Ugandan author, book critic and poet, Philip Matogo interrogates and lauds Andrew Chatora’s debut short story collection for bringing to the fore aspects of contemporary Zimbabwe that are typical of African conditions and the Diaspora, also indicating that the stories encompass the Sophoclean tragedy.
In the main story, of this debut collection by Andrew Chatora, a man with multiple identities goes to prison… (I know that you thought he would go to a mental home with such a disorder). However, his is no ordinary disorder or condition. Going to prison in order to spy on prisoners is actually his profession!
The man is a political spy, a spook as some would say. He is sent to prison for what in his line of work is called Wetwork, a euphemism for murder or assassination that alludes to spilling blood.
So, he is secreted into Harare Alcatraz Maximum Security Prison by the security police of Zimbabwe to eliminate political dissidents, Jacob and Hopewell. But then, the two men he is supposed to eliminate reveal their impeccable humanity to him and things get hazier than any shade of colourful criminality.
Jacob and Hopewell are well known fighters for democracy in Zimbabwe who have been in and out of prison and this story uses real living characters in a work of total imagination, something that Ignatius Mabasa, the other key Zimbabwean author, is known to do. When fiction and fact come together, the spark becomes huge, covering both its source and the starter.
“You see, Chipendani, we are prisoners of conscience here at Harare Alcatraz; our desire is not for us to benefit personally, but for posterity, our children, their children and future generations to come,” Jacob tells the would-be killer.
Andrew Chatora
Instead of killing the two men, their would-be killer is gradually and convincingly converted to their cause. This, as you might imagine, does not end well for him.
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Several other stories animate the pages of this well-written book whose diction and turn of phrase will amaze and amuse anyone who reads it. "These stories by Andrew Chatora are in keeping with Jarrell Randall’s view of the type of stories in-which-everything-happen and is so charged that the narrative threatens to disintegrate into energy!
In the succeeding story, “Black Britain”, the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement is articulated in a storyline that will keep readers glued to each page.
As some readers might be aware, BLM activists seek to draw attention to the racism which leads to the criminal mistreatment of black people. This movement has met with support and, predictably, virulent opposition.
“Race relations opinions are always sharply polarised in contemporary Britain and framed within binary opposites of ‘us versus them’, and ‘whites versus non-whites’. Thus, it was common to be targeted with a barrage of vitriolic and disparaging insults and posts for advocating for racial equality and a fair and just society,” says the protagonist Anesu, after the police, again predictably, pull over the family car. As an essay short story, this piece necessitates a delicate balance between storytelling finesse and analytical prowess, making this book a must read in the BLM movement.
In the story A Snap Decision, a mother of easy virtue ends up with a cavalcade of men. Some of whom deflower and sexually abuse her daughter.
A gruesome murder occurs, and the hapless child is given a 12-year custodial sentence. In between the sexual trauma of her existence, she mercifully and rather fittingly finds love.
In Uganda, we have Kafundas. You know, the tumbledown drinking establishments famed for their affordability and accessibility.
In South Africa and Zimbabwe, there are shebeens. These are informal and unlicensed drinking places in the townships and mining compounds. But because these places stray away from the ambit of the law, some of the most despicable things happen in there and these spaces have been areas of interest for many writers who seek to search for hidden social truths.
Estelle, the shebeen Queen and other Dangamvura Vignettes captures the heartlessness and soullessness in these establishments, particularly in Mutare, Zimbabwe where the story is set.
The men who frequent them are left riddled with disease and debt as the opportunistic women who have the run of these drinking joints ensnare them in proverbial honey traps. They hobble back into open society laden with stories which they may not be able to narrate.
Supported and promoted by cunning members of the ruling party of Zimbabwe, these joints make the poor poorer as they fritter away their pennies to purchase the charms of Mai Kere, MaSibanda and other floozies.
These women are nothing but enchantresses. They are in the mould of the Latin succubus or female-looking demons or supernatural entities in folklore who appear in dreams to seduce men, usually through sexual activity. It is said that a succubus needs semen to survive. Repeated sexual activity with a succubus will result in a bond being formed between the succubus and the person. A succubus will drain or harm the man with whom she is having intercourse. Andrew Chatora’s stories will surely titillate Ugandan and other African readers. These stories overflow beyond Zimbabwe.
However, what you have in these stories is more than a dream. It is a veritable nightmare.
Later, in another story Smoke and Mirrors, a man living abroad has to support two families in a clandestine bigamous relationship. He is unable to do so. This leads to a number of untoward consequences.
On the whole, the 11 short stories in this book represent what looks like a typical Sophoclean Tragedy.
The characters are often portrayed as noble figures brought down by a single tragic flaw or ‘hamartia.’ This line of storytelling raises several moral questions, with few easy answers. Andrew Chatora joins a list of key short story writers from his country, the best of whom are Charles Mungoshi, Doris Lessing and Dambudzo Marechera. Their country has once been described as “a short story country” because nearly every Zimbabwean who has become prominent today started with short stories or has a short story collection somewhere along the way.
* This review first appeared in The Daily Monitor, a Ugandan independent daily newspaper. The reviewer, Philip Matogo is a newspaper columnist, book critic and poet. He has published two books, Fabric of Grey and Whispers in the Sky, and has contributed to numerous international poetry anthologies. He lives in Kampala, Uganda.
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