The Girl Child’s Resilience and Agency in NoViolet Bulawayo’s We Need New Names

Abstract

Zimbabwean children’s literature has witnessed considerable expansion since the attainment of independence in 1980. It has addressed numerous themes, although it has tended to avoid overtly political issues. This article examines new developments in this literary genre. It focuses on one creative work that employs the perspectives of girl children to describe challenging experiences. The article analyses NoViolet Bulawayo’s We Need New Names (2013) to understand the resilience of the girl child in Zimbabwe. It examines this literary work as part of Zimbabwean children’s literature. It contends that the author provides an effective account of how Zimbabwean children demonstrate resilience and deploy agency to negotiate a very difficult context. However, the article also argues that Bulawayo’s approach to the theme has some weaknesses.

Opsomming

 Zimbabwiese kinderliteratuur het sedert onafhanklikwording in 1980 aan-sienlik uitgebrei. Dit handel oor talryke temas, maar is geneig om openlik politieke vraagstukke te vermy. Hierdie artikel ondersoek nuwe ontwikkel-ings in dié literêre genre. Dit fokus op een kreatiewe werk wat die perspektiewe van meisietjies inspan om uitdagende ervarings te beskryf. Die artikel ontleed NoViolet Bulawayo se We Need New Names (2013) om die veerkragtigheid van meisietjies in Zimbabwe te verstaan. Dit ondersoek hierdie literêre werk as deel van Zimbabwiese kinderliteratuur. Dit voer aan dat die skrywer ’n doeltreffende weergawe gee van hoe Zimbabwiese kinders veerkragtigheid toon en bemiddeling gebruik om ’n baie moeilike konteks te hanteer. Die artikel voer egter ook aan dat Bulawayo se benadering tot die tema enkele swakhede toon.