The Heart of Redness by Zakes Mda

[Diane]

Rating: 4 stars


In this book, a South African man from a small Xhosa village who fled to the US during Apartheid returns again to his native country. There are a lot of great elements here. Mda explores traditional beliefs and mythology while showing the more realistic political events and culture clashes of the present. He also intersperses some alternative realities into the story.

Overall, a great book. My only complaint is that the frequent shifts in time took away from the story line a bit.

[Amanda]

Also gave this one 4 stars and had similar thoughts about the book to Diane. I did love the exploration of indigenous beliefs versus Christianity being irrevocably linked to colonialism in South Africa- and how it also underscores the traditional beliefs as imperfect as well.

I paints the complex picture of how colonized nations should not have to prove themselves perfect victims to have a legitimate stance against their colonial history.

I also loved the dinner party scene about whether selling traditional garb and beadwork represents reclaiming pride and normalness of their traditional dress, or encouraging the cheapening of their traditional culture by tainting it with capitalism and cultural appropriation, or a folly of trying too hard to recapture a world that is no longer compatible with the modern world. I loved how no one is proved wholly wrong or unsympathetic in why thy take that position.