THROUGH IT ALL, by Teboho Masakala

Book: Through it all
Author: Teboho Masakala
Publisher: Tam Books (Selosesha, Thaba Nchu)
ISBN: 978-0-620-49987-3

He is only 23 but Teboho Masakala is already the author of two books. Last year he published a book of short stories, and this week his first novel (actually technically a novella) came out, titled THROUGH IT ALL.

Masakala is now fulfilling the promise and potential the literary pundits saw in him a few years ago. The young man is very proud of his roots from Thaba ‘Nchu and in his own way he is putting the town on the map.

“I am what I am because of Thaba Nchu,” he told Free State News this week. “I am so pleased and proud that my first novel is out! I have always loved writing fiction. I now know that it is not something that anyone, not even all writers, can just do. It requires talent, discipline, imagination. A writer must have moral compass”

Teboho’s debut novel, Through it all focuses on a certain young woman and her vicissitudes. The protagonist is Monica Classen who is dragged through the mill! After the death of her parents, she is unfortunately raped by her own uncle, an exceedingly harrowing experience for her.

She decides to flee Thaba Nchu and start a new life in Bloemfontein, but her ordeal is not over; not by a long shot. More painful episodes await her till in the end, like a deus ex machina all is well with her, and her sorrows are behind her. Read this moving work and bask!

Excerpt from the book (exemplifying the sad metamorphosis of Monica): “Monica (who had been) fragile, kind-hearted, was now this weak, controlled drugs loving, money hungry Monica…the city of Bloemfontein had swallowed her and was not prepared to throw her up anytime soon as there was no way out…”

- O Bolaji

PEOPLE OF THE TOWNSHIPS

Review by Deon-Simphiwe Skade



In the first read, O Bolaji's People of the Townships may trigger a sense of gloom and pessimism, despite the ‘witty’ and ‘cynical’ narration that carries the story. It may also lead one to severely vilify John Lefuo, the protagonist in this swift-moving ‘novella’ for being rather too harsh in his observations of the world he lives in. However, such a take on the events of this book may not be a wise move as many questions subsequently arise to caution against the folly of such conclusions.

I mention this having been cautioned by these troubling questions which set off feelings of empathy towards John for resorting to violence after having spoken about ‘morals’ and ‘values’ so comprehensively. This empathy is not to condone his actions but to sympathise with the irony of his life that he may have constructed with an aid of his fellow community members.

The contents of this book may also urge one to look at the real life situations, perhaps in an attempt to draw parallels against Bolaji’s plot. The result of indulging this urge may cause panic and alarm, simply due to certain behavioural similarities between the characters in this book and the people we are or may know of in various kinds. The ground thus becomes shaky because the lines between fiction and reality become more blurred. As a result, the notion from the cynics of literature that fictional worlds are inaccurate and exaggerated falls by the wayside for those still undecided about the role of literary works. Like music, this fictional work seems to reflect part of our reality, the real world of people of flesh and blood with their ‘morals’ or ‘lack of’. The issue of ‘morals’ then become an even more delicate subject because different worlds exist.

In John’s world, ‘anarchy’ seems to be brewing steadily, fermenting with each encounter he has with his fellow community members as he relates his story. He seems to be upholding ‘morals’ and ‘values’. Even though he doesn’t enforce them, he advocates for them strongly through his narratives. It’s a pity that he ends up committing murder. Some readers may want to chastise him for this action, but this may not help much. In fact, John’s action may call for a much broader and deeper look into understanding what may have led him to the fateful action.

For the fear of turning out to be like John, who may have thought of himself as a citizen of ‘high moral standing’, allow me to henceforth use my words cautiously in examining the subject matter of this book. In fact, allow me to use questions and hypotheses in looking at the many unfolding tragedies in this work. It may be obvious for those who have read the book that John saw himself in a certain light, perhaps as a ‘model citizen’, while others were not of ‘good conduct’. I think I need to tread carefully myself, lest I pass these hypotheses as factual findings.

This of course, is to say that I may also have played a part in creating another John somewhere in my own community through my conduct. Perhaps readers of this book should attempt to assume a role of an anthropologist in order to fully address the extent of socio-cultural phenomena existent in the plot, by being participant observers in producing text for analysis. Therefore, my focus will not be on language and related structural matters, but the lament in this book that resonates with some of the places I’ve been to. I believe this type of approach may help us in fully comprehending the success and power that Bolaji presented this work with.

John is a man whose fellow community members may never understand. What he thought of them and of himself (self concept) may have very well been the root of his and others’ ‘problems’. This is a man who appeared to have made efforts of note in creating the self concept that he thought was ideal for him to exist in the midst of such ‘trying’ circumstances.

In spite of the challenges he faced, he managed to elevate himself to a position he found comfortable enough not to be swallowed by the darkness of his community. His eloquence and philosophy seem to have helped him have a sense of who he was, and may have whisked him away from the ills of his community into a world of his own. And because this happened, he may have subsequently been isolated into malicious thoughts. This man never saw himself as part of the soil which holds all the stories that he related and analysed with much detail. Perhaps this is what lead him to the atrocious act of murder in the first place, having boxed his fellow township dwellers into cartons of ‘drunkards’, ‘prostitutes’, ‘philanderers’ and ‘gossip mongers’ among others.

Perhaps there’s a subtle and simplistic literary vice that Bolaji uses to fix messages in his book into a position that would challenge our views of our very world. Indeed! This may also call for a probe into the benchmark that John used as a compass for his ‘moral conduct’. Perhaps this may be one of the keys we may unlock the innuendos behind John's tragedy, which may have started when he saw himself in the light that led him to carry on the way he did.

“I do not give a fig leaf about all the criticism, the snide comments, and the vilifications. I am not a criminal. I have not killed anybody, nor robbed anybody,” John says in the prologue of the book, seemingly pleased with the way he had turned out to be.

What seems to perpetuate this concept of the self is also how others react to him:
“Being more or less illiterate, it irritates my sisters so much to see me reading regularly and trying to broaden my mind. ‘He should be out and earning his keep,’ they say disingenuously. Actually I know that their main grouse against me, the fact that I am painfully poor, not able to give them money,” he says of his sisters’ impressions of him. This in itself begs for a critical look into the concept of identity, which together with other aspects of this ‘troubled’ life seem to have bred a conflict of such a high order in John, may help us understand the full extent of the social conditions of the characters in the People of the Townships.

Perhaps then, we may cease to look at John as an isolated ‘maniac’ of some form. Perhaps this may also help us come to terms with the many worlds we live in, particularly the one for the youth who are tasked with a big responsibility of steering the future of our world into a wiser and safer environment in the midst of many prevailing problems they face.

The late Nat Nakasa articulated this responsibility carried by young people quite clearly in his 1964 article; ‘Afrikaaner youth get a raw deal’, even though the circumstances that necessitated his thoughts were relevant to the socio-political state of South Africa then:

“Nobody, it seems, believes that the country can stay as it is. In the circumstances, one would expect the younger people of South Africa to be in the intellectual ferment. One would expect the students of Pretoria and Wits, of Fort Hare, Stellenbosch and the University of Cape Town to be asking bold and vital questions (as indeed many of them were until recently). But now there is little of this. We can hardly speak of South African youth, for there is nothing to distinguish young South Africa from the mass of the republic’s population, There are no trends which can be said to represent an advance on the thinking of our older generations,” Nat wrote thoughtfully, addressing the problem of his time.

The statement above could not have been more appropriate to the current conditions despite being expressed many years ago. But again, these are hypotheses and presumptions brought by the many messages hidden between the pages of People of the Townships.

Before we start condemning John for his supposed ‘insanity’ and sense of ‘despair’, perhaps we should ponder about the responsibilities we all carry in our own many worlds. Hypotheses or not, John’s ‘condition’ may call for a collective culpability.

LITERARY LEGACY OF MAGEMA FUZE

BOOK REVIEW
Book: Magema Fuze
Author: Hlonipha Mokoena
Publisher: University of KwaZulu Natal Press
Reviewer: Mpikeleni Duma

Who was Magema Fuze? This book provides the answer in fulsome, scholarly fashion. Fuze was in fact the first Zulu (black) author to write a book in Zulu. He was an early top-notch intellectual and this book sheds light on his scope and achievement.

In 1922 Magema Fuze published Abantu Abamnyama Lapa Bavela Ngakona. He was subsequently categorised as a first generation kholwa intellectual, a precarious genre in those days. Fuze wrote as an aspirant historian, and certainly did not – or could not - fulfil his potential in that era.

Interestingly, the author also shows us how the printing press defined the course of Fuze’s life as both a technician and a devotee (Fuze in sum during his lifetime was a printer, Scribe and popular historian)

In this book we see how important the newspaper, Ipepa Lo Hlanga was in the old days. From its early days in the 1880’s this press was a platform and expression of the intellectual, cultural and social aspirations of the (Zulu) public. Fuze’s contributions to the newspaper broadened his horizons, his range and breadth, culminating in his producing his book.

This book comprises living history, tracing vicissitudes of the Zulu kings and kingdom over the years. In this respect Fuze’s works remind us of the great visionary Zulu poet, Mazisi Kunene; though of course Fuze lived many decades before Kunene, and as a journalist he lived and wrote through a very important period.

Arguably, this also means that Magema Fuze’s account and writings are necessarily much more convincing (not fictional). The passion and ardour in Fuze’s book (and writings) shine through, despite his background as a mission educated African.

This book is the latest addition to laudable biographies which have been written and published on early South African great black writers – eg Brian Willan’s biography of Sol Plaatje; Catherine Higgs’ biography of D.D.T Jabavu; and Tim Couzens’ biography of H.I.E Dhlomo.

The author has painstakingly put together a work that celebrates the whole essence of the life and literary achievements of Magema Fuze – from his childhood, his education, literary influences and his own extensive corpus of work; including his ground-making book, Abantu Abamnyama (1922).

This is a breath-taking, scholarly work produced by the author (Hlonipha Mokoena), who is assistant professor of anthropology at Columbia University in the City of New York. An invaluable book for scholarly and record purposes.

THE GHOSTLY ADVERSARY

Book: The Ghostly Adversary
Author: Omoseye Bolaji
Publisher: Drufoma (South Africa)
Pages: 116
Reviewer: Rebaone Motsalane

Sometimes, I hate a well written book. Maybe “hate” is rather a strong word, but I fail to find a proper alternative.

A good book lingers in your mind longer and it takes another book to cool you down. I have read so many books by Thomas Hardy and they always lingered in my mind and some have made a permanent space there.

The Book, The Ghostly Adversary (by Omoseye Bolaji)reminded me of Thomas Hardy though it is not really as melancholic as his stuff. Still, it really got on my nerves and now I am faced with the need to wipe my mind clear again.

Omoseye Bolaji has a love for the detective story, brilliantly written and I have enjoyed most of them. But this one hit a nerve as a woman, reading about the devastating effects rape can have on women.

Light hearted at first, I did not even guess that he was addressing rape and its impact and how brutal rapists really are. Though he tried his best to paint an un-frightening rape scenario, any rape story is a trauma to any woman.

It is only in the end that the mystery behind the attacks orchestrated on this woman raped twenty years ago is revealed.

She was raped in her teens and will never be the same again and dedicating her life to educate and teach others about rape.

One would think that after revenge she would be able to move on with her life, but the scars of rape were too deep and she ended up having to fight each and every man that wronged her in the end.

It is indeed a good book, but it will take a while before I gather my strength to read another detective book!

The book is for every one, tainted or not tainted by the crime of rape. It is a good detective story and available in local libraries.

P.S: If you know a less melancholic Thomas Hardy book, let me know…or then again, maybe not!

* This review was originally published in Mangaung issue (Jan 26, 2011)

CELEBRATING LEWIS NKOSI AND HIS SUBLIME HUMOUR

By O BOLAJI

When an illustrious African writer like Lewis Nkosi departs this world, the sorrow is profound for lovers of literature. Our consolation however is that we can always read and re-read the excellent literary works they leave behind.

In the case of Lewis Nkosi, the success of his novel, Mating Birds was quite staggering and the literary acclaim he garnered – and continues to garner – awesome. Yet for me, it is the humour in the work that always sticks in my mind. Although I say “humour” it is actually biting irony; as the perceptive reader, regardless of colour, realises how inhumane and horrific the erstwhile apartheid system was in South Africa.

Mating Birds on the surface is a simplistic work, brilliantly narrated in the first person by a young black man who had committed a terrible “crime” during the apartheid era – he had “raped” a white woman! In those days sexual relations between the different colours was strictly forbidden, hence the protagonist was facing the death sentence – which was duly passed on him (death by hanging)

But the primary irony is that Sibiya, the protagonist of the work had not actually raped the white woman; we can see clearly throughout the work that the lady liked him, and was even sexually attracted to him. She keeps on encouraging his interest in her which includes his coming to watch her at the beach, following her around, her not minding him hanging around just outside her home; and ultimately the prelude to his “rape” was when she took all her clothes off and despite seeing him just outside her home, she still does not close her door!

Nevertheless according to the laws of the time, the protagonist had committed a terrible crime, and had to die for it. The author, Lewis Nkosi subtly and intelligently shows the world that neither the white woman (Veronica) nor Sibiya were really guilty (the white lady had to lie in court that she was raped by a black man anyway; how could she ever admit that she welcomed his attentions?) – the real culprit was the apartheid system that completely disallowed any sort of intercourse between people from different races, with romance and its ilk a taboo!

As I have said, it is the “humour” or ironical devices that give this novel its haunting, lambent, unforgettable impact. Here I shall reproduce a few examples in celebration of the literary genius of the author, Lewis Nkosi. Whilst in the University, a key lecturer white explains to students like Sibiya that “whether we like it or not, African history commences with the arrival on African soil of the first white man. The history of Africa is the history not of black Africans but of white men in a foreign environment...”

The Court case of Sibiya for the rape of the white woman is a cause celebre with the young black man portrayed as a devil incarnate who had violated a hapless, white woman. After her testimony in court about her “rape”, the whites are outraged and incandescent with rage: Our narrator says: “(Hers) was a magnificent performance. A number of white men rose as if preparing to leap over the public galleries in order to get at my black carcass...others were crying ‘Lynch the (baboon)!”

Even the prosecuting lawyer has no time for Sibiya’s protests of defence that the white woman had encouraged him amorously; the prosecutor shouts at Sibiya in court: “You think a white madam can feel flattered by being gazed at by a baboon like you!” This from a learned lawyer!

Another white man in court bursts out: “Why not cut off his filthy black dingus, the rotten swine!”

That Sibiya is sexually drawn to Veronica, the white girl is never in doubt. The narrative reaches a crescendo as he finally realises his dream and takes her rather wildly inside her own room. She is clearly a willing participant in what is going on, but Sibiya realises only too well that he is throwing his whole life away by having sex with her. Death by hanging loomed! Yet the protagonist has reached a point of no-return; a situation reiterated by a brilliantly terse, grim, oxymoronic line which is also arguably a double entendre as he makes love with Veronica: “but come what may, I was determined to reach my climax,”

As he ultimately waits to be hanged in gaol, Sibiya reflects on everything and “bonds” with an eminent criminologist in the process, Dr Dufre (the Doctor is preparing an exhaustive study on the “criminal” Sibiya). Near the end, we are blithely told by our protagonist: “Upon the publication of his study, Dr Dufre will (receive) accolades for having conducted an illuminating study of the tormented mind of an African criminal (Sibiya). At least one person, I am glad to say, will benefit from (this tragedy)”

It is by the use of such profound, yet haunting irony (or as I dub it “humour”) that the author complements one of the greatest works ever churned out in African literature.

* O Bolaji is the author of imaginative books like Impossible Love (2000) The ghostly adversary (2001) People of the Townships (2003) Tebogo and the Haka (2008)Tebogo and the epithalamion (2009) and Tebogo and the pantophagist (2010)

MBALI XULU MAKES HER MARK!

When Ghana’s Ama Ata Aidoo published her wonderful work, Our Sister Kill Joy decades ago, the world warmed to the work, and still continues to praise it. Although more of a novel it was the powerful, lyrical lines of poetry in the book that grabbed most of the critical attention and praise. This shows that Africa’s women writers have always been able to churn out memorable poetry.

South African women have also been holding their heads high in the genre of poetry. The men of course seem to be streets ahead in this wise, but it is certain that more and more women are making their mark as poets. For many years Karen Press has been a formidable figure in poetry in the country; in recent times the likes of Lebo Mashile, Napo Masheane, Ntsiki Mazwai, Nthabiseng (Jah-Rose) Jafta have taken their rightful places as laudable female bards too, displaying “tongue-twisting immaculate diction”

Now Mbalenhle (Mbali) Xulu has published her debut collection of poetry titled “THE UNDYING SPIRIT OF A WOMAN”. The book is published by New Voices Publishing in Cape Town. The new author is understandably proud to have joined the vibrant ranks of female writers in the country

In an interview with fellow poet, author and columnist, “handsome” H Kunene, Xulu said, inter alia:

“I guess writing has always been part of me, but it’s just that maybe I didn’t realise then that it was a talent. As child I was very reserved and was the kind of child that wasn’t able to stand up for myself and was also very, very shy. That is when the writing had a role, whether I was sad or feeling left out (you know how cruel kids can be in their own way), or my mom had just given me a smack or I was cross for whatever reason, I’d resort to jotting down what I thought of the situation or how I was going to go about dealing with the situation at hand. That time it wasn’t mostly poetry, but it would just be a one line phrase trying to console myself or even a paragraph with positive thoughts…In 2008 we had an Aids Day function at work and there wasn’t much on the program, and it surely looked like it was going to be boring, so I decided to write something. That’s when I did my first complete poem called; I REFUSE TO GIVE UP, which is in my book, The Undying Spirit of a Woman. (This book) is my first book to be published, and at the moment I’m working on the second one for married couples called, Marriage that Actually Works…”

A warm welcome from the literary fraternity to Mme Xulu!

- Malome Eric

SPEAKING FOR THE GENERATIONS

SPEAKING FOR THE GENERATIONS

Review by Raselebeli Khotseng

Book: SPEAKING FOR THE GENERATIONS (2010)
Editor: Dike Okoro
Publisher: Africa World Press, Inc
Number of pages: 218
Reviewer: Raselebeli Khotseng


Anthologies of “contemporary African short stories” have been churned out over the decades. In the early period of African writing, illustrious names like Chinua Achebe,Ngugi wa Thiong’o, Dambudzo Marechera,Okot p’bitek etc were also renowned for their short stories (as distinct from their novels)

Indeed Chinua Achebe was the protagonist of at least two excellent such anthologies himself over the years. No matter what some cynics/detractors might claim, short story writing will always be dynamic and bubbling, straddling the whole African continent.

Talented short story writers will always emerge on a regular basis. For example in Lesotho, there is a remarkable short story writer called Leseli Mokhele. In the nearby Free State (South Africa) the very young Teboho Masakala is already making a name for himself in this genre.

This particular anthology titled “Speaking for the Generations” has been put together by Dike Okoro, with some 48 contributors. Okoro is a well known poet, short story writer, editor, essayist and critic. He is Assistant Professor of English and World Literature at Olive-Harvey College, Chicago (USA)

Contributors to this book include Benjamin Kwakye, Freddy Macha, Tijan M Sallah, Jackee Batanda, Aryan Kaganof, Mohammed Said Raihani, Tanure Ojaide, Lola Shoneyin, Kondwani Kamiyala, Dan Wanyama Innocent, Noun Gana, Omar A Alkakli, Emmanuel Sigauke, Prince Mensah, Ayobami Adebayo, Joyce Ashuntantang, Sitawa Namwalie, Eresina Hwede, Kobus Moolman.

Other contributors are Temitayo Olofinlua, Dipita Kwa, Akoli Penoukou, Moustapha Laghiri, Ilonga Ngale, A Igoni Barret, Ozioma Izuora, Yangange Wose, Niran Okewole, Tembo Magarimbo, Yewande Omotoso, Becky Apteker, Folake Idowu, Adekunle Afolabi, Beatrice Lamwaka, Mohammed Ferri, Emmanuel Iduma, Arja Salanfranca, Hicham Harrak, Ken Efeh, Said Ahoubate, Dipo Kalejaiye, Roland Marke, Zehra Ramij, F Odun Balogun, Onyi Udegbe, Khadija El Younoussi, Joseph Obi, and Habib D Rabbi.

The editor (Dike Okoro) writes in his Introduction to the book, inter alia: “This book represents fresh insights by some of the very best established and emerging voices of contemporary African fiction...many of these writers grapple with themes that are diverse and universal...(e.g) Aryan Kaganof’s story tackles contemporary South African reality using the politics of living in the post-apartheid era as a yardstick for understanding some of the struggles that a citizen (in South Africa) experiences...stylistically, the stories featured in this book are strong indicators of the oral tradition...it is my hope that readers will be able to identify with the Africa reflected here...”

From a personal point of view, I fairly enjoyed reading most of the short stories in this anthology. I will not say I found the stories particularly earth-shattering, but the thing about short stories is that one can read them individually at one’s pace; and even the most tedious of them come to an end soon! I commend the editor of this work for going out of his way to include writers from virtually every nook and cranny of the continent.