Mitshimbilo (“Wanderlust Disease”): Africa’s Future in Zakes Mda’s Sculptors of Mapungubwe and Two of Ben Okri’s Novels

Abstract

This article extends a deliberation on the centrality of the shaman to the spiritual turn in African literatures, where it was argued that Ben Okri and Zakes Mda’s respective models of shamanism in Sculptors of Mapungubwe and Dangerous Love are bound inward and outward. This argument is rephrased; this time, postulating that, in both authors’ work, shamanism surfaces in heterogeneous and interlocking voices – all keyed into the motif of travel such as is central to the Orphic quest. It continues that what distinguishes Mda is the fact that he captures these perspectives in mitshimbilo (“wanderlust disease”) – which is a Tshivenda concept that Mda uses to critique the East African slave trade. By contrast, Okri anchors heteroglossia in a subjectivity which the article associates with Black Atlantic polyglot, underpinning its essence of reclamation with his adaptation of the West African narrative of the Spirit Child, or Abiku. A proposition is also made that these contrasting sets of assorted voices foreground corresponding dispositions of an expanded sense of consciousness. The analysis develops in two phases. First, presenting synopses of the primary texts, the examination draws attention to how, in its allusions to everyday culture, mitshimbilo foregrounds shamanism in contrasting postcolonial lenses and non realisms that have yet to be appreciated. The final section closely reads how the identified insinuations in Sculptors of Mapungubwe distinguish its shamanism from Okri’s.

Opsomming

Hierdie artikel bied 'n blik op die sentraliteit van die sjamaan ten opsigte van die spirituele wending in Afrika literatuur, waar daar aangevoer word dat Ben Okri en Zakes Mda se onderskeie modelle van sjamanisme in Sculptors of Mapungubwe en Dangerous Love ingaande en uitgaande is. Hierdie argument word herformuleer; die keer word voorgehou dat sjamanisme in albei outeurs se werk bespeur kan word in heterogene en ineengeskakelde stemme – alles opgesluit in die motief van reis; die kern van die Orfiese soektog. Verder word daar voorgehou dat dit wat Mda onderskei, die feit is dat hy hierdie perspektiewe vasle in mitshimbilo (“wanderlust siekte”) – 'n Tshivenda weergawe van Oos Afrika se slawehandel. In teenstelling daarmee, anker Okri heteroglossie in 'n subjektiwiteit wat in die artikel geassosieer word met swart Atlantiese poliglot; die wese van herwinning word onderstut met sy aanpassing van die Wes Afrikaanse verhaal van die Geesteskind, of Abiku. Die stelling word ook gemaak dat hierdie kontrasterende stelle van verskillende stemme, prominensie verleen aan ooreenkomstige stemmings van 'n uitgebreide bewussyn. Die ontleding ontwikkel in twee fases. Eerstens vestig die ondersoek – deur sinopsisse van die primere tekste te gee – aandag op hoe mitshimbilo, in die sinspeling daarvan op alledaagse kultuur, sjamanisme in die voorgrond plaas met kontrastering van postkoloniale lense en non realismes wat nog nie ten volle begryp word nie. Die slotgedeelte bestudeer in diepte hoe die geidentifiseerde insinuasies in Sculptors of Mapungubwe die sjamanisme daarin onderskei van die van Okri.