By O Bolaji
Not far from
becoming a centenarian now, the South African writer, Peter Abrahams in his pomp
brilliantly inspired a generation of disparate African writers.
On his own
part, world class Kenyan writer, Ngugi wa Thiong'o would exhilaratingly point
out that Abrahams' works fired his imagination as a young student, and made him
feel that he could write too. It was the same for many other Africans all over
the continent, including yours truly.
I count myself very lucky to have been
introduced to Peter Abrahams' early novel, Mine
Boy, when I was still a kid at school in west Africa. The simplicity of the
work was haunting, complemented by the very fine writing skills of the author.
It was only natural that as an impressionable
youngster one would be prodded to try and get as many books of this particular
author as possible - Tell Freedom, which
was autobiographical, was easily available then, and another good read.
In respect
of Mine Boy, the story of the
metamorphosis of Xuma, the pertinent mine boy, from "strong
simpleton" to a thinking gentleman and possible catalyst of change during
apartheid is an unforgettable one.
One was forced to ponder dolefully: why
couldn't all men be free and equal in this society? Why so many unfair
crackdowns on the blacks by the powers that-be? Even Xuma's love affairs were
frustrated and truncated by the state. His lovely "Eliza was gone..."
- what pain for poor Xuma!
The
impression one kept on getting from his works was that here was (Abrahams) a
very decent man who just wanted to be treated as a human being and intermingle
with others with facility.
Certainly in
Tell Freedom, even in those days many
decades ago in SA he was able to forge some friendships with some decent people
across the colour bar; yet because of apartheid these people (say whites) could
not even greet him in broad daylight in public!
This broke the author's – and even
such friends' - hearts - and further convinced Abrahams that he just had to get
out of the country; which he managed to do...he wanted to be free!
Incidentally,
this reminds one of Sindiwe Magona, the distinguished SA female black writer
whose early life was made a misery too because of apartheid. As her works show,
she wished she could be free too and mix with other races...it is with choked
glee that she happily recalls hosting white friends and acquaintances when she
later lived in America... "This is what apartheid denied us..."
Unlike
Magona who began writing creatively around her 40s, Peter Abrahams started to
do so as a youngster. He always wanted to write and he did so competently and
convincingly. He drew the attention of countless people around the world to the
despicable situation in South Africa, even as he has retired in Jamaica for
decades now. But what an inspiration!!
Works published by Peter Abrahams
Dark Testament (1942)
Song of the City (1945)
Mine Boy (1946)
The Path of Thunder (1948)
Wild Conquest (1950)
Return to Goli (1953)
Tell Freedom (1954)
A Wreath for Udomo (1956)
A Night of Their Own (1965)
This Island Now (1966)
The View from Coyaba (1985)
The Black Experience in the 20th
Century: An Autobiography and Meditation (2000)
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