Mavala Shikongo - The whole book - Spoil away

[LindaJ^]

Time to dig in and examine this book in a bit more depth. I'm going to throw out some questions. Feel free to ignore them and raise new ones or just tell us what you thought.

While Kaplansk narrates the most, other characters are occasionally given a "speaking part." Did hearing from different points of view have any impact on your reading experience? Do you think the Goas

What do you think about the "Grave" chapters? Did you feel you learned things in those chapters about Kaplansk and Mavala that would not have come out otherwise? What do think is the symbolism of of Kaplansk and Mavala meeting on the graves of the initial, white, owners of the farm?

What's up with the neighboring farmer who rides through the soccer field rather than around it?

Hopefully those will get us started in our discussion.

[Karsten]

I feel like the author uses symbolism extremely well and the grave scenes show that the relationship between Kaplanski and Marvala was over before it even started.
I think the scene that made the most lasting impression on me was early in the book when Kaplanski first arrives at Goas and the principal meets him at the gate. Kaplanski says I'm here to help teach - a volunteer and the principal says it would be better you had just sent us money!
Later, one of the teachers, Obadiah I think, accuses Kaplanski of being there on vacation which made me wonder why Kaplanski DID volunteer in the first place and if the author is trying to make a statement either for or against outsiders coming to Namibia as volunteer workers.
Wondering what everyone else thought about that topic?

[LindaJ^]

That's a good point Karsten about the graves symbolizing that the relationship could not go anywhere. I also think they it is symbolic that it was an interracial relationship on the graves of people who favored apartheid.

It's an interesting question you raise concerning why money would have been more welcomed than a volunteer. While not like in South Africa, there is some resentment in Namibia to whites, but I'm going to ponder your question a bit. The author was a volunteer in Namibia so it may have been a reaction he experienced, but I've not seen him comment on that.

But what about the principal? What do folks think about him as a role model for the students?

[Stacia]

I'm not quite finished with the book yet.

But, I'll agree re: the point about the graves as both Karsten & LindaJ have said. I wondered if the fact that Kaplansk always having cold feet/having to wear socks was also indicative of the relationship going nowhere.

Re: Karsten's question as to whether volunteers are wanted or not, why did Kaplanski go in the first place, .... I take it as showing that the actual native inhabitants are tired of outsiders coming in with basically a savior complex -- I can help, I can fix things, etc. (especially after years under white rule, which in a way is the ultimate savior complex). Probably tired of others coming in, no matter the reason, with more ways to "fix" things, rather than investing in the country (money, resources), then letting the natives determine how/why to use the investment for the way they choose to move forward (which might or might not include asking for outside help like teachers coming in from overseas).

Kaplanski or any other volunteer can come, but can also leave at any time, which is something that those who live there really can't do. I think that's why K. is accused of being "on vacation". K can walk away from life there & go back to a different one in a different place; the others do not have that option.

[LindaJ^]

I'm not sure that the others do not have the option to leave. I think they have chosen to be where they are, even Pohamba. I think they are proud of their newly independent country. Obadiah I think is particularly invested in giving the kids a basis in the country's history, as well as the classics. I do agree that Kaplanski is not seen as invested in Namibia. He certainly lacks an appreciation for the history, as we see when he doesn't understand why the neighbor has to drive across the soccer field. I do think that Kaplanski comes to be appreciated, as they learn his family's history.

[Stacia]

I feel like even if they are proud of their independence, they are still stuck due to general lack of resources. And I found the mentions of Jimmy Carter and Andrew Young interesting since they are mentioned as giving hope, but somehow the statements also make it feel like a bit of disappointment or false hope because things are not as smooth or as easy as hope in elections/independence might lead you to believe.

Why did Mavala choose Kaplanski? Was it because she enjoyed rebelling against norms? Was it because she saw herself as an outsider/wanderer and Kaplanski was too, so he was a good choice? (No long term commitment needed because she knew she would leave and she knew he would leave?) If she had chosen one of the other single teachers, would it have made it harder to leave and maybe return at some future time because of a past entanglement?

Did Mavala have PTSD from fighting?

For Kaplanski being a main character, he still seems a mystery to me -- why he went in the first place, what he hoped to achieve, etc....

Student Magnus Axahoes broke my heart. He was just gone and it wasn't even worth mentioning. And his dad showed up looking for him.

I loved the humor in the first 2/3 of the book but felt the last third took a more serious, musing tone. Magnus gone. Mavala gone. Tomo abandoned again. Kaplanski back in the US but still researching indentured workers who suffered and died or ended up in chains. Time and life still moving forward at the same slow pace.

[LindaJ^]

Stacia, I agree the last third of the book becomes more overtly serious, although the seriousness was lurking among the humor of the earlier 2/3's. I still think the book overall is hopeful. Tomo doesn't seem to have suffered by Mavala's abandonment and Antoinette and Obadiah seem to have benefitted from having him with them, perhaps best seen in Chapter 153. Antoinette and Obadiah are my favorite characters.

Mavala is such a tricky character. What she has been through and then to have to put up with her brother-in-law. Why Kaplankski? I think he was the only realistic choice for her. She was not interested in settling down. He genuinely liked Tomo. They both benefitted. I understand why she left (damned principal). What to make of Chapter 149? Lots of tension there - white truck driver not liking that he has to show papers at checkpoints but she doesn't. When the truck driver begins to show interest, she wants out, even though there is no town "for sixty, seventy k in either direction." I'm thinking there many be no town, but I want to believe that she knows there is house she can before dark. I do not think Mavala had PTSD.

I agree completely about student Magnus Axahoes.

I think Kaplinski will never forget Mavala, even if her face is fading. He was forever changed by his time in Namibia. He remains connected, perhaps too connected.

I think the author may have been too understated in bringing up the AIDS epidemic that has so impacted African countries. It is referenced in Chapter 150 as "the plague." I'm not sure how many readers understand the reference.

[Stacia]

Oh, yeah, I think there was a seriousness underneath the whole book; I guess I was surprised at the truly funny moments that popped out in just a sentence or two among the deeper, more serious tone.

I think Mavala will always be a wanderer. While the principal may have been a factor in her leaving, I think she would have left nonetheless. As for her getting out of the truck in the middle of nowhere, I think her training as a fighter probably came into factor -- she is a survivor & could probably survive fine getting out in the middle of nowhere.

Antoinette and Obadiah seem to fit so well into their role of raising Tomo. I think it revitalized him. And I like that they mentioned that Pohamba had taken on a father-like role too. (He was one of my favorite characters.)

I didn't think of AIDS when Obadiah mentioned the plague in his letter.

[Jenna]

I had the impression that the end of the war had left everyone a bit adrift - colonialism and the war had been such defining enemies, and now what? In that sense the farm was a sort of metaphor for the country as a whole. Sexism, what to do with white people, how to survive the drought/lack of prospects all in microcosm on the farm. Pohamba telling war stories, Obadiah telling myths, Mavala without a way to stay. The second coming is supposed to be the ultimate redemption, but the end of the war is not really redemptive for the country, and a return to home and family did not bring heaven to earth for Mavala either. Whether you call it PTSD, both Mavala and Namibia are clearly traumatized by recent events - she tells the story of the rebel trying to rape her at gun point multiple ways - she let him, she killed him, and then says that she has other endings, depending on what is needed by the psychology of the listener, suggesting that her truth is very dark.

[Stacia]

I love your comments & thoughts on the book, Jenna.

[LindaJ^]

I think, Jenna, you have caught the essence, the feel of those early post-war years -- the prize - independence - has finally been obtained but at what cost and now how do we move forward as a nation.

[Catherine]

I love the way this story is told -- in little flashes. It's like a mosaic with tiny tiles, or, better, a kaleidoscope. The pieces interact and change the picture, in a subtle way, throughout the book. I'm glad that I read it, and also took the time to read a bit about Namibian history. Thanks for choosing it.

[Kathleen]

I've just finished and also want to say a big thank you to the group for choosing this book. I loved the blend of humor and pathos, reality and mythology. I found the characters compelling and inspiring.

I felt like Mavala was a focal point, and Kaplansk the main narrator, but that the real story was with the other characters.

Jenna, I love the idea of the farm as metaphor for the country, and your explanation.

And Catherine, I like how you say the pieces interact. They were vignettes, but felt like scenes to me, even like photographs, each providing different perspectives.

[LindaJ^]

Catherine, I think that's a wonderful description of the book -- a mosaic with tiny tiles! Great that it inspired a look at Namibian history. It is a young country that I hope is able to grow strong roots.

Kathleen, so glad you enjoyed the book.

To everyone - thanks for taking the journey to Namibia with me. While it is the end of the month, feel free to continue to add posts.