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EMMAN A. M. MADE |
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by H. I. E. Dhlomo There are dauntless, great and gifted souls who in spite of our political subjection, economic insecurity and our depressing living conditions, are determined not only not to go under, but to use our very oppression and deep sense of frustration to create things that are a joy forever; who use the finite to soar to the Infinite, the local and transient to attain to the universal and the permanent; the sordid and the cruel to create tragic and sublimating beauty. Mr. Made is one of this little band of Africans who, despite great odds, are doing their best to add to our cultural heritage and prestige. It is a path fraught with pain, disappointment and great self-sacrifice for the African today. Yet it is such spirits that are building up and giving meaning to the name of the Race. Even in our money-tainted and matter of fact society, we cannot but admit that the true greatness of a people depends upon its creative and inventive genius---the philosophers, poets, painters, writers, musicians, creative scientists. It is these who are the Soul and Name of their Race. Defeated Germany and almost bankrupt Britain , for example, are still considered great because they have produced their Goethes, Beethovens, Kants and their Shakespeares, Newtons and Dickens. The glory of Greece and the might of Rome cannot pass away because of the efforts of those countries' creative minds. It is important for our oppressed and frustrated people not to lose sight of this fact. For instance, when a Xhosa person boasts about the achievements of his tribe, he means [S. E. K.] Mqhayi, [J. J. R.] Jolobe, [A. C.] Jordan, [John Knox] Bokwe and his creative tribesmen. It is for this reason that men like Made should be encouraged, thanked and used. In the four books that he has already produced, Made has shown his versatility. He has written fiction, essays and history. Of these four books nothing will be said here save that his novel received a favourable review from such a stern and expert critic as the late Dr. Vilakazi in African Studies---and that is saying much. In the new book which is the immediate reason for this appreciation, Made appears in the new role of poet. Umuthi Wokufa Nezinye Inkondlo consists of some forty poems. The title poem, “Umuthi Wokufa” tells in verse the story of Eden and the Fall of Man (a theme that has attracted some of the world's best minds). Many of the poems are didactic, treating of the present conditions and social thought of the Race. Others are patriotic. One of the most musical in this category is “Afrika Ngingekudele”: O, Afrika ‘zwe lobaba, Sokukhonz' abafokazi! Although one would like to say much on this point---protest literature---one cannot do so for two reasons. One is lack of space; the other is that this is an appreciation and not a critical review. But one thing must be said. There are some European and other “critics” who know nothing about our home-language literature and at the same time write about Africans and Literature. Two such misleading articles have appeared recently in what is considered one of South Africa 's leading literary magazines. The articles are naïve because the writers do not know Bantu [African] languages and base their arguments on the meager efforts of Africans who write in English, and because they approach literature purely from the dialectical point of view. Made is an idealist believing in Higher Criticism. And the point is that in true and living literature there is room for all schools of thought. As would be expected, the book has some lyrics. These are personal to the author and are therefore biographical. For reasons that cannot be mentioned in this brief appreciation, the present writer would like to encourage the author of these poems to develop along the lines of “Ilanga”, “Ubuphicaphica”, “Kuhle Kwethu!”, “Mazenze, Zimbungulu, Maphele” and “Kuthule nya!” These are poems that treat of nature and everyday universal human experiences. They treat of constant things that appeal to all people in all places at all times. We need African poets and writers who will tell us about nature, human experience, simple human tales, and the tragedy and joy, meaning and mystery of life as known not to the African as such, but to Everyman. Space forbids the quotation of some of these examples. One will suffice. These are stanzas from the piece, “Kuthule Nya!”: Indalo imangele; One need only add that that rare and most poetic Zulu expression---the ideophone---has hardly been put to better use in our poetry. One has said nothing of prosody and other technical points. But it is noteworthy to find that almost every poem in this book is a rimed one, and the author uses interesting and varied stanza forms. It is only in the introductory poem (written in praise of one of our poets) that Made adapts the old Izibongo form of poetry. Last, it is a pity that Made and all other African writers (many of whom have several meritorious MSS [manuscripts] locked in their shelves) have to depend on their books being accepted for colleges and schools before they can have them published. This is a problem that the Africans themselves must solve. “Emman A. H. Made: An Appreciation”, Ilanga lase Natal , November 6, 1948. |
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