The Heart of Redness: A Novel

To Bhonco, son of Ximiya, of the amaXhosa people of South Africa, redness connotes the backwardness of his ancestors. It refers to the red ochre "that women smear on their bodies and with which they also dye their isikhakha skirts". He strives to lead his family out of the primitive past, out of the darkness of the redness , toward the rest of civilization. This he believes, can be advanced through the approval of plans for a new casino in his home village of Qolora-by-Sea; where tourists may flock, bringing sophistication and money and jobs.In his 2002 novel, The Heart of Redness (the title being an allusion to Conrad's classic novella) Zakes Mda, a South African, novelist, poet and playwright, not only recounts the true story of Nongqawuse, a young prophetess, and her supporters, the Cult of the Believers, but he also imagines the effect they had on modern day citizens of Qolora, her legacy to the amaXhosa. Bhonco belongs to the Cult of the Unbelievers, he follows the tenets of Twin-Twin, the original Unbeliever, who lived during the time of the great Xhosa cattle slaughter of 1856/1857 (see Jeff Peires' book The Dead Will Arise: Nongqawuse and the Great Xhosa Cattle-Killing Movement of 1856-7 which Mda cites as the prime resource for this work). His distant cousin, Zim and his daughter, who live nearby, are Believers. They follow the philosophy of their ancestor Twin (Twin and Twin-Twin were brothers, son of the beheaded Xikixa) who were faithful to the prophecies: kill all your animals, cattle sheep, goats, and the great ancestors will rise from the ocean bringing fresh livestock and blessings for a fortuitous future.The two, Zim and Bhonco, as were their ancestors, are at odds; to join the modern or to respect the old ways, that is the question. Mda never really tips his hand, as he excavates this old debate. He instead wisely inserts an anti-coagulant into their festering wound, the worldly Camagu, an South Afrrican ex-pat who has returned to his homeland after thirty years from, among other places, America. Camagu blunders into Qolora-by-Sea on the scent of a woman he knows only by the common Xhosa name of Noma Russia, but soon he becomes taken with another, inexorably entangling himself with the diametrical elders.Like Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe before him, Mda, explores common themes of African literature like cultural divide, colonialism, and gender roles. The amaXhosa are patriarchal, however they greatly value women, hence the allegiances to the young prophetesses; yet we do get a sense that behind them, their uncle, Mhlkaza, pulls their strings. Zim seems lost without his wife, NoEnglish, dead this past year, and Bhonco depends heavily on his mate, NoPetticoat. Both have daughters, Qukezwa and Xoliswa respectively, who are also opposed, both with their eyes on the stranger, Camagu. The author describes the two eloquently thus: "She is so beautiful. Xoliswa Ximiya. So staid and reliable. Qukezwa is not burdened with beauty. She is therefore able to be free-spirited." And then there is the white man, merchant John Dalton, who provides a bit of irony, as he supports the preservation of the village perhaps in atonement for the infamous deeds of his legendary ancestor of the same name. Mda allows his characters to learn and grow, and we get a sense, dynamically, of their growth. Camagu, in conversation with Believer Zim and the skeptical Dalton, has this to say about the power of belief:"There is nothing foolish about belief... It is the same sincerity of belief that has been seen throughout history and continues to be seen today where those who believe actually see miracles. The same sincerity of belief that causes thousands to commit mass suicide by drinking poison in Jonestown, Guyana, because the world is coming to an end . . . or that leads men, women, and children to die willingly in flames with their prophet, David Koresh, in Waco, Texas."Over the ten years since its publication, The Heart of Redness has gained near classic status, being included in the popular literary reference, 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die compiled by Dr. Peter Boxall (that is how yours truly learned of its existence). Besides its historical ken, the novel is funny, romantic and hopeful. Mda's style is innately African, if there is such a thing; the use of understatement and subtlety seems key to achieving this. It is these qualities of writing which help to sustain the novel's powerful and very unsubtle message into the heart of its own redness.

Let's be honest: it is hard to write a bad book about South Africa. With its horrible history of oppression, colonization, racism, and virtual genocide, South Africa's collective journey over the past several centuries, while it may be frustrating and sad, noentheless makes for compelling reading. The best books about South Africa, and Zakes Mda's "The Heart of Redness" is one of the best books about South Africa, balance the agonizing struggles of its people with their beauty and passion. Using the historical prophetess Nongqawuse and the horrific Cattle Killing of the mid-nineteenth century as his jumping off point, Mda constructs a fantastical novel that freely flows between the historical struggle of South Africans with colonizing Europeans and the late twentieth century struggle between modernity and tradition. In the mid 1850's, South African natives were torn into two factions- the Believers and Unbelievers- after a young girl prophesized that, as a solution to the problem of European invasion, the ancestors of the Xhosa people would return from the dead and herald in an age of prosperity, but only if all Xhosa cattle were slain. One hundred and fifty years later, the descendents of these original factions are still at odds, only this time it is over whether or not the Xhosa people should willingly move into the modern age or hold firmly to their traditional ways. With the names identical both then and now, Mda's movement between these two eras can be confusing, yet ultimately highlight the similarity between the two struggles. While it seems clear that Mda stands against the European intrusion into South Africa, he never clearly sides with the Believers or the Unbelievers, presenting both sides on equal terms and letting the reader decide for herself how she feels. Mda's writing is poetic yet forceful, hinting of magical realism without abandoning reality altogether. The book can be depressing, as is the nature of any book about South Africa, yet ultimately hopeful thanks to Mda's prose.

Zakes Mda is a master teller of historical fiction. The history that he recounts is one of which I was totally unaware: a series of battles between the Xhosa people of the Eastern Cape in South Africa and the British. (The British won the war.) The Xhosas were done in my the prophecies of the daughters of a chief, who had visions of Xhosa ancestors returning to defeat the British. In order to summon these ancestors, all Xhosa had to slaughter their cattle. The ancestors never came, and the believers among the Xhosa starved, after killing off many of the unbelievers. Believers and Unbelievers became a permanent division among the Xhosa.With this as a background, Mda follows a modern South African who travels to Xhosa land in search of a beautiful woman who he met at a bar in Jo-burg. He becomes wrapped up in the local struggles between Believers and Unbelievers, and between those who want the development of a modern resort, and those who don't. Mda also novelizes the struggle in the 1800s between the factions, represented by two brothers: Twin, and Twin-Twin. Descendants of those two brothers are the modern-day Believers and Unbelievers.It's all told believably, but with a touch of magic. Other than a rather flat ending (perhaps my ebook cut off the end?) it was a thoroughly enjoyable trip to a different time and place with an articulate and passionate guide.

For anyone interested in the Xhosa Cattle Killing and amaXhosa history, this is a must read. Although it is fictional it addresses many of the salient issues of the 19thC, including those that have not bee resolved today. I recommend that it is read alongside Peire's 'The Dead Will Arise' to get a fuller picture of those historic times.

A total inspiration of a book. I am only half way through. The language is superb, and I find myself laughing, groaning and worrying out loud.