The Sunday Mail
ZIMBABWE is blessed with a rich literary culture spanning several decades, thanks to the country’s high literacy rate, which has seen the country being regarded as one of the most educated nations on the continent.
The oral story telling of ancient times seems to have been passed down from our forefathers to the gifted writers of our generation, who instead of using word of mouth have a compelling way of telling the Zimbabwean story in black and white.
One such genius of the pen is Shimmer Chinodya, who after writing his first novel in the early 80s at the age of 18, has over the years mastered the art and is regarded as a legend.
One of his books, “Chioniso and Other Stories”, is a true reflection of the man’s talent and knowledge as he forages through bits and pieces of numerous aspects of life, hovering within the space between the pre-colonial era and present day.
Despite the stories in the anthology having varying themes, Chinodya demonstrated great skill by creating the character of Godfrey, a creative writer and Education Officer, who he uses to intertwine some of the stories.
Reflecting on injustices of the colonial era and conditions the masses had to live under during the liberation struggle in one story, the author swiftly manoeuvres to tackle problems of a broken modern family in another.
The style varies with each story and I was impressed with the way Chinodya comfortably shifts between subject matters while at the same time maintaining relevance concurrent with real life events. The author managed to give us a glimpse of Godfrey from the time he was a primary school pupil in “Infidel”, which surprisingly is the last story in the book and in “Chioniso” he is a successful writer and father of three who is having trouble dealing with a rebellious daughter.
“Infidel” tackles religion and how it affects traditional values and beliefs, setting the tone with a newly born again young boy in sixth grade, Godfrey, who starts to avoid rubbing shoulders with the “unsavoury herd of the unsaved”.
He is still engulfed by religion when he goes to high school at a government boarding school where he enlists in the scripture union.
Chinodya puts a lot of effort in illuminating Godfrey’s character and his words of choice are a feast for the eyes and mind, playing around with hard-hitting punch lines.
“He kept himself scrupulously clean in thought and deed, diligently avoiding smoking, drinking, pilfering, petty bullying, truancy, midnight mealie-raiding forays to the farms and various acts of abuse, self-inflicted and otherwise, which were rife in the dorms,” goes the narration which gives a clear picture of how the boy behaved at school.
In this story, we see an author in training as Godfrey has already started writing poetry and his compositions are worth showing off.
Chinodya takes us on a stroll as we digest the plight of a single parent who is beginning to notice the rift between him and a stubborn daughter in “Chioniso”.
Written in first person narration, the protagonist expresses how he feels about Chioniso in the first few lines, “Cheeky little bastard, stubborn to the core – I wonder who she takes after, her mother or me? Whatever…she has no business creating this wedge between us.”
Chioniso is described as incredibly self-willed, determined to get what she wants at whatever cost and is used to bulldozing her way through thick and thin with nothing but her sixteen years and guts.
This story highlights how growing up with separated parents can affect a child’s mentality as Chioniso is said to have been a darling as a child but in adolescent stages, with teenage independence creeping in she starts being influenced by her mother whose views conflict with those of her father.
Numerous other issues within politics, gender conflicts, government policies and the economic variants among other societal elements are what make up the book.
Chinodya is a tried and tested author and in this offering, he did not lower the bar but instead set the pace for the younger generation of writers.
Intelligently manoeuvring through time and space, the author effectively writes in such a manner that you can easily believe his fabrications to be real life events.
