DOCSLIB.ORG

First Day After the War – Mazisi Kunene

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
First Day After the War – Mazisi Kunene First day after the war – Mazisi Kunene CONTEXTUAL INFORMATION IMAGERY Mazisi Kunene was born in South Africa, in 1938. He studied in South Africa METAPHOR – the metaphor of a wedding, the union of two people is and in the United Kingdom, and worked as an academic in the United States indicative of the union of the many racial groups in South Africa after of America before returning to South Africa. His best known work is the 1992. The metaphor is further enhanced by the creation of a new poem, ‘Emperor Shaka the Great’, which was originally written in isiZulu and society, which is highlighted by the image of a ‘wedding’. The translated into English. He died in 2006. metaphors also reflect the African tradition of storytelling and how richly metaphorical African languages are. Mazisi Kunene wrote much of his poetry in South Africa, in the time of • Other Examples are: apartheid, a period in which black people were discriminated against and • ‘soft light’ – hope, expectation and optimism oppressed. His poem describes the joy that people felt at the ending of this • ‘young blades of grass’ – the born-free generation who could grow system of government. up in a unified South Africa • ‘mountains’ and ‘pathways’ – the limitations and obstacles of This is a celebratory poem and focuses on celebrating the freedom that Apartheid could now be overcome and one could walk freely comes to a people after oppression. • ‘Ancestors travelling tall’ – the ancestors are proud of their sacrifices and subsequent achievement of freedom The war is the struggle for freedom of those who were oppressed . PERSONIFICATION - ‘we saw her footprints’ – freedom is portrayed as a woman The poem focuses on the celebrations that occur amongst the victorious ALLITERATION - The alliteration of ‘first fruits’ (line 13) alerts the immediately after apartheid. reader to the significance of the moment, while the use of this device in the final line lends the ‘Ancestors’ renewed stature as they are The wedding is a celebration of a new unit in society that is formed by the ‘travelling tall’ (line 18) in response to the event. joining together of two individuals. It is a new beginning. (line 18) ‘travelling tall’ ► creates rhythm and liveliness which is a reminder of the importance of the ancestors. The metaphorical wedding is the creation of a new society brought about by Onomatopoeia - ‘ululating’ conveys the sound of the people’s the struggle. spontaneity and expression of ecstasy and elation. The word is associated with traditional forms of African celebration. STRUCTURE THEMES • Written in FREE VERSE – as if to reflect the theme of freedom of ➢ The poem carries a message of renewal and hope to the people expression with the advent of the new South Africa who suffered and struggled during apartheid and announces a new • The use of ENJAMBMENT creates the sense of a narrative being told and beginning, joy and peace that it will bring. the natural flow between lines it creates is almost representative of the ➢ The poem is a celebration of the end of apartheid and of new unity in the country. beginnings. • The dialogue in the poem is reflective of the African tradition of ➢ In the last line of the poem there is a reference to the ancestors, storytelling. who symbolise the past and the roots of the community. • The poem in mirroring a story has a slow beginning, building up to a ➢ ‘We saw our ancestors travelling tall on the horizon’ suggests that climax and ending with a concluding message. people should take their direction from the past and build something new. TONE/MOOD DICTION Tone: Upbeat ‘Remember’ is the one word that summarizes the poem’s major theme Mood: excitement and jubilation – remembrance. This word reflects the speaker’s obsession of being The tone is initially one of disbelief that oppression has come to an end, then remembered by her loved one after her passing. Read in an imperative restrained joy, followed by ecstatic jubilance and pride. tone it is as if she commands not to be forgotten. However in line 10 It can also be described as celebratory, enthusiastic and excited. ‘remember’ becomes a metaphor asking to be kept alive in memory only. ANALYSIS Then without waiting we ran to the open space We heard the songs of a wedding party. Ululating to the mountains and the pathways We saw a soft light Calling people from all the circles of the earth. Coiling round the young blades of grass. We shook up the old man demanding a festival At first we hesitated, then we saw her footprints, We asked for all the first fruits of the season. • The use of “we” to ensure inclusion of the reader in the action and • The response to the news that the war is over and peace and ideals expressed in the poem. freedom have been obtained. • A celebration taking place and the sound of jubilation heard reflects • Onomotopoeia = ‘Ululating’ an unrestrained celebration the poems celebratory tone • Synechdoche = ‘the old man’ – the cynics, those who had accepted oppression Her face emerged, then her eyes of freedom! • Shook up – woke up/ disturbed She woke up with a smile saying, “What day is this that comes suddenly?” We held hands with a stranger We said, “It is the first day after the war.” We shouted across the waterfalls People came from all lands • Gradual unveiling of “the bride”. Footprints, face, eyes. Ties in with It was the first day of peace. the gradual emergence of freedom, took time to achieve. We saw our Ancestors travelling tall on the horizon. • The poet identifies the “we” as those who have been involved in the struggle. • All the world is present, those involved and those who are • Archaic syntax, highlights the formality associated with traditional unknown, “a stranger” - Symbolic of unity literature and African storytelling technique. • New beginnings, feelings of expectation and excitement • The “Ancestors” are present and by being present show their acceptance and support of the events that have taken place and the celebrations being held. In African culture the ancestors are always consulted about major issues, especially the future, thus they still have a role to play even though they are passed on. .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Kunene's Shaka and the Idea of the Poet As Teacher
    Kunene's Shaka and the Idea of the Poet as Teacher JOHN HAYNES I IN AN ESSAY PUBLISHED a year after the English version of Emperor Shaka the Great, Mazisi Kunene writes that "Classical African literature takes it as its primary strategy to broaden the base of the characters through mythification and symbolism" ("Relevance" 200). As he says in the poem itself, "Indeed, artists embellish their past to inspire their children" ( 166 ). What I want to look at is the trend of this mythification and embellish• ment. In doing this I shall not make any claims about the capacity of a poem to change people's attitudes or actions, nor will I deal with the ways in which a poem, as opposed to some other genre, might achieve such a goal. These are very vexed questions, neither of which has been tackled by African critics, even those who emphasize the traditional African artist's role of teacher. All I can claim is that if literature can have any bearing on political or social circumstance it is likely to be at times of crisis, such as we see now in Kunene's country, when people can be expected to reflect on the meaning of what they are doing and suffering. Yet we have to remember that what readers (or hearers) take from a work of art is affected by the attitudes they bring to it, and the social structures within which it is experi• enced — the school, the political party, exile, and so on. I will attempt, at the end of this account, to relate the implied "teach• ing" of Kunene's poem to present events, but I cannot pretend to comment, since I do not have anything like sufficient knowl• edge, nor indeed sufficient experience.
    [Show full text]
  • The South African National Poet Laureate Prize for Mazisi Kunene
    Untitled Document The South African National Poet Laureate Prize for Mazisi Kunene. (March 5 th 2005 at the Durban International Convention Centre) by Ntongela Masilela It is an incomparable honour for me to be congratulating Mazisi Kunene for receiving The South African National Poet Laureate Prize bestowed by our nation. I have been waiting for this moment for a long time. Mazisi Kunene is unquestionably one of our great national poets. In this lineage of poetic greatness, Mazisi Kunene belongs in the pantheon of S. E. K. Mqhayi, J. J. R. Jolobe, Benedict Wallet Vilakazi, H. I. E. Dhlomo and David Livingstone Phakamile Yali-Manisi. Though belonging to this pantheon, Mazisi Kunene surpasses all of them because he is arguably the greatest poet produced by Africa in the twentieth century. His two great epics, Emperor Shaka The Great (1979) and Anthem of the Decades (1981) have no comparable counterparts anywhere in Africa . Mazisi Kunene is a great Imbongi for all seasons and for the whole African continent. In this sense, Mazisi Kunene is the first continental poet Africa has produced. His poetic vision encompassing a profound philosophy of life and a true African cosmology is what holds together the metaphysical unity of the continent. This poetic vision also postulates the unity of Africa and the African Diaspora. In this unification of the black world, Mazisi Kunene's achievement is similar to that realized by Aime Cesaire in Return To My Native Land (1939). It is perhaps because of the affinities between them that Ngugi wa Thiong'o considers Mazisi Kunene's “Introduction” to the 1969 edition of Cesaire's epic to be the finest essay ever written on the great poet from the Caribbean/Antilles.
    [Show full text]
  • The Return of Mazisi Kunene to South Africa : the End of an Intellectual Chapter in Our Literary History
    Untitled Document THE RETURN OF MAZISI KUNENE TO SOUTH AFRICA : THE END OF AN INTELLECTUAL CHAPTER IN OUR LITERARY HISTORY . by Ntongela Masilela Mazisi, let me begin by expressing my profound gratitude and deep honour in being selected by you to be the keynote speaker on such a great occasion, your return home to South Africa tomorrow, July 26 1993, a date which will go down in South African cultural history, note I say cultural history not political history, as having signaled the closing of the Exile Moment in our history. The closing of the political history of the Exile Moment in South African history is a complicated issue and complex process, which one can genuinely doubt whether it will ever be closable. That chapter, of our political history in exile, will be closed, if at all, by the development of genuine democracy in a New South Africa and by the unity of the African people, beyond the political divisions which are traumatizing all of us South Africans. I think the return of Ezekiel Mphahlele home in 1977, which caused so much consternation among many of our compatriots, after a self-imposed exile of twenty years, was an act which sought to indicate that fascism and apartheid in those hard times were going to be defeated much sooner than many of us thought possible. Your return tomorrow, after a forced political and cultural exile of thirty-four years, is an act which expresses the fact that apartheid has been defeated, though unfortunately as yet not dead, and as yet not unconditionally.
    [Show full text]
  • MAZISI KUNENE (South Africa, 1930 - 2006)
    HONORS The Literature of South Africa Ms. Ward, 10th Grade English, May 2013 Learning to Read Critically Facts v. Interpretation Critical reading is not simply close and careful reading. To To non -critical readers, texts provide facts. Readers gain read critically, one must actively recognize and analyze knowledge by memorizing the statements within a text. evidence upon the page. To the critical reader, any single text provides but one Implications For Reading portrayal of the facts, one individual’s “take” on the To non-critical readers, texts provide facts. Knowledge subject matter. Critical readers thus recognize not only comes from memorizing the statements within a text. To what a text says, but also how that text portrays the the critical reader, any single text provides but one subject matter. They recognize the various ways in which portrayal of the facts, one individual's “take” on the each and every text is the unique creation of a unique subject. The content of a text reflects what an author takes author. as “the facts of the matter.” By examining these choices, readers recognize not only what a text says, but also how A non-critical reader might read a history book to learn the the text portrays the subject matter. facts of the situation or to discover an accepted interpretation of those events. A critical reader might read The first step in an analysis of a text, then, must be to look the same work to appreciate how a particular perspective at the content, at the evidence for an argument, the on the events and a particular selection of facts can lead to illustrations used to explain ideas, and the details particular understanding.
    [Show full text]
  • Ezasegagasini Page 8
    Page 8 NEWS and FEATURES 12 March 2010 Art expo CONTACTS Aids Helpline Emergency Services wows 0800 012 322 031 361 0000 Ambulance (public) O/H 24Hrs, 7 Days a week: 10177 • Fire Ambulance (private) • Disaster Management visitors 082 911 • Metro Police Air Pollution Electricity Call Centre DERRICK DLAMINI 031 311 3555 080 131 3111 O/H 8am – 4pm, Mon – Fri O/H 24Hrs, 7 days a week TWO talented artists from A/H contact Faults and breakdowns previously disadvantaged Emergency Services Fax: 031 328 1050 backgrounds got a chance to 031 361 0000 Street lights to exhibit their work for the Beaches and Illegal connections first time at a leading Durban Recreation Facilities Cable theft gallery recently. 031 335 3700 031 311 9611 Lalelani Mbhele (35) of O/H 7.30am – 6pm Health Inanda and Bhekinkosi Development Planning 031 311 3555 Gumbi (39) wowed visitors to 031 311 7883 O/H 7am - 4.30pm Mon to the African Art Centre in O/H 7am – 4.30pm Fri Florida Road with their art, Mon – Fri A/H contact Emergency including works featuring TALENTED: Head of International and Governance Relations Unit, Eric Apelgren Sub division Services women in African regalia with artists Lalelani Mbhele and Bhekinkosi Gumbi at the African Art Centre Rezoning Air pollution playing football. Picture: DERRICK DLAMINI Special consent Environmental noise Over the past 56 years, the Development Management Illegal dumping centre has been involved in 031 311 7881 Food safety developing young and Apelgren, said it was find ways of creating and assist with these Building inspectorate Communicable diseases emerging artists, especially important to promote the incentives for these artists, so endeavours.
    [Show full text]
  • A HISTORY of TWENTIETH CENTURY AFRICAN LITERATURE.Rtf
    A HISTORY OF TWENTIETH CENTURY AFRICAN LITERATURES Edited by Oyekan Owomoyela UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA PRESS © 1993 by the University of Nebraska Press All rights reserved Manufactured in the United States of America The paper in this book meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences— Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI 239.48-1984. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A History of twentieth-century African literatures / edited by Oyekan Owomoyela. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-8032-3552-6 (alk. paper) — ISBN 0-8032-8604-x (pbk.: alk. paper) I. Owomoyela, Oyekan. PL80I0.H57 1993 809'8896—dc20 92-37874 CIP To the memory of John F. Povey Contents Acknowledgments ix Introduction I CHAPTER I English-Language Fiction from West Africa 9 Jonathan A. Peters CHAPTER 2 English-Language Fiction from East Africa 49 Arlene A. Elder CHAPTER 3 English-Language Fiction from South Africa 85 John F. Povey CHAPTER 4 English-Language Poetry 105 Thomas Knipp CHAPTER 5 English-Language Drama and Theater 138 J. Ndukaku Amankulor CHAPTER 6 French-Language Fiction 173 Servanne Woodward CHAPTER 7 French-Language Poetry 198 Edris Makward CHAPTER 8 French-Language Drama and Theater 227 Alain Ricard CHAPTER 9 Portuguese-Language Literature 240 Russell G. Hamilton -vii- CHAPTER 10 African-Language Literatures: Perspectives on Culture and Identity 285 Robert Cancel CHAPTER II African Women Writers: Toward a Literary History 311 Carole Boyce Davies and Elaine Savory Fido CHAPTER 12 The Question of Language in African Literatures 347 Oyekan Owomoyela CHAPTER 13 Publishing in Africa: The Crisis and the Challenge 369 Hans M.
    [Show full text]
  • Triangulating Racism: French and Francophone African Reactions to the African American Freedom Movement (1954-1968)
    Georgia State University ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University History Dissertations Department of History 8-11-2015 Triangulating Racism: French and Francophone African Reactions to the African American Freedom Movement (1954-1968) Allyson Tadjer Georgia State University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/history_diss Recommended Citation Tadjer, Allyson, "Triangulating Racism: French and Francophone African Reactions to the African American Freedom Movement (1954-1968)." Dissertation, Georgia State University, 2015. https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/history_diss/46 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of History at ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in History Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. TRIANGULATING RACISM: FRENCH AND FRANCOPHONE AFRICAN REACTIONS TO THE AFRICAN AMERICAN FREEDOM MOVEMENT (1954-1968) by ALLYSON TADJER Under the Direction of Denise Davidson, PhD, and Michelle Brattain, PhD ABSTRACT This dissertation examines the meanings and significance of the African American freedom movement for the French and Francophone Africans at the momentous juncture of decolonization. By analyzing the French and Francophone African press, as well as the writings of French and Francophone African intellectuals, this project demonstrates that American racial events of the 1950s and 1960s allowed both communities to
    [Show full text]
  • Mlungisi Vusumuzi Hlabisa 214536349
    EXPLORING STRATEGIES OF TEACHING POETRY TO ENGLISH SECOND LANGUAGE (ESL) LEARNERS IN GRADE 12 BY MLUNGISI VUSUMUZI HLABISA 214536349 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF EDUCATION (LANGUAGE AND MEDIA STUDIES), IN THE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION, UNIVERSITY OF KWAZULU-NATAL, EDGEWOOD CAMPUS SUPERVISOR: PROFESSOR A. SHEIK November 2020 1 Dedication To my late brother, Msizi Mondli Hlabisa. To my parents Dumisani J. Hlabisa and Zibuyisile M. Hlabisa, and my siblings, Mhlengi, Menzi, Nokwethemba and Busizwe. For believing in me and for their endless and enduring support. But mostly, to me. For not giving up even when it was hard not to. For working tirelessly through all the hardships and remaining optimistic. 4 Acknowledgements I would like to acknowledge the following people, whom, without their contribution and support, this thesis would not have been possible: My sincere gratitude to my supervisor, Professor Ayub Sheik, for guidance, mentoring, and believing in me. For the patience and support throughout this journey. My friends, Vuyo Buthelezi, Khethokuhle Mnguni, & Mfanelo Njokweni for their financial support and for their enduring brotherhood. Most importantly, to the Merciful, Gracious, and Messianic God I serve, uShembe, uNyazi Lwezulu. His abundant blessings are the reasons I live, He provides the strength to carry on. To my ancestors: oBulawayo, Ngotsha, Sobakhethile, Mdinwa, Mhlotshana, Magayisa, Mangosuthu for guidance and protection. 5 List of acronyms and abbreviations EFL: English First Additional Language ESL: English Second Language CAPS: Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement FET: Further Education and Training LiEP: Language in Education Policy KZN: Kwa-Zulu Natal UKZN: University of Kwa-Zulu Natal PC: Practical Criticism SCL: Sociocultural Learning theory DoE: Department of Education 6 Abstract Exploring strategies of teaching poetry to English Second Language (ESL) learners in Grade 12.
    [Show full text]
  • Antología De Poetas Africanos
    VOCES DEL SUR Aproximación a la poesía africana Recopilación, selección y maquetación: Equipo Fénix 1 África. Continente desconocido. Continente maltratado y expoliado desde hace siglos. Continente donde mi- llones de personas sufren y malviven víctimas de la pobreza y de la explotación. Africa. Territorio habitado por gentes que, sin embar- go, ríen, cantan, sueñan... y escriben. Poco sabemos, sin embargo, de su rica creación litera- ria. Hemos querido, en este librillo virtual, facilitar un primer acercamiento a la lírica africana. Y rebuscando en algunas revistas y sobre todo navegando por Inter- net, hemos seleccionado una serie de autores y textos que, a continuación encontrará el lector. En un continente tan complejo como el africano, con tan gran variedad de culturas, de lenguas y de países, resulta difícil realizar una ordenación de los textos. Por ello, y como aquí se trata tan sólo de ofrecer un acercamiento inicial a dicha poesía, no hemos encon- trado clasificación más fácil que la mera clasificación alfabética según el nombre de los escritores, sin tener en cuenta su origen, su cultura, su país. Eso sí: todos ellos son africanos. La lectura de los poemas aquí seleccionados, a pesar de su variado origen, nos hace percibir un espíritu, un há- lito común que se oculta en sus versos. Es, al menos así nos lo parece, el alma de Africa. 2 I n d i c e 1. Abderrahman El Fathi -Te busqué por todos los rincones. 2. Adamou Ide -El viento calígrafo -Sahel, oh, mi país. 3. Alexandre Dáskalos -Vengan Compañeros. 4. Amina Saïd -Siempre en el poema.
    [Show full text]
  • African Studies Abstracts Online
    AFRICAN STUDIES ABSTRACTS ONLINE Number 45, 2014 Contents Editorial policy .......................................................................................................... iii Geographical index.................................................................................................... 1 Subject index ............................................................................................................. 3 Author index .............................................................................................................. 7 Periodicals abstracted in this issue .......................................................................... 14 Abstracts ................................................................................................................. 17 Abstracts produced by Ursula Oberst, Katrien Polman, Angela Robson, Germa Seuren, Heleen Smits i ii EDITORIAL POLICY EDITORIAL POLICY African Studies Abstracts Online is published quarterly and provides an overview of journal articles and edited works on sub-Saharan Africa in the field of the social sciences and the humanities. All publications are available in the library of the African Studies Centre in Leiden, The Netherlands. Many are accessible full text in the library's online catalogue at catalogue.ascleiden.nl. Clicking on the title of an article or edited work in ASA Online brings you via the ASCLink to the full text if available (subject to access restrictions). Coverage ASA Online covers edited works (up to 50 in each issue) and journals
    [Show full text]
  • LITERATURE and LIBERATIOB SPECIAL: SOUTH AFRICA Literature & Liberation
    LITERATURE and LIBERATIOB SPECIAL: SOUTH AFRICA Literature & Liberation Dedicated to: Nelson Mandela Winnie Mandela Govan Mbeki IN MEMORIAM: Steve Biko April ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1988 COVER: Since this number of the GAR is be­ ing d~stributed at the 14th annual meeting THE BOGGY CREEK GAR RETURNS! of the African Literature Association, it is fitting that some of the visual logos used by It's been eight years since the last GAR -­ previous meetings are shown around the large the special issue commemorating Agostinho mask from Mozambique: (clockwise from upper Neto. This lapse corresponds with the Rea­ right corner) 1975 ALA - U. Texas, Austin, gan years. Hopefully, the decision to.re- , 1988 - U. Pittsburgh, 1985 - Northwestern, sume pUblication of the GAR as a review deal­ 1980 - U. Florida (lower right), 1986 - Mich­ ing with African literature and liberation igan State U. (woman with animal and tall signals a major turn-around. There seem to statue), 1987 - Cornell (griot), 1979 - Ind­ already exist indications that the interest iana U. (squattin~ figure) and 1982 - How­ in foreign languages, literatures~ ~ultur.s ard U. (top center). an~ political struggles is increasing again, ===~==~~==================================== after years of decline. And students are turning away from materialism and narrow selt-interest to co~e back to the Humanities; the cdti'que of greed h.as become a· low rum- bl.e.. This issue dedicated to South Africa'and the Anti-Apartheid struggle renews the Texas­ Africa connection, with a wide-ranging com­ bination of articles, interviews, poetry and art, plus some suggestions for action, by REQUEST MAPANJE'S LIBERATIOK both Africans and Americans, all of whom be­ ============================================ lieve that the political dimension is an April 6, 1988 important aspect of all art and writirig.
    [Show full text]
  • Jane Wilkinson, "An Interview with Mazisi Kunene," Commonwealth Essays
    Add to entry on MAZISI KUNENE: INTERVIEWS: Jane Wilkinson, "An Interview with Mazisi Kunene," Commonwealth Essays and Studies, 1 o, 2 (1988): 34-42. REFERENCES: John Haynes, "Kunene's Shaka and the Idea of the Poet as Teacher," Ariel, 18, 1 (1987): 39-50; Chidi Maduka, "Poetry, Humanism and Apartheid: A Study of Mazisi Kunene's Zulu Poems," .G.ri.Q1, 4, 1-2 (1985): 57-72; Mbongeni Z. Malaba, "Super-Shaka: Mazisi Kunene's Emperor Shaka the Great," Research in African Literatures, 19 (1988): 477-488. { I •I Mazisi kaMdabuli Kunene (12 May 1930) Ernest Mathabela The University of Texas at Austin Mazisi Kunene was born in Durban, Natal, on May 12, 1930. He began writing poetry as a boy, and by the age of ten or eleven was submitting poems to newspapers and magazines. A small collection of his poems in Zulu, Id lo z i Elingenantethelelo, won an award in the Bantu Literary Competition in 1956, and some of his poems were published in llanga laseNatal and The Native Teachers' Journal. Since then Kunene's poetic output has been prolific. Kunene's achievement as a poet is paralleled by his extensive academic, cultural and political accomplishments. Formerly head of the Department of African Studies at Pius XII, now the National University of Lesotho, and Director of Education for the South African United Front, Kunene 1s presently a Professor of African Literature and Languages at the University of California at Los Angeles. Kunene left South Africa for Britain rn 1959, having obtained a B.A., B.A. Honors, and M.A.
    [Show full text]