THE REPRESENTATION OF AFRICAN HUMANISM IN THE NARRATIVE WRITINGS OF ES’KIA MPHAHLELE LESIBANA JACOBUS RAFAPA Dissertation presented for the Degree of Doctor of Literature at the University of Stellenbosch Promotor: Prof. A.H. Gagiano December 2005 i DECLARATION I, the undersigned, hereby declare that the work contained in this dissertation is my own original work and that I have not previously in its entirety or in part submitted it at any university for a degree. L.J. RAFAPA 16 DECEMBER 2005 Signature: ………………….. Date: ……………………. ii ABSTRACT The introductory chapter of this thesis – in which I place Mphahlele's works within the Afrocentric, postcolonial theoretical context within which he wrote – consists of three sections that explain the three different ways in which I contextualise my investigation of the ways in which Mphahlele represents his concept of African humanism in his narrative writings. In section 1.1 I detail the historical background and context within which Mphahlele's philosophy of African humanism will be shown to have evolved, alongside my analysis of a selected few of his poems and all of his narrative writings, articulated in the main body of the thesis. I approach this introductory sketching of the historical context by tracing the development over time of antecedent concepts articulated by other writers, followed by a chronological tracing of the progressive, successive articulations of the idea of African humanism in Mphahlele’s own discursive writing . This is followed in section 1.2 by an outline of the theoretical notions or concepts from various sources by means of which the analysis is executed, some of which are Edward Said's notion of "the integrated vision", Fanon's idea of "national culture" and Bhabha's metonymic notion of "mimicry". Section 1.3 dwells on a description of the conceptual approach I use throughout the thesis – that of viewing literature as anchored in the empirical milieu constituting the referential framework of its subject matter. In this section I also highlight the analytical method of scrutinising Mphahlele's works from the sociolinguistic point of view that links dialogue and the symbols yielded by fiction to the local cultural orientation of the people for whom artefacts were composed. The organisation of the later chapters of this thesis according to literary genre is also explained and rationalised in section 1.3. After looking briefly at Mphahlele’s poetry and more fully at his short stories in Chapter 2 in order to trace how he represents the concept of African humanism in a more distinct and recognisable manner in the latter compared to the former genre (focusing on dialogue and imagery), this study proceeds in Chapter 3 to demonstrate how this concept is interwoven with the fabric of Mphahlele’s autobiographies, Down Second Avenue and Afrika My Music, exhibiting the author’s concern with this concept and his expression of it in these texts, without his violating the conventions of autobiography by articulating it discursively. Further instances of the incorporation of African humanist tenets into Mphahlele’s literary works are explored in a consideration of his two early novels (The Wanderers and Chirundu) in Chapter 4. In the commentaries on the novels which are addressed in this chapter, the many stylistic and thematic parallels with the texture of writing in the texts considered earlier are discussed – in order to explore what appears at this point to be a more profound and extensive exemplification of Mphahlele’s philosophy of African humanism. Chapter 5 dwells on Mphahlele’s last novel to date, Father Come Home, arguing that the apparent simplicity of the work deceptively conceals the author’s most vivid literary representations of his theory of African humanism, conveyed by means of particularly dexterous implementations of his trademark literary devices, here iii engaged most effectively by introducing to the reader a novel kind of character who embodies African humanism in a manner that is unprecedented in Mphahlele’s literary career. In Chapter 6 cumulative evidence is put together to demonstrate that Mphahlele, through his narrative writings, has succeeded in developing and perfecting his concept of African humanism, with the result that it has been shaped into a coherent, nuanced and lucid theory or philosophy. OPSOMMING Die inleidende hoofstuk van hierdie tesis – waarin Mphahele se werke gesitueer word binne die Afrosentriese, postkoloniale konteks waarbinne hy geskryf het – bestaan uit drie gedeeltes wat die drie verskillende metodes waarvolgens ek my ondersoek na die manier waarop Mphahlele sy konsep van Afrika-humanisme in sy narratiewe werke weergee, kontekstualiseer. In 1.1 detailleer ek die historiese agtergrond en konteks waarbinne Mphahlele se fiolsofie van Afrika-humanisme ontwikkel het, teenoor my analise van ’n paar geselekteerde gedigte van hom asook al sy narratiewe werke, wat in die hoof-gedeelte van die tesis geartikuleer word. My benadering tot hierdie inleidende beskrywing van die historiese konteks is om die ontwikkeling, oor tyd, van voorafgaande konsepte (soos deur ander skrywers verwoord) na te gaan, gevolg deur ’n kronologiese belyning van die ontwikkellende, opeenvolgende artikulasies van die konsep van Afrika- humanisme in Mphahlele se eie teoretiese en lewensbeskoulike werke. Dit word opgevolg in 1.2 deur ’n omlyning van die teoretiese konsepte uit verskillende bronne met behulp waarvan die analise uitgevoer word, sommige waarvan Edward Said se idee van ’n geintegreerde visie, Fanon se konsep van ’n nasionale kultuur en Bhabha se metonimiese idee van nabootsing is. Gedeelte 1.3 konsentreer op ’n beskrywing van die konseptuele benadering waarvan ek dwarsdeur die tesis gebruik maak – die beskouing van letterkunde as geanker in die empiriese milieu, wat die verwysingsraamwerk van die literêre wêreld uitmaak. In hierdie gedeelte belig ek ook die analitiese metode om Mphahlele se werke vanuit ’n sosiolinguistiese vertrekpunt, wat dialoog en die simbole wat uit fiksie voortvloei verbind met die plaaslike kulturele omgewing van diegene vir wie die artefakte geskep is, te skrutineer. Die rangskikking van die latere hoofstukke van hierdie tesis volgens literêre genre, word ook verduidelik in 1.3. Na ’n kort bespreking van uitgesoekte gedigte deur Mphahlele, gevolg deur ’n volledige bespreking van sy kortverhale in Hoofstuk 2 – met die doel om te analiseer hoe hierdie skrywer (deur sy gebruik van dialoog en beeldspraak) die konsep van Afrika-humanisme progressief verdiep in die ‘oorgang’ van een genre na die ander – word daar in Hoofstuk 3 gedemonstreer hoe hierdie konsep verweef is met die outobiografiese tekstuur van Mphahlele se eie-lewensbeskrywende werke Down Second Avenue en Afrika My Music. In hierdie twee werke word die skrywer se betrokkenheid met en verwoording van sy konsep van Afrika-humanisme uitgelig, soos hy dit uitvoer sonder om die biografiese konvensies te verbreek deur die idee diskursief te artikuleer. Verder voorbeelde van die iv beliggaming van die beginsels van Afrika-humanisme in Mphahlele se literêre werke word ondersoek in ’n bespreking van sy twee vroee romans The Wanderers en Chirundu in Hoofstuk 4. In die kommentaar op die romans wat in hierdie hoofstuk bespreek word, word die vele stilistiese en tematiese paralelle met die werke wat vroeer in die tesis bestudeer is, bespreek – met die doel om te bepaal wat op hierdie punt na ’n diepere en meer wydlopende verbeelding van Mphahlele se filosofie van Afrika-humanisme lyk. Hoofstuk 5 konsentreer op Mphahlele se tot op hede laaste roman, Father Come Home. Hier word geargumenteer dat die oppervlakkige indruk van die skynbare eenvoud van die roman misleidend is, omdat dit die skrywer se helderste literêre voorstelling van sy teorie van Afika-humanisme versteek – hier oorgedra deur midde van ’n besonder vaardige implementering van Mphahlele se kenmerkende literêre strategiee, deur die leser voor te stel aan ’n nuwe tipe karakter wat die Afrika-humanisme beliggaam op ’n manier wat sonder presedent in Mphahlele se literêre loopbaan is. In Hoofstuk 6 word die opgeboude getuienis saamgestel om te bewys dat Mphahlele deur sy narratiewe werke daarin geslaag het om sy konsep van Afrika-humanisme te ontwikkel en te vervolmaak, met die gevolg dat dit gevorm is tot ’n koherente, genuanseerde en heldere teorie of filosofie. v DEDICATION Without the many sacrifices and immeasurable support of my lovely wife Ramokone Margaret , and precious children Thabo Monona Stanley, Mokgathi Katlego and Raesibe Mothepa Rachel Lillian, I would not have completed this work. This dissertation is for you. This is also for Dr Khomotšo Reginald Kganyago, who has affectionately accepted to be my younger brother. I dedicate this study also to my elder brother Jacob Malose Isaiah Rafapa for his moral support throughout my learning career. How it smarts my heart to be celebrating my obtaining of the doctoral degree without the physical presence of the following members of my family! It is partly as a way of dealing with this pain that I dedicate the success represented by completion of this thesis to my younger sister Gloria Rankotsana Ntshegi (died 1999); my mother Lydia Rachel Raesibe Rafapa (nee Leso, died 2000); my father Rev. Elias Malesela “Molemi” Rafapa (died 2001); my niece Vinolia Seja “Poppie” Ntshegi (died 2002); and my father-in-law Alfred Madimetja Thebetha (died 2003). I know you are all alive and well in the land of the ancestors: so please share in this joy with me. I dedicate this doctoral thesis to you all. vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My Promotor, Professor A.H. Gagiano, of the English Department at Stellenbosch University deserves my sincerest gratitude for her untiring guidance and support throughout the arduous work of writing this thesis. Without the invaluable support of Mrs Mara Visser of the University of Stellenbosch Library I could not have finished my studies successfully as a distant student. Prof. Es’kia Mphahlele’s personal encouragement each time I approached him on matters related to research towards completion of this thesis is heartily acknowledged and thanked.