JAY Lit Issue 1 contributor, Jonas Zaithwa Chisi is out with a new anthology of poems titled Pots of Hell. The anthology, which explores the dark side of existence, is co-authored with John Sukali, Joanna Tadala Chiwongola, Tadala Nkanaunena, Brenda Louis, Haggai Mwakatundu, and John Kaunda.
An official statement from Jonas reads thus:
“What was meant to free us enslaved us. Knowledge. Knowledge which was supposed to grow us is now tearing us apart. It is knowledge that lays a huge burden upon humanity. The hunter becomes the hunted. The potter becomes pottery. Reading usually takes one off reality. This anthology, contrariwise, brings one down to earth. It unpacks things people avoid talking about. Or it rather talks about the obvious people choose not to see/talk about. The reader of this anthology will be taken through a journey across many sections of existence.
“The basic truth is, after all is said and done, as the Ecclesiast puts it, all is vanity. Pursuit of power, money, influence, meaning, knowledge etc. leads to vanity. God has removed sense of satisfaction and ‘ultimatism’, if you allow me, in man. The anthology tackles various other themes such as gender based violence, sodomy, disability, (de)colonisation and neo-colonisation, Pan-Africanism, religion and mental health. On top of that, some poems criticize and, at the same time, celebrate a country which was supposed to be our lovely home, Malawi.
“But why Pots of Hell? The idea of this anthology was to give the gloomy part of human existence which we don’t usually dialogue about. The chase of vain things has turned the world into hell. Those not in positions of power are tragic victims. Those in power are ‘vanity victims’ – no one escapes unscathed. This anthology brought together great minds. There is a mixture of deep philosophy, plain reality, lighter love as well as touchy narrations. Put on your life jacket as we take our first step into the pot of licking fire.”
Jonas Zaithwa Chisi is a Malawian published author, poet and literary critic. He has so far published Slithering Snake, Whispers and Other Poems, Canvas of Dreams. His other pieces have appeared in JAY Lit, Malawi News, BNAP19, Unipers, and other platforms. Pots of Hell is his fourth project.
