"When we are promoting a virtue such as respecting equality and the full recognition of everyone`s rights, what a better way to spread the message than through this universal language - music."

"All women of the world, lets normalise being content with how God created us, proudly and loudly so enhancing our beauty is perfectly fine except when it’s to the detriment of our health, be it physically or emotionally."

"To the black woman in particular, your dark skin is very beautiful just as is. Be you, beautifully so. You are wonderfully made."

"I hope Zimbabweans will write and tell our own stories, us musicians, poets, historians, all of us – we need to capture the true story of Zimbabwe and tell that to the world."

"I did these poems in a very ‘open-minded’ effort to find an often silent/silenced voice. There are things we do not ever say. There are things we don’t know how to say. There are things that have never been said."

"Gender imbalance. I was in Norway sometime and the only difference between males and females there is their biological make up. Otherwise they have equal opportunities and the women are just as aggressive as the men. You have a dream you go for it. There are no restrictions, on married women as they get as much support as that they give to their spouses. There are also equal opportunities at university where all sexes are admitted on equal merit. If I were to get a billion, I would like to empower women starting with the very young girls, who need a good education to build a better foundation for their lives."

"Song of Solomon itself was the main inspiration. I read it properly for the first time and fell in love with it immediately. The poetry, the beautiful manner in which love and its complexities are expressed, and the mere belief in love that it’s based on, were all very inspirational to me"

"And so I found myself imagining such love and how beautifully we could all use the book’s words as a template for how to love"

"There is a lovely story there. I believe this book was given to me as a very special gift because I wrote it in one sitting, in one day. It was a literal natural flow from my head to paper"

"May we all see the value in investing in love and our other halves; being respectful of love by holding it in high and sacred reverence; treasuring it, protecting it, and nurturing it"

"It also has to do with how you package your act, and I believe from day one the audience liked it, so the reception was good"

"And that always put me under a lot of pressure to do much better every time when I am on stage"

"It’s not bad being a backing vocalist, but it takes a lot of commitment to lead a band, hard work and the will to reach the greatness"

"We have quite a number of female musicians that have led bands in the country and sometimes it’s better to make a date with them and share their experiences"

"But some may have stopped singing for one or two reasons but like any other sectors it needs commitment and the will to reach the sky"

"Quite a lot of female musicians are talented and can write and sing their own songs, but some usually want to do so after fallout with their employers. That is like using more emotions than your talent"

"We are a mere reflection of the society and the only difference is we are always on the spotlight and what we do comes out more than what any other ordinary person does"

"If you say female musicians are drunkards, society is full of drunkards. But that perception in my view is changing"

"Hope Masike is a Zimbabwean vocalist, mbira player, percussionist, songwriter, fashion designer, painter and dancer. She is known as The Princess of Mbira and her music has its roots both in traditional and modern African culture. She is also the lead singer for transnational band Monoswezi."

"One of its most talented and famous performers and teachers is Hope Masike, a 35-year-old woman from Harare, the country’s capital. Born into a large family of eight children, Hope devoted herself to studying the culture of her people, diving into a wide range of subjects from anthropology and ethnology to jurisprudence, never losing the love for her roots and the dream of an emancipated and peaceful Africa."

"Hope speaks out about the issues of womanhood in the rapidly changing Zimbabwean culture."

"By her own admission in the author’s note, the poems are designed to affirm, to confront the silence we so often feel comfortable with and to give voice to those things that have remained unspoken."