A philosophical interpretation of the significance of oral forms in I. Mabasa’s novel Mapenzi (1999)

Abstract

The article critically analyses the use of Shona oral art forms in I. Mabasa’s novel “Mapenzi” (“Mad people”/“Foolish people”). It departs from the realisation that the writer identifies with Shona people’s oral experiences in the form of songs, “bembera” (satiric poetry) and folktales among others. These oral art forms provide the means by which the writer overcomes both selfcensorship and real or imagined state censorship. The article advances the argument that Mabasa uses the Shona people’s oral art forms in a manner that is ideologically and pedagogically empowering. This is consistent with the value thrust of Shona people’s epistemological assumptions. The article comes to the conclusion that Mabasa’s vision in the novel “Mapenzi” maintains the line between tradition and continuity.