Skipping Without Ropes

by Jack Mapanje

Jack Mapanje was head of the Department of English at the University of Malawi in Malawi, Africa, when arrested in 1987 after his first book of poems, Chameleons and Gods, was banned in Malawi. Imprisoned without trial or charge he was released in 1991 following an international public outcry against his treatment.In Skipping the Ropes, his third collection, Mapanje writes about his incarceration and release from prison, his exile to England and his return to Africa, reconciliation with his torturers, the role of the African writer, and the continuing liberation struggle in other countries. While often deadly serious, Mapanje's poems are given a skip and a lift by the generosity of spirit and irrepressible humor which helped sustain him through his prison ordeal.

Genres: Poetry, Malawi, Africa

Paperback

First published March 1, 1999

About the author

Jack Mapanje (born 25 March 1944)[1] 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.

Reviews

[Rowena · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book last year, the first book I’ve ever read from Malaŵi.It was written by radical Malaŵian poet, Jack Mapanje, who was arrested under Malaŵi’s former dictatorial regime (Dr. Banda), for just under 4 years, for publishing a collection of poems that criticized the Government. He wrote a lot of his poems while in prison.

During Banda’s regime,there was only one party, the Malaŵi Congress Party (MCP), and every adult citizen had to carry party membership cards at all times. Being found without one was one of the several reasons a person might be detained. Pretty much anyone who spoke out against the dictatorship could be detained without trial. People who refused to carry a party membership card, for example the Jehovah’s Witnesses, were targeted as well. Jack Mapanje was one of those political prisoners. He, at least, did not suffer the fate of being fed to crocodiles, like so many other political activists were.

I found the entire book of poetry fascinating. The poems detailed actual people who were a part of Malaŵian and African history, and also some actual events that have taken place. For example, one poem called 'Our Doctor Mr Ligomeka', tells the story of a doctor who was not scared to treat political prisoners, and even warned Mapanje not to take any malaria medicine from the prison nurses because he believed the Government was trying to poison him. Another poem, 'The Following Dawn the Boots' talks about “that legendary gang of four” who were 4 Malaŵian politicians; Aaron Gadama, Dick Matenje, Twaibu Sangala and David Chiwanga, who died in a mysterious “car accident” in the early Eighties. Other subject matter touched upon include the 1994 Rwandan genocide and the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa by Sani Abacha.

The poems also depict the beauty of Malaŵi, recounting Zomba plateau, the jacaranda and mango trees. Also, the British influence on the country is very evident throughout the book, Malaŵi being a former British colony, with strong ties to Scotland.

My favourite verse from this book comes from the poem entitled 'When The Watery Monsters Argued' :

But do not ask us to forget the past, and how

Could poetry forget the past when Africa still

Bleeds from forgetting the past; empower others

To forget your past- my struggle continues

-Jack Mapanje

Mapanje was released from Mikuyu Prison on 10 May 1991, after public outcry from foreign writers. Soon after, he was exiled to England, where he still lives.