Title: Paradise Stories Author: Eve Nyemba-Mazando ISBN: 978-0-7974-776-6 Publisher: Self (2017)
We are always told never to judge a book by its cover because appearances can be deceiving. But that notion does not apply to Eve Nyemba-Mazando’s anthology for young readers, Paradise Stories.
REVIEWED BY BENIAH MUNENGWA
This collection of six short stories is aimed at inculcating Ubuntu and Christian values, particularly in children.
The book does not just borrow from the world of the Bible, fables and folktales, but fuses all these to form narratives accessible to a 21st century child. The book is written in such a way that it makes the child relate to the text.
In the first story, The Princess Who Never Talked, Prince Ishe’s adventure in taking Princess Runako as his wife after she had declined the proposals of other princes who wanted to pay her for her hand in marriage, reinforces the culture of valuing love over materialism.
A story that captures outstanding bravery then follows. After little Rudo had almost been attacked by a crocodile that has haunted Rujeko Township, Kundai rescues the village by killing the crocodile in the story, Kundai and the Fearsome Crocodile.
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However, it did not escape my eye that this story may not sit well with pro-feminist readers, for it reinforces patriarchal narratives in which it takes a boy to protect a girl.
The anthology also includes a story based on the biblical narrative of the birth of Jesus. The circumstances of the birth are well-rendered in The Holy Child, which will help impart Christian values.
In A Special Gift, Nyemba-Mazando captures the dreams and aspirations of many in their childhood years. In me, as an adult, it evoked nostalgic feelings of how we dreamed all would just be alright either by a magic spell or by not waking up from our dreamlands.
One of my favourite pieces is the story, The Greedy Girl, which captures the life of a girl, who pesters her mother for food and favours without respecting her parent. The mother falling ill helps the girl to realise how desperately she needs her. As she starts adjusting to her new life as a child living with a sick mother, she repents and learns how to be a useful, understanding and helpful child.
In Zindoga the Lonely Prince, we learn that “some people are so poor, all they have is money”.
Zindoga is a prince with all the material wealth that any child could have, but still remains haunted by loneliness. This loneliness only ends when he later finds time and space to play with other kids.
All the stories in the collection explore issues of childhood and parenting that had escaped Zimbabwe’s literary lenses for a long time. So, the stories speak against the use of toys and corporal punishment as substitutes to dialogue with children, giving them time to play with others on their own.
The dialogue and choice of words in the anthology is accessible to a wide range of readership. I was surprised when adults confirmed their interest in the anthology, saying, “this is our kind of book,” maybe because they have been bombarded with verbose books that demand high levels of literacy to unlock meaning.
The aesthetics, presentation and delivery here stand out, miles ahead of other self-published books that now dominate the country’s book production landscape.
The well-edited text, courtesy of Memory Chirere, beautiful illustrations, which make the story come alive and the coloured print and quality paper, are hallmarks of well-executed project.
I was only left with one reservation; that the stories tend to be a bit longer than necessary to keep the attention and comprehension of younger readers.
Reading through the book, you can sense the voice that tells you that you are reading a book written by a social worker, who also penned When God Changed His Mind (2010) and Look Within (2008).
Beniah Munengwa can be contacted via email on [email protected]
