Double Faith, a journey into African spirituality

Deep in the heart of what was then Southern Rhodesia, Chiwhenga, a tribal chief and police officer with great responsibility, is in crisis. He must provide honest, religious counsel and direction to his people at a time when he is being pulled in different directions thanks to the ever changing demands and persuasions of the tribe, of South Rhodesian native culture, and of his own particular beliefs.

Superior pagan faith

Chiwenga has made a profound decision to embrace the Christian religion which has been brought into Southern Rhodesia by the Varungu or Europeans, much to the outrage of his people who are devoutly committed to their own traditional religious customs. The Europeans have also brought wealth, education and much-needed new construction to the country, about which the tribal folk feel excited and offended in equal measure. They are ill at ease with their leaders new found faith, and consider it to be a betrayal of their ancient ways. They are anxious about having to assume the responsibility for these important traditions, such as rain making, spirit calling and national healing, without the wise Chiwhenga to lead them. But events begin to occur that make Chiwhenga doubt his Christian religion; paranormal incidents which sound bizarre and almost impossible for a Western reader to believe or understand, but which serve to solidify the tribes conviction. For them, their pagan faith will always remain superior.

Matanzima Nkomo was born and raised in Zimbabwe and witnessed first-hand the fervent dedication of his tribes people to their ancient rites and rituals. As a child, he was captivated by the magic of it all; although scorn has been poured on them from the majority of enlightened circles many Zimbabweans still cling resolutely to these traditions for comfort, guidance and justice. There is a legally recognised association of traditional healers in the country to this day. Nkomo heard and even saw how his tribe would use traditional cleansing, witchcraft and even ritual murder in order to deal with misfortunes, perceived misdeeds and diseases as an integral part of their social decision making processes. He was inspired to write Double Faith after experiencing a paranormal attack himself; he believes that he was struck by a phantom stone, an object that had been cursed, and which resulted in him becoming ill, leaving a mark on his head for over a year. Double Faith is born of his own internal conflict.

Juxtaposition of faith

In Double Faith, Nkomo explores the juxtaposition of the two faiths, the ancient and the modern, revealing how, in spite of the growing popularity of Christianity in Zimbabwe, much of the traditional worship has in fact been strengthened in the wake of the threat posed to its survival by Western religion. Nkomos writing provides a measured, thoughtful study into personal belief systems, showing how unshakeable spiritual faith can be, even in the face of ridicule and an increased awareness of religious alternatives. He refrains from heavy judgement, allowing his own experiences and intimate knowledge of Zimbabwean life and culture to come to the fore. As a result, Double Faith is a fascinating and insightful novel, made all the more compelling by its fictional veiling of real events and people.

Matanzima Nkomo was born in 1962 in Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, and is one of six children. He trained as a registered nurse at Parirenyatwa Hospital in Harare, becoming one of the first two black male nurses to train there. Since immigrating to the United Kingdom in 2000, he has worked as a specialist anaesthetic

practitioner. He also has a certificate in aesthetics and does beauty treatments in his spare time. Matanzima Nkomo currently lives with his wife and three children in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, but regularly visits his extended family in both Zimbabwe and South Africa.