By I. M Soqaga
MEMORY CHIRERE, the excellent Zimbabwean writer and essayist, is one of
Africa’s renowned literary critics and
reviewers.
Although critics are very important though often
undermined or even detested in Africa. We tend to believe that they are
"destroying or pulling down" the hard literary work of writers. But in the
western world, critics are often highly respected as they introduce and even
guide us as regards certain authors or books.
William Shakespeare eg has thousands of critical
work published on him, and all we need do is read some critical essays on the
greatest bard to give us an insight into Shakespeare over 30 plays. We cannot
really read all his books, just as virtually all of us cannot read the dozens
of books published by Wole Soyinka, EskiaMphahlele, Chinua Achebe, David
Mailluetc.
But critics introduce us to the work of such writers
and alleviate our ignorance. Then we must also realise that some of our African
writers are very difficult just to read - like Dambudzo, Soyinka and Lenrie
Peters. Critics help us by trying to guide us to understand/analyse what they
wrote.
A South African writer like the great mama
Sindiwe Magona who has published over ten brilliant works - a critic can help us
to understand her vision, themes, style etc. Hence critics are very important.
Again sometimes we might not even practically be
able to see most of books published by writers eg Obi Egbuna or Flaxman
Qoopane. Then we are happy to know that a book containing many essays on
Qoopane has been published!! (Edited by Charmaine Kolwane) and we now realise
significance of critics like Lechesa, Leke Giwa, Raphael Mokoena, TiisetsoThiba,
Paul Lothane, Henry Ozogula etc.
It is in this wise that one can appreciate the vital
importance of Memory Chirere in literature and in promoting literary criticism
is absolutely fascinating. Memory Chirere as a prominent short story writer he
is the one of the few intrepid critic in Africa in Zimbabwe. Although many people in the world may be
flimsily about freedom of expression in Zimbabwe, albeit Memory Chirere remain
absolutely consummate. The enormous
splendid amount of attention he received in the world of literature makes him
one of the superlative critics in the world of literature.
It will obviously be meaningless for a lecturer of
literature like Chirere to be absurd and myopic about literature in
general. Hence he is exceptionally
respected because of his unflinching demeanour of producing such superb critical
work of literature which is appropriate in literary field. We know for years in Africa this literary
genre (Literary Criticism) has been proscribe as something surreal and
propagated by impertinent writers.
Indeed, notable writers like Jack Mapanje, Wole
Soyinka, Ngugi waThiong’o, Mphahlele, and many others suffered the huge adversity under the government of their countries. Essentially, it is too awesome to see a
writer of the calibre of Memory Chirere being not palpitated in advancing
quintessential literature in this outstanding fashion especially in Zimbabwe
which many will hardly believe that such writing can take place.
Memory Chirere is one of the
contemporary Zimbabwean writers who uses the short story genre as a mode of
expression. In his first collection of short stories in English under one book,
Somewhere in this Country (2006), Chirere focuses on the marginalised members
of society in their day-to-day struggles for survival in post-independence
Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe’s masses leading
miserable lives, years after independence which was obtained in 1980, reflects
that the black leaders failed to fulfil their erstwhile promises of better days
to the majority.
At the centre of each of the stories
selected to be studied in this article, “Suburb”, “An Old Man”, “Maize” and
“Sitting Carelessly” is the writer’s touching compassion for the
underprivileged members of society such as squatters, street kids, land-hungry
peasants and displaced farm workers respectively. However, in “Maize” the black
government is applauded for alleviating the situation of peasants by giving
them land under the recent land reform programme. Hence, notable in Chirere’s
criticism of society and its institutions is his objectivity.
Select Bibliography – books by
Chirere
·
Somewhere in This Country
Somewhere in This Country
·
Toriro and His Goats and
Other Stories
·
Tudikidiki
·