Heteroglossia and the Destabilisation of Authorial Voice in Bruce Moore-King’s White Man Black War

Abstract

Through a reading of Moore-King’s White Man Black War, this article seeks to demonstrate that white Zimbabwean narratives belong to a heteroglot world, a world of multiple languages, which destabilises the assumed monologism of the white Zimbabwean literary canon. White Man Black War privileges an authorial ideology at the expense of other voices in its pursuit of a single “Truth”, something which reflects Zimbabwe’s critical tradition that sees coherence in the white Zimbabwean literary canon. This tendency is not only predicated on a fallacy, that monologue is possible, but provides the impetus to relegate other voices and narratives to the margins. Regardless, even where monologue appears to be privileged, it is nevertheless unattainable. By incorporating other voices into its narrative design, even with the intention of containing these voices, White Man Black War is internally destabilised to the extent that its voice(s) become multiple and conflictual. In such a scenario neither the individual text nor the literary archive can be successfully unitary.

Opsomming

Hierdie artikel poog om, deur 'n ontleding van Moore-King se White Man Black War, te demonstreer dat wit Zimbabwiese vertellings tot 'n heteroglot-wêreld hoort – 'n veeltalige wêreld, wat die veronderstelde monologisme van die wit Zimbabwiese literêre kanon destabiliseer. White Man Black War bevoorreg 'n ouktoriële ideologie ten koste van ander stemme in sy strewe na 'n enkele “waarheid”, iets wat Zimbabwe se kritiese tradisie, waarvolgens die wit Zimbabwiese literêre kanon deur samehang gekenmerk  word, weerspieël. Hierdie tendens berus nie bloot op 'n dwaalbegrip – naamlik dat monoloog moontlik is – nie, maar dien as aansporing om ander stemme en vertellings na die kantlyne te skuif. Nietemin, selfs waar monoloog bevoorreg blyk te wees, is dit steeds onbereikbaar. Deur ander stemme in die verhaalontwerp te inkorporeer, selfs met die doel om hierdie stemme in toom te hou, is White Man Black War intern gedestabiliseer in so 'n mate dat die stem(me) daarvan veelvuldig is en deur konflik gekenmerk word. In so 'n scenario kan nóg die individuele teks nóg die literêre argief met sukses unitêr wees.