AFTER reading classics in the Shona literary pantheon such as Charles Mungoshi’s Kunyarara Hakusi Kutaura? (1980), Aaron Chiundura Moyo’s Ndabva Zera (1992)or Mapenzi (1999) by Ignatius Mabasa, one is often tempted to wonder if the Shona creative writing tradition will be able to stand the test of time.
Title: Nei?
Author: Lazarus Sauti
Publisher: Royalty Books (2017)
But, as we have learnt particularly from Mungoshi and Mabasa, innovative writers continue to re-invent the language to suit the shifting framework of literature in indigenous languages. One such new writer is Lazarus Sauti, who has just published his debut literary offering in Shona, Nei? (Why?).
To his credit, Sauti has even extended the boundary of innovation by packaging both short stories and poems in one collection, offering variety to the reader.
Sauti does not flatter to deceive. His book demonstrates that the first cut, indeed, can be the deepest. What you find here are deep narratives that will force you to reflect over issues that continue to confound society.
The collection opens with the poem Simuka (Arise), in which the persona dares Africa to do serious self-introspection around the exploitation of its natural wealth and labour force by foreigners.
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Ndepapi Pacho? (Where is the problem?) on the other hand, is a plea for answers in the face of an unrelenting drought. It feeds into the traditional African ethos where, in such circumstances, beer is prepared and rituals carried out to compel the forces of nature to bow down to the demands of humanity. The persona appeals to the ancestors to show them where they have erred so they could correct their errors and attract the rain.
In Chii? (What?) the elderly persona, who represents an old-school system played by the book, is struggling to understand why today’s young men cannot keep their zips shut and why young women cannot keep their panties up. The persona is concerned that such a licentious lifestyle makes young people vulnerable to virulent and destructive sexually-transmitted diseases.
In the short story Misungo (Traps), we meet Clopas Muchibho Moyo, who becomes an epitome of poorly-paid civil servants, but offers a service that can bring them instant riches if they decide to cut corners. A wealthy businessman dangles a monetary gift before Clopas so that he can access a piece of land. Several demands — the needs of his family on the one hand and the moral rectitude of his faith on the other — compete for his attention.
In this story, Sauti feeds on developments in contemporary Zimbabwe, given that Moyo’s wife, who used to augment the salary income through her vending enterprise, was forced off the streets in a government clean-up campaign.
Here, we are forced to confront the reality that corruption is real: Moyo is forced to accept the bribe because circumstances demand it. He has to pay fees for the children, rentals at the house where they are staying, subscriptions for his residential stand and other day-to-day needs at home.
The same theme is revisited in the poem Kakonye (Vice), in which the poet explores how corruption is like a cancer that tears apart society’s moral fabric. The extent of the rot, according to the poet, is so alarming, spreading its vice-like tentacles to society’s key institutions such as schools, local authorities, government departments and even churches, which are supposed to be society’s moral vanguard.
In Rinamanyanga Ungaridii? we learn of the love affair between Best Chimwaza and Ngwarai. The story explores issues of betrayal and the pitfalls associated with rejecting wise counsel. Typical of stories of this nature in the Shona literary canon, largely influenced by the pastoral romanticism that drove pre-independent Shona novels, Best’s refusal to accept advice attracts dire consequences as he ends up infected with HIV.
One of the most contentious arguments of our day is that of miracles peddled by mushrooming Pentecostal churches. Are they bona fide God-miracles or it’s just smoke and mirrors? If you are domiciled in Zimbabwe, you are most likely to be familiar with stories about gold dust said to have rained in some churches, or a “prophet” that claimed he took selfies with God during a visit to heaven and even had braai with the Creator.
All these issued are delineated in the poem, Hii! (Oh my!). The piece’s title itself suggests shock and unbelief. But the persona in the poem is not judgmental. He comes across as that simple young man next door vexed by the things he has seen and heard within the walls of a Pentecostal church.
From the same tradition that feeds this poem comes the unique short story, Ndaibhadharwa Kufambisa Minana: Delight Munjanja (I was paid to fake miracles).
Personally, I believe this is probably the finest piece in the collection for a number of reasons, primarily the stylistic approach which Sauti settled for — a question and answer “newspaper approach” to tell the story of a former church employee, Delight Munjanja, who exposes how fraudulent miracles were carried out at the church under Prophet Ishmael Myeyangauwande.
If Sauti exercised restraint in the poem Hii! here he takes no prisoners and goes for the killer punch. The style itself is a novelty in this tradition of literature, and adds to the depth of this collection courtesy of the variety it offers.
One of the things I particularly found striking about this collection is Sauti’s choice of titles for his pieces — in particular Ndepapi Pacho? (Where exactly?), Chii? (What?) Hii! Zvanikowo! (Get off) and Shhhhh! (Hush). This is at once playful and intuitive, demonstrating the expansive range of Sauti’s creativity.
In his introduction to the anthology, the editor, Tinashe Muchuri, notes that most of the pieces collected here are a reflection of the questions around issues that vex humanity, and which demand answers. But whether or not Sauti does justice in proffering answers to the questions he raises, is up to the reader to determine.
Fast-paced and gripping, Nei? is a slim volume that you can read and enjoy in one sitting. It definitely confirms Sauti as a writer to watch in the future, particularly in Shona literature, which has been suffering a gradual dearth.
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