Zenzele: A Letter for My DaughterIn an extraordinary literary debut - written as a letter from a Zimbabwean mother to her daughter, a student at Harvard - J. Nozipo Maraire transforms the lessons of life into a lyrical narrative. Interweaving history and memories, disappointments and dreams, like the tales of the traditional village storyteller, this letter is a gift from one generation to the next. As her daughter enters a new world, a mother shares the riches of her own through stories of her personal experiences and those of her generation. She writes of Zimbabwe's struggle for independence, and of the men and women who shaped it: Zenzele's father, an outspoken activist lawyer; her aunt, a schoolteacher by day and a secret guerrilla fighter by night; and her cousin, a maid and spy. Each parable is a shrewd and quite often humorous tale interwoven to form a compelling and powerful story. Every character is a revelation and each story a revolution. Zenzele is for anyone who has ever loved and lost, fought and won. It is a complex tale wherein lies a simple truth: Respect the individual but understand what is vital to the whole. |
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African Amai Zenzele apartheid arms asked Auntie Baba beautiful believe boys bride price bush Chakowa child chimurenga Chipo church commander cousin culture door dream dress drink Europeans eyes face Farai father felt fight freedom fighters friends garden girl grew hands Harare head hear heard heart kafir Keki kitchen knew land laughed laughter leave Linda live lobola looked Mama Maputo Marimba Mbuya morning mother Mozambique Mukoma Byron Mutare n'anga never night Nozipo Maraire parents path Pelleday Petranella remember Rhodesia river Robben Island Rudo sadza Sekuru shiny Shona Sisi Shiri Sister Africa smile South Africa spirit story struggle sure tell terrorists things Tinana Tinawo told tree turned village voice walked watched Western world whispered woman women wonder words young Zimbabwe