Background
He was born in Mount Darwin and grew up on his grandfather"s farm there.
He was born in Mount Darwin and grew up on his grandfather"s farm there.
He attended school in Chitungwiza, where he began to write short stories. He studied Shona and linguistics at the University of Zimbabwe. He was awarded a scholarship to attend the University of Oslo, where he received the Master of Philisophy in Media, Democracy and Development in 1998.
The following year, he received a Fulbright Scholarship to teach writing and literature in Illinois. His second novel Ndafa Here? Mabasa has two published collections of poems in Shona: Tipeiwo Dariro and Muchinokoro Kunaka. His short stories include "Paying to Die" and "Some Kind of Madness".
His book Meri Nebhutsu Tsvuku was a NAMA nominee for Outstanding Children"s Book in 2013.
In 2010, Mabasa was writer/storyteller in residence at the University of Manitoba in Canada. In 2012, he founded Bhabhu Books, which publishes novels and stories in Shona, Ndebele and other languages.
He is one of the first Zimbabwean authors to publish e-books, citing piracy concerns, “Number laws are protecting us as a sector. A few days after publishing a book, the pirated version is all over the streets.".