batanai Gardens Nexus Floor. Last year, she launched her well received first book, Being Unapologetically Feminist—The Rise of Women Does Not Mean The Fall Of Men and she continues to fuse her creativity genius with feminism.
Written in an appallingly simple and understated way, Breaking Still is a fictional African Feminist Novel that explores issues of culture and gender relationships. It is a story of how colonialism shaped the material conditions of life for the vast majority of the black population in Rhodesia times. Through the protagonists, it paints a picture of the extremely limited opportunities for upward mobility of the masses but for the women, patriarchy just adds on to the layer of discrimination.
The narrative of the story is starkly and heartbreaking, honest and reflected. Set in the 1980’s -1990’s, Breaking Still tells an ancient yet contemporary story of prejudices that were experienced in the past and are still being experienced today.
Gender is a pervasive theme of the story which is centered on two main characters, Danai and Sarah who are markedly affected by internal toxicity of the outer tensions which seek to pressure them into examplery templates of well-behaved, good and marriageable women.
The story of Danai and Sarah is not just another fictional story but a reality for most women. It goes to show how far women have come and how urgent the feminist movement is. The ultimate question being, “With the weight of societal pressure fighting against the need for self-expression and independence, will women ever break free from the clutches of patriarchy?”
The cover features a book review and endorsement by Motimagz Magazine and its definitely a must read for all. See you all at the book launch.
