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A review by joyful24
The Heart of Redness by Zakes Mda
4.0
i love historical fiction. i love eloquently written and well-crafted tales. i love how this book combined those things into an intricately woven tale of love, lust, and progress.
more than a century after Nongqawuse set the Xhosa people on course to permanently change their society the battle against modernity and colonization still wages in post-apartheid South African. by happenstance a disillusioned expatriate stumbles upon an alluring woman singing at a funeral. as he prepares to abandon his homeland for greener american shores his thoughts drift to her and he finds himself in the middle of her village. it happens to be the same village were the prophet Nongqawuse caused the Xhosa to split into factions: The Believers (who thought her a true prophet destined to free the people from imperialism) and The UnBelievers (people who thought her a fraud and welcomed the colonist).
this man Camagu stumbles into Qolorha at a time when developers are trying to rally support for a casino and tourist resort. the believers are welcoming of the potential jobs, improved infrastructure, and modernity that accompanies the project. the unbelivers are convinced that the instead of bringing jobs and improvement the resort will ruin their lives. only seeking to see the beautiful woman Camagu finds himself thrust into the power struggle of both sides. it manifests in the attention of two women. one is Qukezwa-the free spirited daughter of Believer Zim. the other is Xoliswa Ximiya the prudish school principle determined to abandon "redness" for western civilization.
as the assorted love affair materializes we are taken back to the time to when the cousins ancestors drew line based on prophecy of Nongqawuse. we receive a history lesson about the european forays into "civilizing"[destroying]native peoples and conquering their lands in the name of the British Empire. the atrocities of war, famine, and jingoism are not spared. the reality of a people trying to preserve themselves in the face of inevitable defeat is detailed expertly as it plays out in the story of Twin vs Twin-Twin & all their descendants. luckily for us their descendants are Qukezwa and Xoliswa. they happen to both hold dear to their opinions about what is best for the village. they also happen to have attracted the attention of the outside.
he is an impartial man who gets drawn into the schemes of sustaining the village and positioning it for great advancement. his thoughts are swayed by his desire to impress both women. he must choose a way to provide for himself, his desires, and needs just as the Xhosa did when the British decided to occupy their lands 150 years ago. which side will he choose? how will he help save himself and the people he has grown to love? who will be his ally? who will be his enemy? how will the Xhosa survive the latest attempt at imperialism?
more than a century after Nongqawuse set the Xhosa people on course to permanently change their society the battle against modernity and colonization still wages in post-apartheid South African. by happenstance a disillusioned expatriate stumbles upon an alluring woman singing at a funeral. as he prepares to abandon his homeland for greener american shores his thoughts drift to her and he finds himself in the middle of her village. it happens to be the same village were the prophet Nongqawuse caused the Xhosa to split into factions: The Believers (who thought her a true prophet destined to free the people from imperialism) and The UnBelievers (people who thought her a fraud and welcomed the colonist).
this man Camagu stumbles into Qolorha at a time when developers are trying to rally support for a casino and tourist resort. the believers are welcoming of the potential jobs, improved infrastructure, and modernity that accompanies the project. the unbelivers are convinced that the instead of bringing jobs and improvement the resort will ruin their lives. only seeking to see the beautiful woman Camagu finds himself thrust into the power struggle of both sides. it manifests in the attention of two women. one is Qukezwa-the free spirited daughter of Believer Zim. the other is Xoliswa Ximiya the prudish school principle determined to abandon "redness" for western civilization.
as the assorted love affair materializes we are taken back to the time to when the cousins ancestors drew line based on prophecy of Nongqawuse. we receive a history lesson about the european forays into "civilizing"[destroying]native peoples and conquering their lands in the name of the British Empire. the atrocities of war, famine, and jingoism are not spared. the reality of a people trying to preserve themselves in the face of inevitable defeat is detailed expertly as it plays out in the story of Twin vs Twin-Twin & all their descendants. luckily for us their descendants are Qukezwa and Xoliswa. they happen to both hold dear to their opinions about what is best for the village. they also happen to have attracted the attention of the outside.
he is an impartial man who gets drawn into the schemes of sustaining the village and positioning it for great advancement. his thoughts are swayed by his desire to impress both women. he must choose a way to provide for himself, his desires, and needs just as the Xhosa did when the British decided to occupy their lands 150 years ago. which side will he choose? how will he help save himself and the people he has grown to love? who will be his ally? who will be his enemy? how will the Xhosa survive the latest attempt at imperialism?