Of Chameleons and Gods

Last updated
Of Chameleons and Gods
Of Chameleons and Gods.jpg
First image
AuthorJack Mapanje
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Series African Writers Series
GenrePoetry collection
Publisher Heinemann
Publication date
1981
Media typePrint (paperback)
ISBN 0-435-90236-9

Of Chameleons and Gods is the title of the first collection of poetry by Malawian poet Jack Mapanje, published in 1981 in the United Kingdom, [1] [2] in Heinemann's African Writers Series. Despite critical acclaim, the collection was withdrawn from circulation in Malawi, because it was seen as a critique of the current government and especially the leader Hastings Kamuzu Banda. [1]

Contents

Mapanje, in his introduction to the work, describes as the result of the work of "ten turbulent years". The 'chameleon' of the title refers to the disguise of personal voice he deemed necessary in order to mount a criticism of the politics at the time. [3]

Of Chameleons and Gods is divided into four sections: "Of Chameleons and Gods", '"Sketches from London", "Re-entering Chingwe's Hole" and "Assembling Another Voice". [4] The sections are almost chronological: poems in "Sketches from London"were written between 1972 and 1975; those in "Re-entering Chingwe's Hole", on Mapanje's return from London between 1975 and 1978; and those in "Assembling Another Voice" were probably the last to be written'. [4]

Literary criticism

The literary features of the collection have been overshadowed by its censorship. The poet makes use of the verse form to provide a satirical perspective on the political leaders and their supporters. [1] However, his criticism is by no means limited to the political scenario: poems such as "Kabulo Curio-Shop" demonstrate a critique of the exploitation of art and the artist in tourism. [4]

The collection made use of repeated imagery in its satire of the government. Images included references to "dawn" or "cockerel", alluding to the Malawi Congress Party's flag, which bears a picture of the sunrise and H. Kamuzu Banda's use of "Kwatcha!" ("Dawn!") at the start of addresses. These images were used not only in Mapanje's poetry but also other poetry of protest from the situation. [5]

Much of the poetry also demonstrates the influence of oral forms of poetry, especially in range and density of images and the address of the voice to an implied audience, which follows from Mapanje's endorsement of the sophistication of the oral mode of literature against the presumption, prevalent in the early 1970s, of its primitiveness. [5]

Censorship

After its initial launch in London, Mapanje was told of rumours of a poor reception by the Malawian Censorship Board, including the purchasing of multiple copies of the text only to dispose the books in public latrines. It was suggested to Mapanje that a Malawian edition of the collection could be published with "at least eighty percent" [2] of the poems included. This suggestion went no further.

After a poor reception of the 1984 reprint of the collection by officials in Malawi, the Ministry of Education and Culture banned the book from schools and universities in June 1985, claiming it was "unsuitable". [2] Mapanje believes that those on the Censorship Board felt positive towards the work, but that it was the introduction to the work and the inclusion of the poem "Making our Clowns Martyrs" that led to the decision. [2] Officially the work was not "banned" by "withdrawn from circulation". [2]

Mapanje was imprisoned without charge. In response to his imprisonment, Amnesty International made him a Prisoner of Conscience; protests included a reading of selections from Of Chameleons and Gods outside the Malawian High Commission in London by Harold Pinter. [5]

In response to the book's censorship, Mapanje wrote the poem 'On Banning Of Chameleons and Gods (June, 1985)', first published in his later collection The Chattering Wagtails of Mikuyu Prison . [6]

Related Research Articles

Hastings Banda First president of Malawi

Hastings Kamuzu Banda was the Prime Minister and later President of Malawi from 1964–1994. In 1966, the country became a republic and he became president.

Malawi Congress Party political party (Founded 1959; sole legal party 1966-1993)

The Malawi Congress Party (MCP) is a political party in Malawi. It was formed as a successor party to the banned Nyasaland African Congress when the country, then known as Nyasaland, was under British rule. The MCP, under Hastings Banda, presided over Malawian independence in 1964, and from 1966 to 1993 was the only legal party in the country. It has continued to be a major force in the country since losing power. In the 2009 elections, it received approximately 30% of the national vote.

Emmie Takomana Chanika born 26 May 1956 is a Malawian human rights activist. A trained registered nurse, Chanika began working in 1992 as human rights groups started to form and agitate for political change in Malawi which at the time suffered under the dictatorship of Hastings Kamuzu Banda. Emmie Chanika then founded the Civil Liberties Committee (CILIC), which was established in February 1992 as the first human rights organisation in Malawi. Emmie Chanika has been its executive director ever since. Under the banner of CILIC Emmie Chanika has been actively involved in the 1993 Referendum and the 1994 general election Civic Education which led to major democratic change and the end of Hasting Kamuzu Banda's dictatorship in Malawi. Although a trained registered nurse, Emmie Chanika continued to educate herself and among other qualifications obtained her Master of Science degree in Strategic Planning in 2007.

Chakufwa Chihana was a Malawian human rights activist, pro-democracy advocate, trade unionist and later, politician. He held the post of Second Vice President in Malawi, under President Bakili Muluzi. He is often called the 'father of Malawian democracy'. He served as leader of Malawi's first underground political movement, which urged President Hastings Kamuzu Banda, who had ruled for three decades, to call for a referendum on political pluralism. He was awarded the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award in 1992.

Lucius Chicco Banda, better known by his stage name Soldier Lucius Banda, is a Malawian singer-songwriter, music producer and politician from Balaka, Malawi.

Frank Mkalawile Chipasula is a Malawian writer, editor and university professor, "easily one of the best of the known writers in the discourse of Malawian letters".

Jack Mapanje is a Malawian writer and poet. He was the head of English at the Chancellor College, the main campus of the University of Malawi before being imprisoned in 1987 for his collection Of Chameleons and Gods, which indirectly criticized the administration of President Hastings Banda. He was released in 1991 and emigrated to the UK, where he worked as a teacher.

Malawi–South Africa relations Diplomatic relations between the Republic of Malawi and the Republic of South Africa

Malawian-South African relations refers to the bilateral relationship between Malawi and South Africa. South Africa's first formal relationship with an independent African country was established with Malawi, beginning in 1967.

Wambali Mkandawire is a Malawian jazz and Traditional Beat musician.

Cecilia Kadzamira First Lady of Malawi

Cecilia Tamanda Kadzamira GCVO was the official hostess of Malawi during the reign of Kamuzu Banda. Whilst she and Dr. Banda were not officially married, she served as the first lady or official hostess for several years. For several years, she was the most powerful woman in Malawi. Ms Kadzamira, is fondly referred to as "Mama", or "Mother of the Nation".

John Dustan Msonthi was a Malawian politician. He served as a Cabinet Minister and translator during the government of Kamuzu Banda.

Steve Bernard Miles Chimombo was a Malawian writer, poet, editor and teacher. He was born in Zomba.

Cosmo George Leipoldt Pieterse is a South African playwright, actor, poet, literary critic and anthologist.

John Lloyd Chipembere Lwanda is a Malawian medical doctor, writer, poet, researcher, publisher, and music producer. He is a published author and also a publisher of books and music. He was an honorary senior lecturer at the University of Glasgow Department of Primary Care until 2005. Lwanda did his history and social science PhD at the University of Edinburgh's Centre of African Studies.

Sam Mpasu was a Malawian politician, author, and former diplomat. He served as Minister of Commerce, Secretary General of the United Democratic Front (UDF) in 1999, and speaker of the Malawi National Assembly.

Focus Martin Gwede was a Malawian head of the special branch of the Malawi Police Force. He was from Ntcheu Malawi. He was one of the most feared spies during the Kamuzu Banda era. With Gwede as the head of Special Branch and Albert Muwalo as a Minister of State they made the most feared duo in Malawi.

Benedicto Wokomaatani Malunga, also known as Ben Malunga, is a Malawian poet, writing in the Chichewa language. He is also a short-story writer, an essayist, a music composer, public speaker, and translator who has translated Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart into Chichewa under the title Chipasupasu. Malunga holds a bachelor's degree from Chancellor College of the University of Malawi (1986) and an MA from Manchester University (1996) in the UK. He is currently working as Registrar for the University of Malawi and Secretary of the University of Malawi Council.

Professor Francis P. B. Moto is a Malawian writer, academic, and diplomat. His home is Golomoti in the Dedza District of Malawi. He attended secondary school in Chichiri in Blantyre and was admitted to the University of Malawi in 1972, obtaining a degree in linguistics in 1977.

Willie T. Zingani is a Malawian novelist, poet, playwright and journalist.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Chalamanda, Fiona Johnson. "Jack Mapanje: Of Chameleons and Gods". The Literary Encyclopedia. Retrieved 14 May 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Mapanje, Jack (1988). "Censoring the African Poem: Personal Reflections". In Kirsten Holst Petersen; et al. (eds.). Criticism and Ideology. Nordic Africa Institute. pp. 104–111.
  3. ↑ Mapanje, Jack (1981). Of Chameleons and Gods. Johannesburg: Heinemann. p. vii. ISBN   0-435-91194-5.
  4. 1 2 3 Ngara, Emmanuel (1990). Ideology and Form in African Poetry. London: James Currey. pp. 157–160.
  5. 1 2 3 Vail, Leroy; Landeg White (1991). Power and the Praise Poem: Southern African Voices in History. University of Virginia Press. pp. 278–285.
  6. ↑ Mapanje, Jack. The Chattering Wagtails of Mikuyu Prison. Heinemann. ISBN   0-435-91198-8.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.