Kwame Tapiwa Muzawazi
Kwame Tapiwa Muzawazi | |
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Kwame Tapiwa Muzawazi | |
Born | Errol Tapiwa Muzawazi Zimbabwe |
Nationality | Zimbabwean |
Education |
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Occupation |
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Years active | 2000 to present |
Organization | |
Notable work |
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Style | Pan- Africanist |
Kwame Tapiwa Muzawazi is a Zimbabwean born academic, explorer and diplomat who shot to fame when he broke the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest lecture delivered. He is also an explorer, having explored Africa by road simultaneously engaging with the continent academically.
Background
Born Errol Tapiwa Muzawazi, the record holder was born on 13 March 1984 in Harare. He grew up in the Warren Park suburb of Harare.[1] Due to his strong-pan African ideologies, Muzawazi changed his name from Errol to Kwame which he said was more African.
Education
Muzawazi attended Churchill Boys High School in Harare for his secondary education up to 2001.[1] He also went to Harare High School in Mbare where he did his Advanced level. After impressive results at Advanced level, Muzawazi was then awarded a scholarship to go and study International Law at Jagiellonian University in Polland. He went to pursue his Masters Degree in Law at the same university and graduated in 2011.[1]
The Historic Lecturer and Recognition by the Guinness Book of World Records
Muzawazi delivered the longest lecture at Jagiellonian University which lasted 128 hours in which he spoke about the youth of Africa being the part of the present developmental and not the future. The lecture was conducted with a series of 5-minute breaks after every one hour.[2]
Travelling Across Africa
Muzawazi was writing a book about in which he wanted to re-discover Africa. He argued that the African story was told by Europeans and he had come to re-interpret that story from an African perspective.[2] The journey involved travelling across Africa from north Africa down to South Africa. He travelled from Morocco in Noth Africa, via west Africa, to East and Central Africa then to Southern Africa. He engaged people of various nationalities on his journey and he also took the opportunity to document pictures and videos and part of his study. He travelled the continent using a Nissan Patrol 1991 model.[2]
Launching Book of African Records
Muzawazi launched the Book of African Records, an Africanised version of the Guinness Book of World Records. The project was also meant to document and publicise information about Africa in general. The project was broadcast on Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation under the title Africa Firsts in which it chronicled African Achievers who had broken records in various specialities. The Book of African Records project also ran a national quiz tournament which started in 2013 with more than 50 schools at its inaugural edition.
Ideology
Muzawazi is an ardent pan-Africanist. This saw him going to the extent of dropping his birth name Errol to adopt a new name Kwame, in reference to the great pan-Africanist and first president of Ghana Kwame Nkrumah.
Awards
- 2009- Guinness Book of World Records for the longest lecture delivered- 121 hours
- He scooped the Best Foreign Student Award- Cultural Diplomacy, in Polland.
- He was also honored by the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority for being a good ambassador. He was appointed tourism ambassador for Eastern Europe.
Videos
References