Wikipedia

Barbara Makhalisa

Barbara Makhalisa (born 1949),[1] also known by her married name as Barbara Nkala, is a teacher, Zimbabwean writer, Ndebele translator, novelist, editor and publisher, one of the earliest female writers published in Zimbabwe.[2] She is the author of several books written in Ndebele, as well as in English,[3] of which some have been used as school textbooks.[4] Barbara is married to Shadreck Nkala. They have three adult children and six grandchildren.

Dr.
Barbara Makhalisa
Born
Barbara Clara Makhalisa-Moyo

1949 (age 74–75)
Zimbabwe
Other namesBarbara Nkala
Occupation(s)Teacher, novelist, publisher, editor
SpouseShadreck Nkala
ChildrenThree
Websitewww.barbarankala.com

Biography edit

Barbara Clara Makhalisa was born in Zimbabwe, and studied at Gweru Teachers' College, majoring in Ndebele and English.[3][5] Her writing career began when she won a national competition with her first book, Qilindini, a detective thriller written in Ndebele,[6] at which time she was only the second female writer in Ndebele.[7] Her second book, the Ndebele novel Umendo ("Marriage Is A Gamble", 1977, Mambo Press, 1977), is considered a classic.[8] She has said: "I feel people should write in their mother tongue.... Our whole culture is stored in language, and literature is the storehouse for culture."[6]

Her writing in English includes The Underdog and Other Stories (Mambo Press, 1984) and Eva's Song: A Collection of Short Stories (Harper Collins, 1996). Her story "Different Values" appears in Margaret Busby's 1992 anthology Daughters of Africa.[9]

In 1981 she became an editor for the publishers Longman Zimbabwe.[10] In 1991 she left Longman and worked with her husband in the family company for five years before being invited to head International Bible Society Zimbabwe (IBS Zimbabwe) as a national director in Malawi and Zimbabwe. she coordinated the translation and publishing of the new IBS Shona and Ndebele Bibles, as well as Chichewa New Testament. She left IBS in 2005. She now runs a company called Radiant Publishing Company,[2] whose vision is to publish for transformation.[11]

In 2015, she received an honorary degree from the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) in Bulawayo.[4][2]

Nkala is an active member of the Brethren In Christ Church in Zimbabwe. As an elder in her church, she has sat in a number of humanitarian boards. Her influence in the church has mentored many young people to write their stories and many have been published in the Good Words/Amazwi Amahle in Zimbabwe. She is the Mennonite World Conference Regional Representative[12] Southern Africa covering South Africa, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Nkala and other women were featured in Doris Dube's Silent Labourers.[13]

Fiction edit

  • Qilindini (Cheat! Ndebele, novel 1974, Longman Zimbabwe)[citation needed]
  • Umendo ( Marriage is a gamble. Ndebele, novel, 1977, Mambo Press)[14]
  • Umhlaba lo! (What a world!; Ndebele, 1977, Mambo Press)[15]
  • Impilo yinkinga (Life is a Mystery, Ndebele novel, 1984, Mambo Press)[16]
  • The Underdog and Other Stories, Mambo Press, 1984 (ISBN 978-0869223345)
  • Calfy Says (Children's stories, 1991, Longman Zimbabwe)[citation needed]
  • Eva's Song, Harper Collins, 1996 (ISBN 978-1779040114)
  • Beasty Bones and other Baddies (Children's instructions on Health story, 1991, Longman Zimbabwe)[citation needed]
  • Ujojojo KaMaNtombi (Ndebele Children's story, 1991, Longman Zimbabwe)
  • Woza Lazo (co-authored, Ndebele infant Rhymes 1991, Longman Zimbabwe)
  • Primary Ndebele Texts for schools Grade 6 and 7. Longman Zimbabwe
  • Various English and Ndebele poems and short stories (Zimbabwe Women Writers Anthology, 1994)
  • Vus' Inkophe/Masimba, 1997[17]
  • The Book Fair Book, 1993[citation needed]
  • Giya Giya (Poetry, 1990)[citation needed][18]

As editor / publisher edit

  • Rainbow After a Storm: Stories of Loss, Grief & Healing, Radiant, 2008
  • Celebrating the Vision: A Century of Sowing and Reaping,[19] Baptist Publishing House, 1998
  • Umkhosi Wenhliziyo by Olivia M Sibanda, 2020[20]
  • Uhambo Lwempilo by Lindani Phiri, 2020[21]
  • Thaph' uluju: iqoqo lezindatshana, ilifa lakho[22]
  • Izinyawo Zayizolo by Tsitsi Nomsa Ngwenya [23][24]
  • Sithini IsiNdebele? by Issac N Mpofu[25]

Other books edit

  • Inkondlo (Selection of Poems by Zimbabwe Women Writers)[26]
  • Golide: Gogo Khokho, lived, loved and left a legacy, Radiant, 2011[27][28]
  • Growing and Branching out: Brethren in Christ Church in Zimbabwe and southern Africa, Radiant, 2014[28]
  • Umusa Wansuku zonke: Ugwalo 2, Radiant 2006[29]
  • Preface to Isichazamazwi SesiNdebele (Ndebele Dictionary) 2001 by African Languages Research Institute, UZ Harare[30]

Achievements / awards edit

  • PHd from NUST[31]
  • 40 National Arts Merit Awards (NAMA) Legends Award[32]

Social engagements edit

References edit

  1. ^ Emmanuel Chiwome, "Makhakisa, Barbara", in Simon Gikandi (ed.), Encyclopedia of African Literature, Routledge, 2003, pp. 432–433.
  2. ^ a b c "Nkala: A loved elder of literature", The Herald (Zimbabwe), 1 March 2017.
  3. ^ a b Margaret Busby (ed.), Daughters of Africa: An International Anthology of Words and Writings by Women of African Descent (Jonathan Cape, 1992), pp. 618–21, 993.
  4. ^ a b Pamela Shumba, "President caps 2,388 at Nust", The Chronicle, 14 November 2015.
  5. ^ "Barbara Makhalisa" at Reading Zimbabwe.
  6. ^ a b Casey Kelso, "If it's written in English, is it really African literature?", Institute of Current World Affairs, 15 September 1992, p. 2.
  7. ^ C. M. Sileya, "Book Reviews", Michigan State University, African e-Journals Project, p. 100.
  8. ^ Joyce Jenje Makwenda, "How women have stormed the literary world", The Patriot, 23 March 2016.
  9. ^ Mpofu, Mbulelo (22 January 2022). "Meet Gogo Nkala, the matriarch with swagger". The Chronicle.
  10. ^ Fister, Barbara (1995). "Makhalisa, Barbara C.". Third World Women's Literatures: A Dictionary and Guide to Materials in English. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 193. ISBN 978-0-313-28988-0.
  11. ^ "Thaph' uluju!", kwaChirere, 21 October 2010.
  12. ^ pwadmin (29 July 2019). "Regional Representatives". Mennonite World Conference. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  13. ^ .Dube, Doris (2002). Silent labourers. Harare: Radiant. ISBN 0-7974-2444-X. OCLC 818622306.
  14. ^ Makhalisa, Barbara (1977). Umendo. Gweru: Mambo Press. pp. 1–136. ISBN 0869226193.
  15. ^ "Barbara Nkala". Archived from the original on 12 April 2021.
  16. ^ Makhalisa, Barbara (1983). Impilo Yinkinga. Harare: Longman. pp. 1–163. ISBN 9780582587175.
  17. ^ Barbara Nkala, ed. (1996). Vus' inkophe: isiphala sezindatshana zeZimbabwe Women Writers. Harare: Zimbabwe Women Writers. ISBN 0-7974-1609-9. OCLC 37722220.
  18. ^ Makhalisa Nkala, Barbara, ed. (2021). Giya Giya. Zimbabwe: Radiant. pp. 1–328. ISBN 9781779216557.
  19. ^ Barbara Nkala; Nellie Mlotshwa, eds. (1998). Celebrating the vision: a century of sowing and reaping. Bulawayo, Zimbabwe: Brethren in Christ Church. ISBN 0-7974-1836-9. OCLC 40774018.
  20. ^ Sibanda, Olivia Mahwaya (2020). Umkhosi wenhliziyo. Harare, Zimbabwe. ISBN 978-1-77925-359-0. OCLC 1264735172.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  21. ^ Phiri, Lindani (2020). Uhambo lwempilo. Borrowdale, Harare, Zimbabwe. ISBN 978-1-77925-467-2. OCLC 1268543172.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  22. ^ Nkala, Barbara (2010). Thaph' uluju: iqoqo lezindatshana, ilifa lakho. Harare: Radiant Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0-7974-4279-5. OCLC 671238627.
  23. ^ Ngwenya, Tsitsi Nomsa (2016). Izinyawo zayizolo. Harare. ISBN 978-0-7974-7241-9. OCLC 960043403.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  24. ^ a b Africa, This Is (19 May 2022). "Interview — Ndebele novelist Tsitsi Nomsa Ngwenya is seeking the ancient paths". Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  25. ^ Mpofu, I. N. (2011). Sithini isiNdebele?. Harare, Zimbabwe: Radiant Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0-7974-4280-1. OCLC 755905987.
  26. ^ Zimbabwe Women Writers (1998). Selections Inkondlo. Harare: Zimbabwe Women Writers. pp. 28–30, 37, 48–50.
  27. ^ Dube, Doris (2011). Barbara Nkala (ed.). Golide: gogo khokho-- lived, loved & left a legacy. Harare, Zimbabwe: Radiant Pub. Co. ISBN 978-0-7974-4660-1. OCLC 781940002.
  28. ^ a b Barbara Nkala; Doris Dube, eds. (2014). Growing and branching out: Brethren in Christ Church in Zimbabwe and southern Africa (First ed.). Borrowdale, Harare, Zimbabwe. ISBN 978-0-7974-5977-9. OCLC 928047296.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  29. ^ Umusa Wansuku Zonke Ugwalo 2. Harare: Radiant Publishing Company. 2006. ISBN 0797431128.
  30. ^ Hadebe, Samukele (2001). Isichazamazwi Sesindebele. ALLEX Project, University of Zimbabwe. African Languages Research Institute. Harare, Zimbabwe: College Press [in conjunction with the] African Languages Research Institute. ISBN 1-77900-404-4. OCLC 48619090.
  31. ^ Chronicle, The (14 November 2015). "President caps 2,388 at Nust". The Chronicle. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  32. ^ Zimoyo, Tafadzwa (29 March 2021). "Zimbabwe: NAMA 2021 a Thunderous Triumph, But... | NAMA Legends". The Herald. Archived from the original on 6 May 2021 – via AllAfrica.
  33. ^ "Barbara Makhalisa Nkala". Archived from the original on 12 April 2021.
  34. ^ pwadmin (1 August 2019). "'God greatly sustained me'". Mennonite World Conference. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  35. ^ "Welcome To BCMN Literary Trust – Barbara Clara Makhalisa Nkala Literary Trust". Retrieved 27 April 2021.
 
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External links edit

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