A MASK DANCING. By Adewale Maja-Pearce

 LITERARY CRITICISM

What a work! A literary tour de force. This book encompasses robust intellectual eclectic criticism of major African writers over the decades.

No writer is spared, no matter their achievements or corpus of awesome works (only perhaps Wole Soyinka). The peerless Chinua Achebe does not come out too well, though the critic is only too aware of his global reputation.

Pearce inter alia writes: "But this is hardly surprising when one considers the paucity of his (Achebe's) understanding of the contemporary society he portrayed...". The great T M Aluko, and many others are criticised in this vein too.

The towering Ngugi wa Thiong'o? He "...has at least applied with characteristic thoroughness in his more recent work, with disastrous results"... and of course Okara's celebrated work, The Voice, is a "disaster " too. As for Ekwensi's Jagua Nana's Daughter, which many of us felt was vivid and thrilling, the critic assures us it is an "unmitigated disaster".


We wince when the exalted critic continually refers to the "inept prose/writing" or "appalling style/prose" of Africa's best writers, then he proceeds to quote such examples from their work. Alas, for we mere mortals such quotes often look superb and well written!

One would have thought that our critic would laud Ben Okri, who at barely 20 years old had already published two world class novels, Flowers and Shadows; and The landscapes Within. But though Pearce acknowledges the achievement of this (now) all time great writer, he still does not believe that the works are a "success", including Okri's The Famished Road, which won the prestigious Booker Award!

The impression one would finally get probably is that the critic here expects the very highest of literary standards and enjoys evaluating the best of African writing even if they always somewhat fall short as far as he is concerned!

- R. Mokoena

The Perfect Nine: The Epic of Gĩkũyũ and Mũmbi. BY NGUGI WA THIONG'O

 

A dazzling, genre-defying novel in verse, from the author Delia Owens says “tackles the absurdities, injustices, and corruption of a continent”

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s novels and memoirs have received glowing praise from the likes of President Barack Obama, the New Yorker, the New York Times Book Review, The Guardian, and NPR; he has been a finalist for the Man International Booker Prize and is annually tipped to win the Nobel Prize for Literature; and his books have sold tens of thousands of copies around the world.

In his first attempt at the epic form, Ngũgĩ tells the story of the founding of the Gĩkũyũ people of Kenya, from a strongly feminist perspective. A verse narrative, blending folklore, mythology, adventure, and allegory, The Perfect Nine chronicles the efforts the Gĩkũyũ founders make to find partners for their ten beautiful daughters—called “The Perfect Nine” —and the challenges they set for the 99 suitors who seek their hands in marriage. The epic has all the elements of adventure, with suspense, danger, humor, and sacrifice.

Ngũgĩ’s epic is a quest for the beautiful as an ideal of living, as the motive force behind migrations of African peoples. He notes, “The epic came to me one night as a revelation of ideals of quest, courage, perseverance, unity, family; and the sense of the divine, in human struggles with nature and nurture.” ‘

 

IN THE TIMES OF COVID-19...

 

In The Times of Covid-19

(A Short Story)

 

By

 

Matshidiso P Taleng

 

 

 

 

 1

 

Dineo and Thapelo had problems in their marriage for a while now since Thapelo cheated on her with her best friend. Dineo was seven talking about divorcing Thapelo, but every time she thought about their twin girls Khwezi and Khany, she would just rethink the whole thing

The two of them were even sleeping in separate rooms, though the kids seemed okay with it; they weren’t it was really tearing them apart and since they were doing their final year of matric, this divorce thing was really getting to them.

One day when The twins came back from school, they found their mother in bed sleeping in her bedroom, they asked her what was wrong, the weather was blazing hot for her to be in bed, so clearly something must’ve been wrong, she didn’t answer them, instead; she just continued to cry.Khwezi tried to call their father but his phone was off, so then she called the office; they told her that Thapelo didn’t come to work.

‘’Mom, where’s Dad? Because I just called him and his phone is off, when I called his office they say he never came to work today and didn’t even call to say why’’ Said Khwezi

‘’I know nothing about your dad these days’’ Said Dineo

Khanyi called Khwezi outside the bedroom.

‘’Let’s go cook sis’’ said Khanyi

They stepped outside the bedroom and went to the kitchen.

‘’We need to do something about Mom and Dad’s situation, this has gone on for too long now’’ Khanyi whispered

‘’What can we do?’’ Khwezi asked

‘’I don’t know yet, but we have to come up with a plan and fast’’ Said Khanyi

‘’We could plan a getaway for them but you heard there’s going to be a lockdown due to this coronavirus pandemic, so I don’t know what we’ll do’’ said Khwezi

‘’it’s okay, a plan will come up’’ Said Khanyi

 

 

 

                                                                           2

 

The lockdown had now stared, and everybody had to stay indoors. Now things were even more awkward in the house. Dineo and Thapelo felt like a house with 8 rooms was suddenly way too small for the both of them, there was just not enough space for them both.When one wanted to make a cup of coffee and found the other one in the kitchen, one of them had to leave the kitchen, it was bad and even worse for the kids.

One night, Thapelo was sitting watching movies in the lounge and Khwezi came to join him.

‘’Dad, do you have a minute?’’ She asked

‘’Sure, come sit here next to me’’ He said

‘’It’s about you and Mom’’ She said

‘’Baby girl, there’s nothing you need to worry about, this thing is between me and your mother’’ He said

‘’That’s the thing Dad, it’s worrying us, I can’t even sleep at night, wondering if you guys were to get a divorce then where does that leave us, Me and Khanyi’’ She said

‘’Your mother and I just need time to think things through, we’ll be okay’’ He said

‘’If you really want to fix this, then I think me and Khanyi have a plan that can help rekindle your love and bring back that spark’’ She said

‘’Okay, I’m listening’’ He said

‘’Well, we were thinking a romantic dinner for two, with every pictures of you guys together, including all the love letters that you used to write to her when you guys were young’’ she said

‘’Even cook our meal that we had on our first date’’ He said excitedly

‘’And play all your favourite songs’’ Said Khanyi walking in on them

‘’Perfect, just perfect, but wait. Its lockdown, where are going to get everything, the decorations and stuff?’’ He asked

‘’Relax Dad, I had figured this a long time ago, leave everything to me, you just worry about fitting in that suit of yours that she likes’’ Said Khwezi.

 

                                                              3

 

It was on a Sunday night and everybody was sitting in the lounge eating dinner, there was a loud knock on the door and just before they could open for that person, she barged. It was Khanyi’s best friend Lulama.

‘’Lulu, what are you doing here this late and how did you get in?’’ Khanyi asked her

‘’I jumped over the fence’’ She said

‘’Why are you crying? Come sit down’’ Said Khanyi

‘’Give her the sanitizer to sanitize her hands before coming in here’’ Said Dineo

‘’Okay, you can remove your mask and then first tell us how did you manage to get out of the house and get here before the police could see you, I mean you do know that we’re not supposed to be seen on the streets right? Unless you’re an essential worker with a permit’’ Said Khwezi

‘’I want to know what she’s doing here this late’’ Said Dineo

‘’Could you just give the poor girl a chance to breath, you can see she’s been running so let her calm down first’’ Said Thapelo

‘’Why?’’ Asked Dineo

‘’Lulu, tell us what’s wrong’’ said Thapelo

‘’It’s, my brother’’ she cried

‘’What happened to him? is he okay?’’ Khanyi asked her

‘’He’s been sleeping with me and Mom hasn’t noticed’’ She continued crying

‘’What?! When did this happen, how?’’ Khanyi asked

‘’Since the lockdown started and we stopped going to school, and things have been so hectic at the hospital with new cases that Mom practically lived there, so every single day and night, my brother would force himself on me’’ she said

‘’My God! Lulu, this is bad, did you report him?’’ Asked Khwezi

‘’Whenever I went to the police station, they’d tell me that someone in the building tested positive for covid-19 so now the station would be closed, so I’d go back home to being raped again by my brother, till he found out that I’ve been going to the police, that’s when he locked me in his room, whenever mom came back home and asked where I was, he’d just say I’m here with you’’ She said

‘’So your mom didn’t notice anything?’’ Khanyi asked

‘’Nothing at all, so now she has tested positive for covid-19 and she’s bad, she’s now in hospital to get quarantined, my brother now became worse, all he’d do is rape me, go smoke drugs, come back and do it again, I haven’t had anything to eat or drink in five days’’ she said

‘’Now how did you manage to escape from there?’’Khanyi asked

‘’Normally he’d come back, rape me then lock me in his bedroom while he go sit in the lounge to eat and watch TV, till he comes back in the room to sleep, he’d do all of this with my hands tied to my back and my mouth stuffed with a cloth and closed with a duct tape, so now this time he made a mistake of leaving the door unlocked and then passed out on the couch, that’s when I managed to untie myself but cutting the cloth he tied my hands with by using the scissors he had put on the table then ran to you guys and to ask that you accommodate me for a day or two till I find money to go to my grandmother’s house in Qwaqwa’’ she said

‘’You’re not staying here’’ Said Dineo

‘’What? Mom, did you just hear what happened to Lulu?’’ Khanyi asked

‘’I’m not deaf, I heard everything, this girl’s mother was my husband’s mistress for three years and now I have to help her daughter? No’’ said Dineo

‘’But she apologized’’ Said Thapelo

‘’Because I caught you guys’’ Said Dineo

Khanyi pleaded with her Mom to let Lulama stay a couple of days until eventually Dineo calmed down and realized that Lulama wasn’t the one that betrayed her, so she should have a problem with her former best friend and Thapelo.

So Lulu stayed with them, though it was hard, but she managed to let it all go and managed to love Lulu again as she had always loved her, since Lulama was just like her own daughter

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 4

 

The day finally arrived, of the surprise dinner for Dineo. During the day everybody acted all normal, playing games in the house and having fun. Dineo and Thapelo were now easing up to each other, not all the way perfect but more civil with each other, Lulama was still there and she also knew about the surprise. Later that night she decided that she’ll be the one keeping Dineo busy in her room.

‘’So since it’s been this lockdown, I haven’t seen you in all your pretty dresses and make up’’ Said Lulama

‘’The way this lockdown has been going on for so long, I think by the time is over, I’ll be fat as a pig and won’t be able to fit in them anymore’’ Dineo laughed

‘’Don’t worry, they won’t go to waste, I’ll be here to take them off your hands’’ Lulama giggled

‘’Wouldn’t you just love that’’ Dineo smiled

‘’You know me, I’ve always wanted to look and dress just like you when I’m older’’ Lulama smiled back

‘’That is so sweet, thank you baby girl’’ Dineo hugged her with a smile

‘’I have an idea, you can wear some of your clothes now before they get too small for you’’ She said

‘’Wait, tell how have you been so far? Have you decided to go for counselling yet and pressing charges against your brother?’’ Dineo asked

‘’Honestly, I have you to thank, I can only imagine how difficult all this must’ve been for you with me being here, but thank you for helping me, and yes, I’m just waiting for my mom to get better and out of hospital then I can fist tell her everything, then go press charges, after that I can go for counselling’’ she said

‘’I’m really sorry of how I treated you in the beginning, you honestly didn’t deserve any of that’’ said Dineo

‘’Don’t mention it, you were still hurt and angry. Anyway enough with the emotional stuff this is your day’’ She said

‘’My day? What do you mean?’’ Dineo asked

‘’Yes, your day to play dress up’’ She smiled; realizing she almost let the cat out of the bag.

‘’Okay, help me pic which one I should put on first’’ Dineo asked

The twins had already showed her the dress that Thapelo really like of hers, so she went straight to it, took it out and said ‘’This is GORGEOUS, I love this one’’ she said

‘’Do you mind picking another one?’’ Dineo asked her

‘’But why, I really love this one’’ She said

‘’This is a dress that Thapelo bought me for our first anniversary and took me out, it has been his favourite dress for all these years’’ Said Dineo

‘’So what’s the problem, you guys have been kind of good together now’’ She said

‘’I know but I don’t want him thinking I’m trying to seduce him or something, I mean look at this dress, it’s so tight’’ Said Dineo

‘’And sexy’’ Lulu smiled

‘’But still’’ Said Dineo

‘’But nothing, it’s lockdown, we’re not allowed to go to the malls, movies, parties, so best we put this time for good use’’ Lulu smiled

‘’Okay fine, but after dressing up, I get right out of it’’ Said Dineo

‘’I first help you out with your make up then we take a few pictures and then you can get out of it, promise’’ She said

‘’Fine, let’s get it started already’’ Said Dineo

She changed what she was wearing and got dressed into that beautiful black cocktail dress, Lulama helped with her make-up and right as she was done, she secretly sent a text to Khanyi telling her that they were done. So as they were busy taking pictures, Dineo heard music in the lounge.

‘’Wait, what’s that?’’ Dineo asked

‘’What’s what?’’ Lulu asked

‘’This song, the song that’s playing, that’s Me and Thapelo’s song, Lulama, what’s going on?’’ she asked

‘’Not guilty’’ Said Lulama while raising her hands and smiling

Dineo got out of the room and the whole table was set and there were pictures on a slideshow of her and Thapelo since they were in high school up until they got married, as she was still trying to catch her breath from all that beautiful set up, Thapelo came from behind her and whispered in her ear ‘’You look gorgeous’’

She turned around and then Thapelo went down on his knees.

‘’Words can’t even begin to describe how broken I am that I have lost my best friend, my twin soul, my ride or die, my ying and yang, the air that I breathe, all because of my stupidity. I let my feelings take control of me, get the better of me and slightly forgot about what we shared, I can’t bring back the time nor undo what I did to you but I would like for us to start over,   because my life has been nothing without you, I know you didn’t go anywhere but your silence spoke volumes, please forgive me, you are all I have and all I want in my life, you and our two beautiful daughters are my life. I am so sorry for hurting you’’ cried Thapelo as he poured out his heart

‘’This lockdown, has given me enough thought, seeing you around the house day in and day out, has made me realize that I don’t want to lose you, I have loved you ever since we were young and I still love you to this day’’Dineo cried too

Before you knew it, everybody was in tears and then in a few minutes they were now seated on the table all happy and having dinner, Thapelo couldn’t let go of Dineo’s hand throughout the time.

But their happiness was cut short as Lulama received a call from the hospital saying that her mother had just passed on. It was now a painful night for all of them, but they stuck with her through everything, helped with the funeral arrangements, though there wasn’t that much work because of all the rules of covid-19 and people keeping their social distance, it was a very sad funeral with just a few people that had attended.

But after the funeral, Dineo and Thapelo helped Lulama to go open a case against her brother, and he was found guilty, from there onwards, she was taken for counselling.

* Matshidiso Taleng is the author of books like SECRETS (poetry) and UNFOLDING THE DOCUMENTARY (novel)

ALAPATA APATA. By Wole Soyinka

We continue to marvel at the literary career of the phenomenon called Wole Soyinka- a man who now, not so far from the age of 90, continues to dazzle with his assorted writings.

He was very young when the world already took note of him as a brilliant playwright well over half a century ago....and at 80 or almost 80 he wrote this brilliant play, Alapata Apata.

Alapata Apata? An ingenious fecund title. Anyone of Yoruba extraction will confirm this. The great man himself is proud of the title, no doubt as one saw during tv interviews when he chuckled with satisfaction whilst explaining the alliteration/puns et al in respect of the title.

Soyinka of course has been street lights ahead of virtually rest of the field as a playwright for years on end. He is also a profound linguist. Not only in English. He has appeared in at least one major French dramatic production over the years, and we have seen him delivering important speeches in the French. Of course in English he is easily one of the Best in the world, if not the best...?

Yoruba is Soyinka's mother tongue, and he relishes it, as is palpable from the manifold allusions and aphorisms that dot his work. There is the small matter of his translating the classical works of monumental Yoruba writer, D. O Fagunwa into English. In this play, Alapata Apata, the Nobel Laureate toys and exhilarates in the Yoruba language, though the phalanx of English language readers will still appreciate the work.

We see the reference to "xenophile" alongside the title of the book. No, I hardly knew the meaning of the word too - though it is useful to think of the opposite of xenophobe (xenophobia)... But in this book we also see the very hilarious, sarcastic side of Soyinka which has always typified his Writings.

The protagonist, Alaba who is the "alapata" (Butcher in Yoruba language) is a rather weather beaten man, assailed by pertinent political giants that this reviewer will not highlight upon here. (Also note that "apata" means Rock in Yoruba). Hence a simplistic translation of the title of this book from Yoruba to English would be something like The Butcher of the Rock.

I like the reference to a "Teacher " friend of Alaba here, a thinker and articulator who might remind of us the Spartan teacher in Ayi Kwei Armah’s superb novel, The beautyful ones are not yet born. The Teacher in this play is the one who emphasises the essentially futile, vapid, ineffectual existence of many important Africans, as it were.

And Alaba accepts this, rather gleefully and farcically. He acknowledges he is involved in often doing "Nothing. Nothing. Nothing...Oh Teacher. You are a Tower of Strength… I feel inspired my Mentor. Energised…’’

Top notch Soyinka drama – as usual!

- Review by O. (Eric) Bolaji.

J. P. CLARK DIES

One of Africa's greatest ever writers, John Pepper Clark (JP Clark) is dead. He was a contemporary of Wole Soyinka, Africa's first Nobel Laureate in Literature - they studied at the University of Ibadan together; and were both great dramatists and poets.

Clark was regarded as one of Africa's early  pre-eminent writers alongside the likes of Achebe, Soyinka, Ngugi, Es'kia Mphahlele, Denis Brutus, Kofi Awoonor, Ekwensi, Camara Laye, Flora Nwapa, Senghor, Amos Tutuola, Peter Abrahams. Clark wrote many important books mainly in the 60s and 70s.

His poetry was superb, collected in a number of books, anthologies and journals. Many focused on the traumatic ripples of the Nigerian civil war; hundreds of thousands of students studied his poetry in schools and colleges. 

Clark's dramatic works were also celebrated, including the early Song of a Goat, and Ozidi - the latter considered a profound autochthonous literary classic.

Chief Seye Bolaji, a versatile, prolific African writer, reminisces:   "I  remember a superb production of the play in Nigeria decades ago where my own senior brother, the late Barrister Omotayo Bolaji, starred as intriguing protagonist, Ozidi! How proud I was of my brother for years on end, marvelling at how he could commit to memory the countless esoteric polished verses and aphorisms of such an elevated play."

Clark's prose was also world class and polemical; his work, America their America, regarded as seminal and brilliant by the literary world. Clark was one of the elite writers who gleefully welcomed Soyinka back home after he won the Nobel Award for Literature.    

Clark was 85 when he died this week. Immediately after his demise was announced, Nigerian President, Mr Buhari, led the glowing tributes to the world class bard.

Gluck garners the Nobel Prize for Literature

This year's Nobel Prize for Literature has been awarded to the US poet, Louise Glück. 

She is the fourth woman to win the prize for literature since 2010, and only the 16th since the Nobel prizes were first awarded in 1901.

Glück was recognised for "her unmistakable poetic voice, that with austere beauty makes she individual existence universal" said the Swedish Academy, which oversees the award.

Glück, born 1943 in New York, lives in Massachusetts and is also professor of English at Yale University. 

Glück won the Pulitzer Prize in 1993 for her collection The Wild Iris and the National Book Award in 2014. Her other honours include the 2001 Bollingen Prize for Poetry, the Wallace Stevens Award, given in 2008, and a National Humanities Medal, awarded in 2015. 

 Her poetry focuses on the painful reality of being human, dealing with themes such as death, childhood, and family life. She also takes inspiration from Greek mythology and its characters, such as Persephone and Eurydice, who are often the victims of betrayal.

The Academy said her 2006 collection Averno was a "masterly collection, a visionary interpretation of the myth of Persephone's descent into Hell in the captivity of Hades, the god of death".

The chair of the Nobel prize committee, Anders Olsson, also praised the poet's "candid and uncompromising" voice, which is "full of humour and biting wit".

Her 12 collections of poetry are "characterised by a striving for clarity", he added, comparing her with Emily Dickinson with her "severity and unwillingness to accept simple tenets of faith".

The Nobel prize is given to the person who has "produced in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction".

* Courtesy, BBC

MORNING YET ON CREATION DAY. By Chinua Achebe

Early  Essays by Chinua Achebe

Unequivocally, there is reinforced credence when a top creative writer decides to review, criticise, or evaluate works produced by other writers. This is the case in Africa too, where many of the celebrated creative writers have also written extensively on fellow writers' products.

Hence, over the decades we have seen literary essays and criticisms brought out by the likes of Ngugi wa Thiong'o of Kenya, Es'kia Mphahlele of South Africa, Lewis Nkosi also of South Africa, Wole Soyinka of Nigeria, Kofi Awoonor of Ghana, and the illustrious prof Palmer of Sierra Leone.

Arguably, Chinua Achebe of Nigeria is the greatest ever imaginative wordsmith from Africa, and it is exhilarating that he was also a very perceptive, adroit literary critic. His imaginative "attack" on Conrad's Heart of Darkness, eg has entered the canon of international literary criticism, most famously.

But Achebe produced countless other essays and diverse appreciation of other writers and their works', especially of fellow African writers. His first major essays of this ilk appeared in this book, Morning Yet on Creation Day. Here he deals with varied concepts of literary criticism, the world, Eurocentric prism, the peculiarities of African writing and appreciation, etc. He also revisits his own past and upbringing, sociological and historical mores of his own society et al.

Achebe certainly knew and appreciated most of the early fine writers from all over Africa; in fact he facilitated the publication of initial books written by many of them, including the great Ngugi, and Flora Nwapa. In this work, with the lively, fluid detachment discernible in his own books, he discusses many of others' books, including authors like Ama Atta Aidoo, Ayi Kwei Armah, and Camara Laye.

Intermittently, Achebe does deliver rather negative comments on some of the published works, but the general impression garnered is how much this colossal African writer enjoyed savouring books written by others. An invaluable early work, and a literary treasure trove!

- Eric Malome