Prominent South African writer Zakes Mda will read from his latest novel on October 10.
Mda's sixth novel, "Cion," is his first book located in America instead of South Africa. However, like several of his older novels, it contains a fusion of past and present, an integrated story that takes place in modern-day Ohio and 1830s-era Virginia.
Mda was born in Herschel, South Africa in 1948, but was forced into exile in Lesotho with his family because of the political activities of his father. His father, Ashby Peter Mda, was the head of the African National Congress Youth League, and had a strong political influence. Mda first left Africa to study painting in Switzerland, and has acquired a Ph.D. in theater and two master's degrees, one in theater and one in communications. Mda became known for his plays written during post-apartheid South Africa. With five novels published since 1995, Mda is now distinguished above other top South African writers and has won every major literary prize in his native land. He is now a professor in the English department at Ohio University, and teaches creative writing.
"Cion" is a sequel to Mda's first novel, Ways of Dying (2002), where the character of Toloki, the professional mourner, was first introduced. Toloki continues his profession in "Cion" by following funerals and deaths across South Africa, but is dispirited with the "sameness" of death in his native land. Having lost his connection to his profession, he journeys to Kilvert, Ohio, in hopes of finding his way again, but instead he winds up a guest of the Quigley family. Toloki finds himself in the midst of the tri-racial community of Caucasian, immigrant African, and Native-American families in which the Quigley family has integrated. He explores relationships with the Quigley family, including a friendship with the son Obed and a deep fascination with the daughter Orpah.
Eventually, Toloki discovers that the Quigley family is linked historically to a complicated tale about immigrants, enslavement, and a journey of two runaway slaves. The story was recorded by quilts and passed down the generations, and Toloki finds such a quilt in the hands of Ruth. He discovers his way to mourning again as the interrelated stories of the runaway slaves set in the 1830s and his own modern-day life in Ohio unwind.
"Cion" is about an exploration of identity, not only for Toloki, but also for readers who will see their own cultural roots through a different lens. The complications of identity are brought to a new level as Mda shows the significations of past history by writing his novel in a setting which takes place in two entirely different time periods.
The novel is as profound as the author's decision to move the setting of the novel to Ohio from his native land of South Africa, where he has a strong sphere of influence. Incidentally, the location of the story is also where Mda currently resides, near Athens, Ohio.
Mda will be at Bowdoin for a reading and signing of his books on October 10 at 7:30 p.m. in Daggett Lounge.