RENOWNED songstress, mbira player and author Hope Masike says her new book titled Our Sacred Place set for launch on February 1 yearns to help couples respect and nurture their love as a unit.
Our Sacred Place is Masike’s fourth book having so far published Ask Me Again, Dzevabvazera and Die With Me.
Masike told NewsDay Life & Style that the book is a collection of poems based on the book Song of Solomon from the bible.
“The poems are about love according to how I interpreted Song of Solomon. Love is universal and the strength of most communities rests on the positive functionality of the family nucleus, which is heavily affected by love or our definition of it. I nicknamed this book ‘The love bible’ because the hope is that it helps couples to respect and nurture their love,” Masike said.
She added that for now she is writing for adults although she is considering writing for children in the future.
“I have been writing for adults focusing on actual erotica genres to mere spade-calling of spades (sic). My reader for now is above 18 years of age. I say now because I do hope to write for children also,” she said.
Masike noted that at least for her, music and writing books was not a hassle because they were one and the same thing, art.
The songtress said she was thrilled that the response to her works had been fantastic, adding that there were many literature lovers in the country and beyond.
- In the Groove:Nyabinde benefit gig: A positive outcome?
- In the Groove:Nyabinde benefit gig: A positive outcome?
- Mbira star Hope in collabo with German pianist
- ‘Nama submissions substandard’
Keep Reading
“My literature audience is very supportive and respectful of my work. My observation is that there is less piracy in literature than in music. At least for creative work, piracy has not been an issue for me,” Masike said.
She also noted that it is important to keep literature in all forms whether in hard copies, soft copies or audio books.
“Hard copies, soft copies and audio books can co-exist and there is no need to eliminate one in order to accommodate the other. It is also pointless to follow trends from other markets when our local infrastructure cannot, as yet, sustain such trends. So it is important to use all forms according to your market desires,” the songtress said.
Masike urged writers to ensure that the country’s National Archives have copies of their works just as they publish them.
“This is among the best ways of keeping creative work. There are also several libraries with a big thrust that one could work with. There is also no harm in having your own archive to pass on to generations as generational wealth. These archives must be both virtual and physical,” she added.
