Bleeding Independence

by Martha Nyahwedegwe

Bleeding Independence is a gripping story of pain and suffering for Sekai Alice Tsimba, a young Zimbabwean girl, who grew up in the face of adversity and abuse after losing her father to early death. She, nonetheless, excelled at school but soon had all her dreams and aspirations wrecked by Jeff, the man who married her in her youthful age.Sekai is about to get a new life after her dreams have been shattered by an abusive husband. The political instability in her beloved country has brought economic depression and unbearable hardship upon the entire land – nothing is ever the same again. Willy-nilly, she is forced to go through horrific channels of illegal footpaths to cross borders into South Africa. Can Sekai ever find peace and joy again after her indescribable, turbulent life’s journey?

196 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2014

Reviews

[Mthembeni Simelane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book. It highlights the hardships that the Zimbabwean people have endured in their quest for greener pastures in the Republic of South Africa. Most of them died while crossing the Crocodile River. Some made it, whereas some didn’t. It also touches on the basis of culture, whereby women marry at a very young age and suffer gender-based violence.

[Tumelo Moleleki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I cannot say I loved the book because the story is so sad. But it ends on a positive note in one sense.

The women in this story have sadly lived typical black woman lives in terms of the relentless and seemingly perpetual suffering they have gone through.

The book revealed to me the dire situation Zimbabweans found themselves in and what inspired them, in droves, to risk life and limb to cross into our borders.

The writing had moments of beauty and poetry. The author's play of words impressive. Then it would unwittingly change and words would be incorrectly used and tense and point of view shifting. Nevertheless I could still follow it as the story compelled me to read and not place too much importance on academia.

It is a riveting story that reads nothing like a fairytale or staged dramatic events story to make it interesting.

Those who are uppity about language and grammar might not have forgiveness in them to read the story but I hope there are generously spirited readers out there who will not hold these against the book. After all, it is not her mother tongue but a language she was forced to learn and earn a living employing. The editors and proofreaders should have done more to weed out the errors.