African humanism and character representation in Zakes Mda’s fiction: a socio-cultural and psychological approach

Abstract

African humanism and ubuntu play crucial roles as a vehicle in Zakes Mda’s fiction, which he uses to demonstrate the full human potential of Africans and their pivotal role in community service. The study explored this philosophy as it applies in his writings, with specific focus on six of his novels and the autobiography, Memoirs of an outsider – Sometimes there is a void (2011). Character representation as a theoretical framework is explored with reference to Steve Biko’s (1978) ideas on African culture and humanism, alongside the literary criticism of Lewis Nkosi (1983) and Njabulo Ndebele (1991) on fiction by black South Africans, leveraged against a broader theoretical background. African humanism is defined here as a catalyst for human dignity and social transformation, against a backdrop of racially inspired dehumanisation that has characterised economic and socio-political life in South Africa since the colonial era. The social relevance of Mda’s literary writings inform the case that is made for close relation between selected fictional works and broader social factors. In this instance, the myth that the country’s social reality constrains the imagination is dispelled and proven false, where Mda’s literary work reflect a close relation between imagination and reality. The study brings to fore the symbiotic relationship between the artist and society, on which Mda elaborates in an interview in 2016, that his literary work is a response to the world around him, and the changes it undergoes. Place and landscape are some of the key features in his writings, which determine emotional and spiritual development of his characters. The thread of African humanism and ubuntu in his writings are based on cultural concepts that include collectivity, sharing, mutual respect, and placement of human being at the center of the cosmos, as promulgated by Steve Biko (1978:135). Condemnation of cultural and psychological colonisation in his writings is contextualised within Frantz Fanon’s (2008:vi) theory on the development of critical and independent thinking, towards “decolonisation of the mind”, and dealing with consequent “neurosis of blackness” towards the emancipation of colonised minds.

Ubuntu base-Afrika kanye nobuntu budlala indima ebalulekile njengenqola ezinganekwaneni ka-Zakes Mda, ayisebenzisa ukukhombisa amandla agcwele abantu base-Afrika kanye neqhaza labo elibalulekile emsebenzini womphakathi. Ucwaningo lwahlola lolu lwazi oluqondene nezimfihlo zokudabuka kwezinto njengoba lusebenza emibhalweni yakhe, egxile kakhulu emanovelini akhe ayisithupha kanye nencwadi yempilo yakhe, iMemoirs of an outsider - sometimes there is a void (2011). Ukumelwa komlingiswa njengohlaka lombono kuhlolwa kubhekiselwa emibonweni kaSteve Biko (1978) mayelana namasiko nobuntu base-Afrika, kuhambisana nokugxekwa ngokwemibhalo kukaLewis Nkosi (1983) noNjabulo Ndebele (1991) ngezinganekwane zabamnyama baseNingizimu Afrika, isetshenziswa ngokumelene nesizinda sombono. “Ubuntu base-Afrika” lapha buchazwa njengokugqugquzela isithunzi somuntu kanye noguquko lwezenhlalo, ngokumelene nesizinda sokucekelwa phansi kwabantu okugqugquzelwe ukucwaswa okuye kwaphawulwa impilo yezomnotho nenhlalo-yezombusazwe eNingizimu Afrika kusukela ngesikhathi sobukoloni. Ukuhlobana kwezenhlalo kwemibhalo yemibhalo kaMda kwazisa icala elenzelwe ubudlelwano obuseduze phakathi kwezincwadi eziqanjiwe ezikhethiwe kanye nezici zezenhlalo ezibanzi. Kulesi sibonelo, insumansumane yokuthi isimo senhlalo yezwe sivimbela umcabango siyachithwa futhi sifakazelwa ukuthi singamanga, lapho umsebenzi wombhalo kaMda ubonisa ubudlelwano obuseduze phakathi komcabango kanye neqiniso. Lolu cwaningo luveza ubudlelwano obuzuzisa izinhlangothi zombili phakathi kweciko nomphakathi, lapho uMda echaza kabanzi ngalo engxoxweni ngo-2016. Uchaze ukuthi umsebenzi wakhe wokubhala uwukuphendula umhlaba omzungezile kanye nezinguquko ezibhekana nazo. Indawo nokuma kwezwe ngezinye zezici ezibalulekile emibhalweni yakhe, ezinquma ukukhula ngokomuzwa nangokomoya kwabalingiswa bakhe. Isici sobuntu base-Afrika kanye nobuntu emibhalweni yakhe isekelwe emiqondweni yamasiko ehlanganisa ukuhlangana, ukwabelana, ukuhloniphana kanye nokubekwa kwabantu endaweni ephakathi nendawo, njengoba kwamenyezelwa nguSteve Biko (1978:135). Ukulahlwa kwamasiko nezengqondo zamakholoni emibhalweni kaMda kuhambisana nengqikithi yombono ka-Frantz Fanon (2008:vi) mayelana nokuthuthukiswa kokucabanga okujulile nokuzimela, maqondana “nokukhululwa kwengqondo embonweni yamakholoni”, kanye nokubhekana “nokuphupha ukuphenduka ube mhlophe ” okubheke enkululekweni yezingqondo zamakoloni.

Afrika-humanisme en ubuntu vervul ’n kritieke rol as ’n voertuig in die fiksie van Zakes Mda om die volle menslike potensiaal van Afrikane en hulle sentrale rol in gemeenskapsbetrokkenheid te demonstreer. Die studie het hierdie filosofie ondersoek in sover dit op sy skryfwerk van toepassing is, met ’n spesifieke fokus op ses van sy romans en die outobiografie, Memoirs of an outsider – sometimes there is a void (2011). Karakteruitbeelding as ’n teoretiese raamwerk word met verwysing na Steve Biko (1978) se idees oor Afrika-kultuur en -humanisme verken, met inagneming van die literêre kritiek van Lewis Nkosi (1983) en Njabulo Ndebele (1991) aangaande fiksie deur swart Suid-Afrikaners, soos teen ’n breër teoretiese agtergrond beskou. “Afrika-humanisme” word hier as ’n katalisator vir menswaardigheid en maatskaplike transformasie omskryf, teen ’n agtergrond van rasgeïnspireerde ontmensliking wat die ekonomiese en sosiopolitieke lewe in Suid-Afrika sedert die koloniale era tipeer. Die maatskaplike tersaaklikheid van Mda se literêre werke lê ten grondslag aan die argument ten gunste van ’n noue verwantskap tussen geselekteerde fiksiewerke en breër maatskaplike faktore. In hierdie geval word die mite dat die land se maatskaplike werklikheid die verbeelding in bedwang hou, verdryf en as onwaar bewys, in die opsig dat Mda se literêre werke ’n noue verwantskap tussen verbeelding en werklikheid weerspieël. Die studie bring die simbiotiese verhouding tussen die kunstenaar en die samelewing, waaroor Mda in ’n onderhoud in 2016 uitgebrei het, na vore. Hy het verduidelik dat sy literêre werke ’n reaksie is op die wêreld rondom hom en die veranderinge wat daarin plaasvind. Plek en landskap is van die vernaamste kenmerke van sy skryfwerk; dit rig die emosionele en geestelike ontwikkeling van sy karakters. Die draad van Afrika-humanisme en ubuntu in sy skryfwerk is op kulturele begrippe, soos gemeenskaplikheid (collectivity), mededeelsaamheid (sharing), wedersydse respek en die mens as die middelpunt van die kosmos, soos voorgestaan deur Steve Biko (1978:135), gegrond. Die veroordeling van kulturele en psigologiese kolonisering in Mda se skryfwerk word binne die konteks van Frantz Fanon (2008:vi) se teorie oor die ontwikkeling van kritiese en onafhanklike denke, ten gunste van die “dekolonisering van denke” (“decolonisation of the mind”) sowel as die hantering van die gevolglike “neurose van swartheid” (“neurosis of blackness”) ter bevordering van die emansipering van gekoloniseerde denke, ondersoek.