Representations of Identity, History and Nationalism in Chenjerai Hove’s Selected Poetry

Abstract

This article analyses some of the poems in Chenjerai Hove’s two collections of poetry: Up in Arms (1982) and Red Hills of Home (1985). I argue that the two collections focus on the contested subject of nationalism in Zimbabwe and its implications for both national and private identities. To trace how Hove’s poetic narratives of history engage with this concept, the conceptual approach to this paper depends on historian Terence Ranger’s (2005: 217) seminal classification of the active public historical versions in contemporary Zimbabwe into three categories: nationalist, patriotic, and academic histories. For the purpose of this article only nationalist history will be discussed because of its immediate relevance to the aspects of Zimbabwean history and nationalism that Hove raises in his poetry.

Opsomming

In hierdie artikel word sommige van die gedigte in Chenjerai Hove se twee poësieversamelings, Up in Arms (1982) en Red Hills of Home (1985), ontleed. Ek voer aan dat die twee versamelings fokus op die omstrede onderwerp van nasionalisme in Zimbabwe en die gevolge daarvan vir sowel nasionale as  private identiteite. Om vas te stel hoe Hove se poëtiese narratiewe van die geskiedenis met hierdie begrip omgaan, is die konseptuele benadering tot hierdie referaat onderhewig aan die historikus Terence Ranger (2005: 217) se seminale klassifisering van die aktiewe openbaar-historiese weergawes in hedendaagse Zimbabwe in drie kategorieë: nasionalistiese, patriotiese en akademiese geskiedenisse. Vir die doel van hierdie artikel sal slegs nasionalistiese geskiedenis bespreek word, omdat dit direk van  toepassing is op die aspekte van Zimbabwiese geskiedenis en nasionalisme wat Hove in sy poësie aanroer.