The Sunday Mail
Book Review
Edmore Zvinonzwa
RENDITIONS of personal stories come in many forms, shapes and sizes.
Some accounts are so sincere and intimate, making readers want to share their own experiences. We also have instances where writers do not tell all and are economic about some details. Readers can, however, easily tell the writer’s insincerity. Petronella Munhenzva’s story belongs to the former category. It has all the traces of sincerity.
This is one of the major reasons why her book passes the inspirational test.
Where readers are given certain recommendations, they are bound to follow because they are worth believing. Lives painted in Hollyhood, Bollyhood and Nollyhood soapies can never be real and it is the duty of other artistes in the mould of writers like Munhenzva to give readers practical lessons and guidelines that might help them in real life.
The book “Gokwe to Oxford: The Girl Who Dared to Dream” — whose foreword is written by author, lawyer and speaker Arthur Marara — takes a leaf from Ayn Rand, who writes about men who had nothing but their vision and goals.
Although their goals differed, the road they were on was new, their vision was original and the response they received was the same; that is, hatred. Eventually, despite all the suffering and fighting, they won.
A girl from rural and dusty Gokwe, Petronella Munhenzva, found herself rubbing shoulders with respected authorities and scholars at Oxford because she had a vision.
This is precisely what she shares with readers in this book. It begins with birthing an idea, believing in it and achieving it.
In the final analysis, the book is about hope and inspiration. The book almost becomes confirmation, according to Marara, that God can shower one with blessings and grace; He remembers and raises people when men and women have ruled them out.
“Being a woman is a great challenge in itself but being a woman who stands out and distinguishes herself in a male-dominated environment is an even bigger challenge.” (p11)
In the introduction, Petronella says her story is not earth-shattering but is one about endless discovery.
“I know what it is like to cease all hope because you have hoped all the hope out of your very marrow.
Hope was a luxury folks like me occasionally heard of but seldom encountered in person . . . I know what it is like to allow yourself to be the best that you can be in a world that is constantly making you doubt yourself. I haven’t ‘made it yet’ but I am surely close. I am not where I want to be, but I am definitely not where I started, and I am proud of the journey I have walked. I am proud of where I came from and I proudly share that story and hope it inspires someone to tell their own story . . . ” (pp14-15)
Petronella’s first encounter with a fellow student at Oxford showed her that no-one ever imagined someone from the countryside could join such a prestigious institution.
“People have attached glass ceilings to success; success is attached to a particular background, a particular upbringing, particular history and particular social standing.
This is even backed by research which shows that children that grow up in poor households grow up to be poor; children that grow up in abusive homes end up being abusive as well . . . ” (p21) She says humanity does not consider “the size of their heart or the potential they bear” when considering people’s future and destiny, which they relate to where they grew up.
“It is for this reason that many children grow up scared of dreaming big because their environment does not allow them to.
They grow up scared of dreaming because nothing around them points to the possibility of that dream coming true, they are surrounded by brokenness, bitterness and poverty and this limits the potential they can see in themselves.” (p22)
The book offers motivation to people in impossible situations by using the story of movement from the most unlikely rural area – Gokwe — into an iconic institution of learning, Oxford, which proves God’s grace.
Petronella Munhenzva is a research consultant, author and transformational speaker. After attaining a bachelors and masters degree from the University of Zimbabwe, She proceeded to Oxford University and serves as co-ordinator for the Young Scholars Initiative (Africa Working Group).
She has organised workshops and plenaries in several world capitals including Bologna (Italy), Washington DC and Los Angeles (USA), Edinburgh (Scotland) and Ibadan (Nigeria) among others. Petronella has also written academic papers that have appeared in refereed journals and has contributed chapters in book projects.
The writer Edmore Zvinonzwa is an award-winning journalist and writes here in his personal capacity. He can be reached on [email protected]
