SHIMMER CHINODYA AND THE COMPLEXITIES OF POSTCOLONIAL ZIMBABWEAN IDENTITIES

Abstract

Postcolonial African identities are as complex as they are contested. On their part, creative writers have offered some of the most powerful descriptions of the quest for postcolonial African identities. They have painted some of the most lasting images of the struggles faced by Africans in response to colonialism and its attendant issues such as Christianity, and the demonising of African cultural belief systems. In this article, I examine Shimmer Chinodya’s portrayal of the challenges of postcolonial Zimbabwean identities. Whereas some writers have made politics and economics the key dimensions to the construction of postcolonial Zimbabwean identities, Chinodya has largely confined himself to the cultural dimension. Where other authors focus on the nation, he concentrates on the family. I, therefore, argue that the decision to concentrate on the family has enabled Chinodya to describe the complexities of postcolonial Zimbabwean identities in more vivid ways. I conclude that Chinodya’s attempt at resolving the puzzle is problematic, although he outlines the challenges in an informative way.