Being an author is a deviation outside the normal path, one that some people around you will probably not understand but receptive.

For one to have a successful book launch it requires discipline, creativity, and persistence as we see in the exclusive chat with My Afrika Magazine’s columnist, Sympathy Sibanda (SS) who met up with author Alois Nyamazana (AN) to share more about his book and upcoming launch.

SS: Welcome to My Afrika Magazine.  Tell us, who is Alois and what do you do?

AN: Thank you Sympathy. My name is Alois Nyamazana. I am a Sociologist by training and a community development practitioner. I specialize in Monitoring and Evaluation as well as gender development. I am also one of the founders of Fathers Against Abuse, an organization which works with men and boys to challenge gender-based violence and toxic masculinities. I am an ordained elder of the SDA church. I am also married to my wife Praisemore Nyamazana and we have two sons and a daughter.

SS: What’s your vision with writing your book?

AN: I am so passionate about seeing people enjoy happy and thriving marriages. My vision was therefore to inspire hope for better marriages and to equip married people and those contemplating marriages regarding how they can peacefully live in marriage.

SS: What is the magic behind staying married? 10 years is a long time…

AN: Magic is putting God first and being committed to a happy and successful marriage.  Having values, principles and guidelines that govern how to behave in a marriage is also another very important secret. It’s all about direction.

SS: In your book you mention that you have never cheated on your wife. This declaration could be termed as unbelievable.  What is the secret to fidelity in this world?

AN: Yes, it’s unbelievable because that is what most people do but as for me, I always want to go against the crowd and the secret really is to be very deliberate about what you want in life. It must be a very conscious decision and of course needs too much prayer to achieve. I am a Christian and I understand that God hates adultery, but the same God gives us power to overcome sin if we depend on Him

SS: You show your vulnerability when you mention that you were not the best husband and father but have changed.  Is it possible for men and women out there to change for the better?

AN: It is very possible to change. Again, it is about pursuing the other person, in this case your spouse. You need to reflect daily about your behavior and how it is affecting your spouse. If you find out that there is something you are not doing right, take action to change. It is also good to be a good listener, when your spouse says they are not happy with something, make the necessary adjustments because when your spouse is happy you also enjoy it.

SS: You are about to launch your debut book. What can you promise those deliberating to attend?

AN: I promise a lot of lessons on marriage. We chose speakers who are specialists on marriage issues. It’s more than a launch, it’s an opportunity to rekindle our marriages.  We are going to have a lot of funny and excitement.

SS: Any future projects to look out for?

AN: I enjoy writing and I have a target of publishing another book that will specifically focus on peaceful conflict resolution in marriages. This time the book is going to be a bit bigger so it will take time but around March 2023 we will be launching it.

SS: Thank you for talking to us and all the best in your future endeavors.

AN: Thank you Sympathy.