The Zimbabwean-born (well, it was still Rhodesia then) Mudede writes for the Seattle-based The Stranger (as associate editor) and is one of my favorite writers. At least for me, he is one of the best kept secrets of American journalism. He has written a movie, Police Beat, based on his time reporting the police beat. That film tells the story of an immigrant Senegalese cop working for the Seattle Police Department. The film is narrated in Wolof. (I missed the film when it had a brief run in a small art theater in New York City in 2004, and I’ve tried to see it since. Luckily it’s now on Netflix, so I’ve put it top of my list of things to watch). Mudede also runs a film company, The Cook Ding Institute of Imagination, with a partner.
Here’s a link to an online archive of his writing at The Stranger.
As a bonus, the short film, below, made for Channel Verve in Seattle, gives a good account of Mudede’s temperament, ideas and his approach to writing.
Of late, when i’m too lazy to come up with new ideas for my blog I come to yours and pull a grand theft auto
A thousand thanks for this post on Charles Tonderai Mudede.
Theoretically, in my head and for my sake, I convince himself that there have to be people like Charles Tonderai Mudede out there. The reality of meeting him in this post has been mind blowing. Thanks a million for posting this.