HARARE A young and talented Zimbabwean author, Tawanda Chabikwa, recently released his first novel, Boababs in Heaven, at the College of the Atlantic in Maine, USA. Chabikwa is a graduate of the college where he first began writing the book which reflects experiences of the author, who was born in Harare, Zimbabwe. According to Bill Carpenter, COA faculty member in literature and creative writing:
“Baobabs is an eloquent debut novel by a young Zimbabwean author writing from the heart of the contemporary African experience.
The book, continues Carpenter, is set at the crossroads of city and village life, modern and mythic history. It is urbane and humorous, thoughtful and sensual, violent and nostalgic. Most of us view Zimbabwe through a glass darkly; but now, through the directness, urgency, and immediacy of Tawanda Chabikwa’s fiction, we can see this agonized country face to face.”
Deeper understanding
Chabikwa sees his craft as a way of understanding himself and his situation.
This novel is a way of me trying to understand myself better, trying to understand my past, my countrys present, and also my global experience.
The title was drawn from his countrys history. In colonial times, missionaries promised Zimbabweans that pillars of gold stood in heaven, but the Zimbabweans didnt care much for gold.
What I would want in my heaven would be wide open spaces and baobab trees lining everything, said Chabikwa.
The ignorance of the missionaries about African culture mirrors what Chabikwa feels is the lack of clarity the world has about contemporary Africa today. The novel, released last month, follows a man of three Africas: rural, urban and mythological.
The story grew organically, without an agenda. The reality of Chabikwas country shaped the poetic language into vivid yet dreamlike experiences. Land reform, AIDS and the necessity of a black market in a poor economy were a part of the characters life, as were the more universal themes of love, family and kinship.
It leaves more questions than answers, and thats what a lot of young Zimbabweans have right now; they have a lot of questions, Chabikwa said.
Violence permeates the young characters world, and despite his education and striving for objectivity, he gets pulled into the riots, politics and darker aspects of the countrys culture.
That aspect of a culture can grow quite easily, and after a while, it can be normal and OK, Chabikwa said. By the end of the story, even the reader might think violent action to be a natural, acceptable response for the wronged Zimbabwean.
Chabikwa avoids blaming one person or faction for the disunion and brutality in his country, but in several instances he reveals the corruption of the government; and because of that, hes unsure whether the publication will place him in danger within Zimbabwes borders. He usually visits home every two years.
Though the story is very much about a sense of place, Chabikwa was most interested in character development and exploring why people do what they do, even when their actions are problematic or self-destructive.
Sadness, anger and depression manifest themselves in very different ways [in Zimbabwe] than they do in other places, and even love manifests itself in different ways because of that, he said.
The novel is currently available internationally through Amazon.com.
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