Life
Vera was born in Bulawayo, in what was then Southern Rhodesia, to her mother Ericah Gwetai. At the age of eight, she worked as a cotton-picker near Chegutu. She attended Mzilikazi High School and then taught English literature at Njube High School, both in Bulawayo. In 1987 she travelled to Canada and she married John Jose, a Canadian whom she'd met while he was teaching at Njube. At York University, Toronto she completed an undergraduate degree, a master's and a PhD, and taught literature.
In 1995, Vera returned to Zimbabwe and in 1997 became director of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo, a gallery which showcases local talent ranging from that of professional artists to school children. In 2004 she went back to Canada, where she died on April 7, 2005 of AIDS-related meningitis.
Read more about this topic: Yvonne Vera
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