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?