Amakhosi Theatre Ako Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
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AN EXAMINATION OF AN AFRICAN POSTCOLONIAL EXPERIENCE OF LANGUAGE, CULTURE, AND IDENTITY:AMAKHOSI THEATRE AKO BULAWAYO, ZIMBABWE Violet B. Lunga B.A.(Hons.), University of ZimbabweJ982 Grad. CE., University of Zimbabwe,l987 M.A., University of Zimbabwe,l990 THESIS SUBMITIED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF Doctor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Education O Violet B. Lunga 1997 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY October 1997 All rights reserved. This work may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without permission of the author. National Library '. Bibliotheque nationale of Canada du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographic Services services bibliograph~ques 395 Weilfngton Street 395. we Wellmgton Ottawa ON KIA ON4 Ottawa ON K 1A ON4 Canada Canada Ymr hb Vorre reference Our file Kolre reference The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accorde une licence non + exclusive licence allowing the exclusive pennettant a la National Library of ~anadato Bibliotheque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or sell reproduire, prster, dstnbuer ou copies of hsthesis in microform, vendre des copies de cette these sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de microfichelfilm, de ' reprodwtion sur papier ou sur format electronique. , The .author retains ownership of the auteur conserve la propnete du copyright in hsthesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protege cette these. thesis nor substantial extracts from it Ni la these ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or othenvise de celle-ci ne doivent Ztre imprimes .reproduced . without the author's ou autrement reprohits sans son permission. autorisation. APPROVAL Name: Violet Bridget Lunga , a Degree: Doctor of Philosophy Title of Thesis: An Examination of an African Postcolonial Experience of Language, Culture, and Identity: Amakhosi Theatre ako Bulawayo, Zimbabwe Examining Committee: Chair: Heesoon Bai Dennis Sumara, Associate Professor ~enioiSupervisor Kelleen Toohey, Associate'rrofessor Member Suzanne decastell, Professor Member Stephen Smith, Associate ProfessL, InternalIExternal Examiner Daniel A. Kin, Assistant Professor Department of Anthropology (Faculty of Arts) and the Faculty of Education York University 4700 Keele Street, North York, Ontario M3J 1P3 External Examiner Date Approved V31L 1Uq7 ABSTRACT Can colonised peoples in Africa use languages of their colonisation without re-inscribing their own colonisation and/or losing their own languages and cultures? This is one of the questions at the centre of the debate about the use of English in postcolonial Africa. The debate is concerned with whether or not to use English to express African cultural identities. Some critics reject English for its complicity in colonialism. In this argument, English is regarded as a threat to indigenous languages and cultures. On the other hand, some critics view English as a 'permanent' feature of postcolonial Africa and also as a language which connects Africa to the rest of the world. In this perspective English is useful for pragmatic purposes. Thus there is usually an either/or response to the question about English. For me, the answer lies in a both/and explanation. That is, in the use of both the colonial and indigenous languages. A both/and perspective allows for the exploration of the contradictions of postcolonial identity. Using Amakhosi theatre of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, I explore the way in which postcolonial identity in Zimbabwe takes shape at the intersection of the colonial and the indigenous languages. The space where English and the indigenous language, here Ndebele, intersect is conceptualised as a hybrid space. Exploring this space is useful for understanding colonial and postcolonial experiences. The study is also necessary for understanding postcolonial agency, that is, the ways in which colonised people position themselves in relation to the colonial experience and the ways they shape their own identities, cultures and languages. The dissertation illustrates the impulse of internalisation of colonial structures as accompanied by the interrogation of the colonial. Using Amakhosi plays, I question the idea of postcolonial identity as a location of confusion, iii undecidedness and weakness. Amakhosi illustrates postcolonial space as productive and creative and as a location where colonised peoples take charge of the formation of their identities, languages and cultures. The hybrid space is also conceptualised as an ambivalent space, that is, as a space where English is challenged and accommodated simultaneously. The space also marks the assertion of Ndebele. But at same time Ndebele is asserted and reclaimed, it is also adapted and changed. The hybrid space announces a new language and new culture which is always being formed and fabricated. As an educator I am interested in the relevance of the hybrid space for the conception of a curriculum for Zimbabwe. I argue that a curriculum for postcolonial Zimbabwe will have to be hybrid, that is, it will have to incorporate the colonial and the indigene. Dedication To my children, Michelle Nkosinomsa, Leanne S. Nothabo and Bradley S. Thando Lunga, for allowing me to pursue my dream away from home and doing without what you needed most. This work was written so that you will not forget. For our future is in our remembering. To my parents, R. E. Moyo and Martha Moyo, who have become my children's parents. For your energizing love, support and trust. Acknowledgments First of all I must express my indebtedness to Dr. Dennis Sumara for helping me to find words to articulate what I have wanted to say. I thank him for setting me off onto an exciting path. I also acknowledge his very rewarding critical insights into my work, his exceptional scholarship, human understanding, and commitment to academic excellence. I appreciate his critical feedback and genuine interest. I shall always remember the countless conversations we had, out of which this work grew. Dennis Sumara has never been too busy to listen to my concerns and to ask me good questions. Above all I thank him sincerely for believing in my work. My gratitude also go to Dr Suzanne de Castell whose critical comments helped shape my initial ideas. To Dr. Kelleen Toohey, thank you for your contributions to my work. I would like to offer my heartfelt thanks to my 'sibare', Larry Kuehn for his constructive critique of the manuscript and for editing the work. I express my gratitude to Thokozile Barbara Muthwa-Kuehn, my friend, colleague and sister for her constant encouragement and prayers. In the absence of my mother, Thokozile nurtured and supported me in countless ways. I should also mention Robinah and Kennedy Matende who have become my family in Canada. I would also like to express my gratitude to my colleagues in Education graduate studies. I must single out Glen Brown for his tremendous resourcefulness in the Ph. D office. My graitude is extended also to Susan Gyrofsky and family and Celeste Schroeder for their collegial support and encouragement. I express my sincere appreciation to Dr. Roland Case for his generous support in my graduate work at Simon Fraser university. To Shirley Heap in the graduate studies office and to the staff in the Centre of Education and Technology, a special note of thanks for their patience and support. My heartfelt thanks go to my family in Zimbabwe for believing in me and for their constant support and loving encouragement. This dissertation would not have been written without my parents who gave birth to me and took care of my children in my absence. I thank my brother Dr. Stanley Moyo for leading the way, for his aitical insights into the work and for editing and sorting out my references. To Maureen, my sister and her family, a big thank you for being a 'small' mother to my children. To Mavis Sithembile, my sister, thank you for being a 'big' mother to my children. I would also like to appreciate my younger brother John, for his encouragement and for being part of my family. I wish to thank my dear husband, Lameck, for setting me free to pursue my dream and for offering me constant support and encouragement. I feel honoured to have worked briefly with Amakhosi ako Bulawayo. I am very grateful to them for allowing me to work with them. They are doing significant work in Zimbabwe. Umkhulu lumsebenzi. I would like to single out Cont Mhlanga for the tremendous leadership of Amakhosi productions. I sincerely thank Fortune Ruzungunde in Bulawayo, for supplying me with videos and numerous documents about Amakhosi. And most of all I thank iNkosi Yama Khosi, my God. Bayete! vii Table of Contents .. Approval .....................................................................................................................................ii Abstract .................................................................................................................................111-iv.... Dedication .................................................................................................................................. .v ... Acknowledgments .......................................................................................................... vi-viii Introduction: Mapping African Postcoloniality: Linguistic and Cultural Spaces of Hybridity ...............................................................................................................1-36 Chapter 1: The Language Question: African Perspectives ......................................... 37-69 Chapter 2: Theatre,