AWARD-winning author Benjamin Sibangani Sibanda has penned his fourth novel titled In Love With Money, which is a sequel to the first novel he wrote.
Sibanda has three other novels under his sleeve namely When Freedom Came (2014), Whose Land Is It Anyway (2016) and Escape from Freedom published in 2020.
The novel When Freedom Came is based on shattered expectations after the country gained independence where hope for progress and success is dashed by deeply ingrained corruption within a government that had just come into power.
His second book, Whose Land is it Anyway is based on the chaotic land reform programme by the government which, though meant to address land imbalances, faced numerous problems with politically connected officials grabbing multiple farms.
The emotive land issue seen through the lens of Sibanda’s pen earned him the prestigious National Arts Merit Award (Nama) in 2017.
Sibanda’s third novel, Escape From Freedom is based on the Matabeleland disturbances referred to as Gukurahundi that is said to have resulted in the loss of an estimated 20 000 lives.
The book also touches on challenges around the issues of ethnicity and identity in the country.
In an interview, Sibanda said his latest novel was a sequel to his book When Freedom Came.
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“This is a sequel to my first ever novel, When Freedom Came. I always felt like I had left the story in the first novel unfinished and I felt the need to finish it,’’ he said. “I think those who read the book some ten years ago may have to refresh their memories. And for those who have never read the book, I do have some copies of When Freedom Came or one can purchase them from Amazon.com where kindle ‘soft’ copies can also be purchased”
Sibanda said his novels were inspired by actual events, adding that it took him three years to complete his first novel because he was not really convinced he was a writer at that time.
“All my books are historical fiction although a reader today might find them more contemporary than historical. However, I feel that the stories I tell would continue to enrich our written history through fiction,” he said.
However, writing his latest book has not been without its challenges. Sibanda’s latest offering has been delayed by a life threatening illness which resulted in him having two heart attacks.
“I suffered two heart attacks within three months of each other and at one time thought I may not been around to finish the book. I am grateful that I saw the end of the book although I feel that if it was not for the interruption during my health ‘crisis’, the story may have gone in a different direction,’’ he revealed.
Interestingly, Sibanda says that he does not make any notes when writing books depending entirely on his mood and headspace on that particular day.
Sibanda has begun to write his fifth novel with a working title: The Inheritance– No Good Deed goes Unpunished. It is the story of a family’s fight over an inherited piece of land. He has, however, not given any timeline to when he will complete writing this book.
“As I have seen with the work that I have just finished, it is not always possible to give a timeline. I can assure you that I am working on it and that as long as I stay healthy, and God willing, it will be finished and you will get to read it!,” he says.
