CHAPINDAPASI

Book: CHAPINDAPASI

Author: Maxwell Perkins Kanemanyanga

Reviewer: Raphael Mokoena

This is the third published collection of stories by Maxwell Perkins Kanemanyanga. It is reassuring that he has not rested on his laurels, and continues to be creative as a writer.

Reading his new book, one wonders when Kanemanyanga will write/publish his first novel. This is because his short stories often bear the germs and suggestion that they can be converted into even longer fiction; if the author so desires. This is obvious from his latest collection.

Let us start with the title story, CHAPINDAPASI. From the very beginning we can see that rural, ancestral Africa is being re-created here, with references to “huts” and all-powerful Kings. We learn that King Makombe is a ruthless, cruel leader, who even ensures that anytime his many (12, 13, 14…) wives, bear male children, such are killed!

He is an absolute monarch and polygamist, blood-thirsty too. War and death stalk his reign “no one was allowed to keep baby boys”. Did this make him feel invincible? The King marries a young lady Tikidi, who outwits him, ensuring that her own baby son is not killed upon birth.

Inevitably, the king gets older and we can see real pathos as he states:

“Most people think I am a strong, tough king, a warrior, but I am a foolish man. I killed all my sons, I thought I would live for ever, but here I am weeping like a boy sitting on top of the graves of my sons I killed,” (Page 18)

Then he learns that he does have a surviving son!

Yet in this new collection, Kanemanyanga’s frequent unconvincing endings’ continues. In Chapindapasi, the conclusion is melodramatic and does not flow; it is as if the author wants to force the title of the story (and the book) – The man who Disappeared – into the story at all costs.

Kanemanyanga writes in a fairly simple, flowing, competent manner. But again,  another aspect of his writings – the suggestions of unnecessary cruelty and sadism – continue in this latest work. The short story, Love and Betrayal displays this.

The protagonist here, Maidei, the young “leggy, skinny dark beauty” spends all her youth being hopelessly in love with David, at best an unworthy suitor.  Maidei’s constant, steadfast love – she even travels from Zimabwe to SA all in a bid to be reconciled with an ungrateful David – is unrequited. Yes, readers can see that David has an inferiority complex mingled with frustration, but he is a bad person in essence.

David’s reaction to Maidei when she meets him in South Africa for the first time is crude and rude, with the narrator seemingly sharing this approach: “By now he was angry…he could not believe she was talking such shit” (Page 33)

Maidei gets pregnant by the same David, and his reaction is inhumane and brutal yet again. He parts with her and leaves her to suffer on. Why should the young lady go through all this, including being ostracized by her own parents’ Suddenly, much later on David has a change of heart and is ready to apologise and turn over a new leaf; and be with her permanently.

It is almost inevitable that at the end – despite the fact that David is apparently a changed man and travelling back to the wonderful young lady – he loses his life in a tragic accident. So Maidei’s sufferings continue needlessly, a selfless, idealistic lady and mother, loses all. One cannot but feel that this conclusion rather ruins this story.

The other stories generally continue in the same vein – especially Flames of Fury. The long-suffering Mama Melody’s plight, which reaches a peak with her horrific fiery death, appears to be unnecessary too, as the man who has wronged her so badly is also on his way to her to apologise and become a much better partner!

This is another finely written collection of stories authored by Maxwell Kanemanyanga, but one cannot help but wonder whether there is any real need for the frequent, gratuitous sufferings, tragedies, and pathos he churns out?

PROMOTING QUINTESSENTIAL AFRICAN WRITING (2013)

Book: Promoting Quintessential African Writing

Author: Ishmael Mzwandile Soqaga

Publisher: Eselby Jnr Publications

Reviewer: Raphael Mokoena

I read this book quickly at one go; then later on in the evening I re-read it again. Soqaga is an author – as I have pointed out in an earlier  review – who does not compromise in any way when it comes to promoting what he believes is “African”. Inevitably he would step on some toes and probably irritate some in the process, but from the point of view of Black Africans (who for centuries have had a raw deal in world history) his commitment is very much welcome.

But what actually impressed me most is the last part of the book, where the author goes into details on “prolific African writers” over the decades, including many of the books they have published. This is very informative and timely, especially nowadays when younger African readers lack guidance in the world of literature; and many other general lovers of African writing are also in the dark too.

Hence this new work fills a gap, and the gap in question is not just a question of a few years, or a few countries. Soqaga compiles a list of many African writers who hail from all over the continent – from the vibrant west Africa; north Africa, East Africa (eg Ngugi, Meja Mwangi, and David Maillu) – to Southern African writers too. This is not only excellent as a guide for us all, but also for further reference and research purposes.

I have mentioned David Maillu above; (no, I must confess I did not really know about him before) as an outstanding and very prolific African author. But thanks to this new book, I can appreciate Maillu’s feats now. It is also encouraging to see that a number of prolific African female writers are included too, like Ama Ata Aidoo and Buchi Emecheta.

The reader of this book is also struck by the fact that the focus is Afro-centric; not local, regional or national. It appears that for Soqaga Africa is one; its travails and achievements, which includes arts and culture. Hence he even goes down memory lane to centuries ago when Sankori University was apparently very famous (that’s in current Mali, I believe)

Another thing is that Soqaga talks about Africans in Diaspora, including the millions of “blacks” in the USA who have never, and will never visit Africa – as if they were all authentic Africans. This can be a bit confusing a-times but the logic is understandable; Africans in Diaspora are largely offspring of African slaves whisked away overseas centuries ago. Hence Soqaga can boast about the contributions to literature by African-Americans like Du Boise, Ralph Ellison and Booker T Washington.

The overall picture that emerges is that it is unwise to undermine Africa, past and present where literature is concerned. The author is not even afraid to take on the late, illustrious Saul Bellow (Nobel Laureate in Literature) who apparently was no great fan of African Writing, among others. There is also an interesting Appendix, or rather “Further Reading” at the end of the book, which one would find useful if one could lay hands on some of these works!

As an Introduction to African writing especially, including key personnel in this wise over the decades, this is a work to be recommended for us all.