Nehanda

by Yvonne Vera

Fiction. African American Studies. Set in Yvonne Vera's native country of Zimbabwe, NEHANDA tells the story of a late nineteenth century village where a young woman has been given a divine the gift to inspire a war. Told in beautifully lucid and evocative prose, this is the portrait of resistance and struggle, a tale of a people's first meeting with colonialism. A stunning, beautiful and poetic novel. --The Herald (Zimbabwe)

Genres: Fiction, Africa, Zimbabwe, Historical, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction

118 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Yvonne Vera (September 19, 1964 – April 7, 2005) was an award-winning author from Zimbabwe. Her novels are known for their poetic prose, difficult subject-matter, and their strong women characters, and are firmly rooted in Zimbabwe's difficult past. For these reasons, she has been widely studied and appreciated by those studying postcolonial African literature.

Vera was born in Bulawayo, in what was then Southern Rhodesia, to Jerry Vera and Ericah Gwetai. At the age of eight, she worked as a cotton-picker near Hartley. She attended Mzilikazi High School and then taught English literature at Njube High School, both in Bulawayo. In 1987 she travelled to Canada and she married John Jose, a Canadian whom she had met while he was teaching at Njube. At York University, Toronto, she completed an undergraduate degree, a master's and a PhD, and taught literature.

In 1995, Vera returned to Zimbabwe and in 1997 became director of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo, a gallery that showcases local talent ranging from that of professional artists to school children. In 2004 she went back to Canada, where she died on April 7, 2005, of AIDS-related meningitis.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Sara Jesus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Um livro bastante focado no mundo espiritual e as tradições nativas africanas. Gostei muito das referências ao mundo animal, e o confronto entre os indígenas e os colonizadores. Mas as visões de Nehanda tornavam-se confusas, e sinto que não compreendi todos os termos referentes à cultura africana.

[Anetq · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stylistically very interesting - while the chapters about the white colonists in Africa are written in a classic (Western/European) style with naturalistic descriptions and dialogue, most of the book is written from the viewpoint of the indigenous people of the land. The spirit world is real, time is of no real importance (something which does a lot of structuring in a western story) - it is sometimes unclear to me as a western reader what is going on, if anything, and what it really means. This does not make it an illegible book at all, it just does a very good job of conveying the feelings and thoughts describing the war against the white invaders in Botswana, even if it is an unusual read. But also made me consider how much of the other African literature is in deed very British/French/Western in form and structure.

[Lindsey Z · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yvonne Vera is a most astounding and beautiful author. More should read her work. She had a true grasp of what it meant to be African and a woman in a world rife with colonialism and violence. Where we so often look to Achebe to teach us about Africa, we should equally look to Vera. She has a lot to teach through her stories.

[Whitlaw Tanyanyiwa Mugwiji · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is an interesting read and Yvonne Vera is a great writer but the book is a bit difficult to understand. I would have loved to know more about Nehanda and Kaguvi as people and also about the locations where things were transpiring but the book is sketchy in that regard. I guess I am looking for history lessons when this book is just but a novel.

[Silas · Rating 2 out of 5]

This felt like a book that was trying so hard to show the reader something about a society that it forgot to tell a story. I appreciated the window into the culture of Zimbabwe before colonization but the story was completely underdeveloped. I got little sense of the characters and many of the things that the author wanted to tell the reader were told very heavy handedly. The writing was poetic at moments but it certainly didn't hold enough charm to make up for the lack of interesting plot or characters. I understand that it wasn't told in a western story framework and so this may be part of the reason I didn't enjoy it as much but that didn't change the fact that I didn't enjoy it very much.

[Laur Henry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was really beautiful. As a poet Vera knows how to spin words and articulate a strong message. I’m glad I read this but I think others would appreciate it more than I did.

[Wim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is full of energy and vibration, a wonderfully written account of colonial oppression and resistance, of despair and brutal violence. Powerful read.

[DW · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very significant piece of literature for people interested in African Literature, and it is so for good reason. This is a beautiful book. Highly recommended.

[2TReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I see a timeless cloud of dust that will blind us all, and we shall never recover from it."-Nehanda
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This quote to me encompasses the disasters that befall a people who have ever had their country and culture invaded/occupied by others who only seek to suppress and erase them.
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A powerful story of a girl who grew up to lead her people using her connection to the spirits and the ancestors.
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#yvonnevera uses a clear, concise writing style that is no less profound in telling this story. This style of writing may not be for everyone, but I appreciated the intent of keeping the focus of the novel on the village and Nehanda. The importance of the traditions and customs of Nehanda's people is prominent and central to their way of life.
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The events of the rebellion are told on the outskirts of the plot, we are only given details through #Nehanda, her village, Mr. Browning and Mr. Smith(the white men leading the occupation) as they are experiencing them. I believe Vera did this purposely in order to have the focus on Nehanda and how instrumental she was in leading her people against the white men.
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I loved how signs were read from the characteristics and behaviours of animals and the elements. This highlighted how closely Nehanda existed with respect to her environment. Also the disbelief of Mr. Browning upon finding out they were being thwarted by a woman, highlighted his misogyny and how little these white men knew and understood of African society and the roles women played.
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Thanks again to Mawenzi House for sending this book to us. I loved it and highly recommend it.

[Maria Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my THIRD attempt at reviewing this book after this app has crashed one me >.< but I must say what I need to say!!! lol

This short novel about 100 to 130 pages is filled with beautiful pros about one of the many stories of colonialism. It shows that religion, faith and belief aren’t the same thing it demonstrates how evil human beings can be.
The story immerses you in a culture completely different than your own. It makes you think of stereotypes and prejudices one holds. You connect you with nature, remain thankful and hopeful and overall you start breathing deeper just because you have the freedom to do so.
The only thing I do recommend, is to read this in either one or two sittings since the book jumps between past present and future, it can be easy to get lost if you stop reading it for a long time and pick it back up.
I’ll leave you with my favorite quote from the naming ceremony of Nehanda.

“Bind the child to the mystery of the earth.”
“May the darkness of the sky bring her rest.”
“May the light of the sky bring her wisdom.”
“May the sun rise, and set, in her arms.”

[Sena · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing in this was so incredibly beautiful and lyrical, but that’s part of why this book was so difficult to read and I found myself getting lost. There were also large jumps in time with no warning so I was super confused about a lot

[Mary Starnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely beautiful! I read this for an African literature class years ago during college. The imagery is like nothing I’ve ever read. It’s a fairly quick read. Maybe a couple hours max. I would highly recommend!

[Kathleen J · Rating 5 out of 5]

And it must be again said how the colonizers do not respect the land or the earth that they conquer. They only conquer to take and carve away what they believe to be theirs. That will and has always been their downfall


Beautiful and haunting. Highly recommend for decolonial reading

[l · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://journals.openedition.org/afri...

Some context

[Jamie Zaccaria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely beautiful writing, no question.

[Carson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this for class. Definitely a good read especially when taking other social factors surrounding the events into account. Writing style was very enjoyable too. I feel it is definitely a good entrance into African literature even if you don’t ha e much background the subject.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Her first, and least sophisticated, novel, but it provides crucial history about the people of Zimbabwe.