A review by charliebnl
These Bones Will Rise Again by Panashe Chigumadzi

informative inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

4.0

This collection of essays by Panashe, triggered by the marches that precipitated the ousting of Robert Mugabe as president / dictator of Zimbabwe. Panashe discusses the Chimurenga, uprisings, that have risen up throughout what is now called Zimbabwe’s history of fighting to protect their land to get it back from the Colonisers and Tyranny. 

 

It took me a while to get into the book, but by page 60 I was hooked. Reading about the history that I was clueless about, from a country I have visited several times and that borders my current home, was shameful. It highlights not only the political and historical events from the first encounter with the British, but also the spiritual linkages to mediums that Zimbabweans believe re-incarnate every so often and then lead the next Chimurenga. If you’ve ever watch Avatar the last Airbender, I kept thinking about that in this context. 

 

Panashe also highlights the Gukurahundi, the massacre of the Ndebele in Zimbabwe between 1982 and 1987. The traumas meted onto Zimbabweans by Zimbabweans that is never spoken about and it made me think about how I have interacted with Ndebele Zimbabweans who may be survivors of that violence without knowing it. 

 

Panashe also highlights the important role that women play in being custodians of history, depicts us being written out of it, it is another book that highlights the importance of us collecting our history from our parents, especially out mothers. 

 

Read this if you live in Southern Africa, if you like historical non-fiction, if you ever made a comment about Robert Mugabe, if you know a Zimbabwean or have visited Zimbabwe or live / d there.