The issues of ethnic identity and integrity can be discussed as related to Africa of the nineteenth century because of the complex interrelations of European Imperialism and African Nationalism. Solomon Tsekhisho Plaatje is one of the writers who tend to take the varnish off different conflicts that took place in South Africa. One of such conflicts is the situation between the Matabele and Batswana tribes. Having become acquainted with the grim realities of the Boer war, Plaatje can mirror them in Mhudi, a novel finished in 1919-1920. In Mhudi, Plaatje discusses the controversial background of South Africa while discovering not only dreadful conflicts but also relations between people and their environment, including land, flora, fauna, and weather.
The theme of the land loss runs like a golden thread through the novel. Land and its topography are crucial for the native tribes. Attitudes toward land are rooted in the tribe’s culture, and the author illustrates the meaning of land in their everyday life. From the very beginning, Plaatje describes the lives of a tribe dependent on land and crafts associated with using the land. According to Plaatje, “work was perfunctory, for mother earth yielded her bounties and the maiden soil provided ample sustenance for man and beast” (1). As Mhudi’s people are chased away from their land by the Matabele, the sacred connection is lost, and the question of land turns into the question of self-identification and righteousness.
The description of fauna is another thing that is substantial for understanding the tribe’s life. Animals mentioned in the text are both a footprint of the tribe and danger. Firstly, the enemy is compared to a wild animal – a predator. Plaatje writes that “Ra-Thaga did not know what to do, for if there were two things he was against the meeting, they were a Matabele and a lion” (13). The author also refers to the Matabele as “continuing their march very much like a swarm of locusts” (Plaatje 4). Consequently, through the images of dangerous and voracious species, the author shows the perception of those who pose a danger to the tribe. Secondly, the role of cattle in the tribe’s life is also depicted. Talking about Kunana, ‘dear land’, Ra-Thaga mentions “cattle waxed fat along the green valleys” and “she-goats fed from two to three kids each” (Plaatje 19). There is some nostalgia in Ra-Thaga’s words as he is homesick and shocked by the intrusion of the Matabele.
The background of the characters includes not only the implications of the conflict but also the soul of the land. Ra-Thaga and Mhudi, the sole survivors of the massacre, once find themselves in a forest. Plaatje writes that the “forest was their home, the rustling trees their relations, the sky their guardian” (49). Some romantic haze seems to contain in these lines, though the overall situation is far from being romantic. Nevertheless, war and love can be connected in novels. A love story between Ra-Thaga and Mhudi is framed with natural beauty and purity.
The weather motives also seem to stress the entrenchment of the conflict. It is seen in the situation when Ra-Thaga says about the omnipresence of Mzilikazi, the king of the Matabele. She says, “after this, I will not be surprised to hear you say that the rain which causes the growth of the grass is bestowed by Mzilikazi” (Plaatje 57). Still, the weather seems to be not only a metaphor but also a reality that influences the tribe significantly. As it is mentioned in the novel, “when the rainy season was good everyone had too much corn, and in years of drought the majority went short of porridge” (Plaatje 3). These words illustrate the implications of such reliance on nature.
In the novel, cosmic ideas are reflected in the Eden-like beginning where the tribe lives in harmony with nature and their land. The author emphasizes the nature of men’s and women’s work which may illustrate the dualism of cosmic harmony. Plaatje pays particular attention to the women’s role in the tribe, as he writes that “woman’s work was never out of season” (1). Plaatje focuses not only on women’s work but also on women’s abilities to provide peace and hope for a better future. Therefore, the harmony with the land and the duality of women and men are reflected in the novel. Having lost their land, Ra-Thaga and Mudhi are to reconcile strong emotions and objectives to live meaningful lives together.
In his novel, Plaatje mentions and describes different natural phenomena, and they seem to highlight different sides of life. Concerning the agony of war, Plaatje also writes about the harmony which can be found in nature and love. Furthermore, the author shows the meaning of the environment to the tribe which largely depends on land. The loss of land leads to the loss of sacred connections. The issues of ethnic identity and integrity are covered in the novel with the help of various images and comparisons. Through the thorough analysis of the natural motives in Mhudi, one can see that social upheavals, love, and human ambitions cannot be separated from the question of land and the natural background. Therefore, the novel reflects a maze of ethnic groups, motives, and a kaleidoscope of South African nature.
Work Cited
Plaatje, Solomon Tsekhisho. Mudhi. Penguin Global, 2012.