Charmaine Mujeri has been appointed the director of the James Currey Society. Prof Onyeka Nwelue, Founder, James Currey Society Publisher,Abibiman Publishing, made the announcement in a statement.
Ms Mujeri and Mr James Currey in OxfordCommenting on her new position, Mujeri said: “It is my great honour to accept the Directorship of the James Currey Society. I am deeply humbled and grateful to be entrusted with the role of Director. The shoes I am about to step into are big. The shoes of a man who has been a powerhouse in pushing the African Narrative and has single handedly re-ignited our passion and interest in the books published by James Currey: a writer and prolific man in his own right, Dr Onyeka Nwelue, who has been a fire brand in re-educating the world on the importance and invaluable input that James Currey has had on the world and African Literature in his role as publisher in the past 60 years.”
She continues, “It is my fervent hope that I carry the torch and honour the legacy of this great man and hope to further expand the landscape of African literature and explore the ancient ways of African storytelling.”
“I would like to thank the British Council,” she adds, “for their support, in sponsoring my trip to Oxford, to facilitate a James Currey Writing and Publishing Workshop and meeting Mr. Currey himself, without their staff who walked me through the Visa process and realising how my participation would be a game changer for the Arts not only for women but for artists in Zimbabwe, I would not be here to receive such an honour. I look forward to learning and continuing the legacy of James Currey.”
The President of the James Currey Society, Samson Onwe, said: “We are delighted to welcome Charmaine Mujeri as new Director of the James Currey Society. Charmaine’s passion for the Arts, her strong drive for results, as well as her proven track record of building strong teams and driving transformation in the Zimbabwean Creative Industry makes her ideal to direct the activities of the society. We are excited to work with her in actualizing her visions for society.”
The Zimbabwean actress, who in 2020 was nominated for best supporting actress at the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), was a stage performer at the 2017 Harare International Festival of the Arts. In 2019, she starred in a play, Ruvajena to increase awareness on the struggles of people living with albinism. In the same year, she played a supporting role in the feature film, Cooked Up. The film was screened across Africa, and was a recipient of multiple awards from National Art Merit Awards (NAMA) and the Zimbabwe International Film Festival (ZIFF). In 2020, Mujeri’s role in the political drama, Mirage earned her an AMAA nomination for best supporting actress.
In a collaborative production with USAID Shaina, Mujeri was one of the cast to build the capacity of young women in Zimbabwe.
She served on the jury of the James Currey Prize for African Literature in 2022.
The Oxford-based James Currey Society, was founded by Nigerian writer, filmmaker and publisher, Onyeka Nwelue, who established the James Currey Fellowship, in cooperation with the African Studies Centre, University of Oxford.
Nwelue recently announced his ‘retirement from active-working life,’ for health reasons.
