TEEN author and founder of Young Generations Ambassadors Graham Tinotenda Mushavi has published Behind Masculinity — The Reality, a book which addresses boy child vulnerabilities.
The 19-year-old Shurugwi-based author told NewsDay Life & Style that after successfully publishing his debut, many are to come.
“Behind Masculinity — The Reality is my first publication and I am looking forward to publishing as many books as possible. I am a teenage author with huge dreams to motivate, educate and entertain others through the pen,” he said.
Mushavi said the book sought to bring to light the realities that the boy child faces in day-to-day life.
He said over the past years, communities concentrated on empowering the girl child in a quest for gender equality with the boy child being neglected and in the process subjected to all forms of abuse.
“The boy child is guided by society's expectations that “men don’t cry'' and endures the pain from inside. The boy child now resorts to drug and substance abuse as a way to escape. Ultimately the book seeks to educate the world that all children are the same regardless of gender,” Mushavi said.
“Each and every one has a unique purpose in life. Both the girl and boy child should be loved and protected at whatever cost if the future of the world is to be safeguarded.”
The teenager’s writing is inspired by the need to educate and entertain the world through the pen.
“I realised that through the pen we have all the power within us to change the world, so through the pen I can address different problems people are facing today and then share solutions to them through creativity, thereby making the world a better place to live,” Mushavi said.
“I would like to define myself as a fiction /non-fiction author based on the fact that my work is usually fiction, but carries a non-fiction message, it is my characters, my plot, my everything, but addressing real life issues.”
He admits that writing is not an easy thing as it requires a lot of dedication and effort to become a published author.
“Some of the challenges I faced as an up-and-coming author are experiencing the writer’s block, coming up with the characterisation, plot, applying various literary techniques and publishing costs, but, however, with the right support system such as my parents, family, friends and my publisher I was able to consummate the work that I had commenced,” the author said.
“My parents were very supportive from the moment I told them that I wrote a book and hoped to publish and launch it as well, though they were partially worried if I was going to make it in my Advanced Level examinations because I published and launched the book the same year I sat for my examinations.
“I am very glad that I managed to pass my Advanced Level with flying colours and made my parents proud.”
At the moment, the teen author is working on an anthology aimed at appreciating all mothers for their selfless sacrifices for the future of their children.
Besides being an author, Mushavi also has several accolades he won during his time in high school.
He is an award-winning youth leader.
“My time as headboy at Nashville High School has seen me being an advocate for change in youths related issues such as drug and substance abuse and gender equality to the extent that I was awarded an appreciation award by MIET Africa Future Life-Now programme that has been running at my school with myself being the student representative,” he said.
“Being a youth leader, I aspire to become the best of the best out of this so-called “dotcom generation”. In becoming a cut above the rest, I will serve as an inspiration to my fellow ama2k that yes, we can trend for all the good things not the bad only.”
