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Mhudi
Mhudi, the first full-length novel in English by a black South African, was written in the late 1910s. A romantic epic set in the first half of the nineteenth century, the main action is unleashed by King Mzilikazi's extermination campaign against the Barolong in 1832 at Kunana (nowadays Setlagole), and covers the resultant alliance of defeated peoples with Boer frontiersmen in a resistance movement leading to Battlehill (Vegkop, 1836) and the showdown at the Battle of Mosega (17 January 1839). Plaatje's eponymous heroine is an enduring symbol of the belief in a new day.
200 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1970
About the author
Sol T. Plaatje
12 books18 followersSolomon Tshekisho Plaatje was born near Boshof, Orange Free State (now Free State Province, South Africa). He received a mission-education at Pniel. When he outpaced fellow learners he was given additional private tuition by a missionary, Ernst Westphal, and his wife. In February 1892, aged 15, he became a pupil-teacher, a post he held for two years.
As an activist and politician he spent much of his life in the struggle for the enfranchisement and liberation of African people. He was a founder member and first General Secretary of the South African Native National Congress (SANNC), which would later become the African National Congress (ANC). As a member of an SANNC deputation he would travel to England to protest the 1913 Native Land Act, and later to Canada and the United States where he met Marcus Garvey and W. E. B. Du Bois.
While he grew up speaking the Tswana language, Plaatje would become a polyglot. Fluent in at least seven languages, he worked as a court interpreter during the Siege of Mafikeng, and translated works of William Shakespeare into Tswana. His talent for language would lead to a career in journalism and writing. He was editor and part-owner of Koranta ea Becoana (Bechuana Gazette) in Mafikeng, and in Kimberley Tsala ea Becoana (Bechuana Friend) and Tsala ea Batho (The Friend of the People). Plaatje was the first black South African to write a novel in English - Mhudi. Plaatje wrote the novel in 1919, but it was only published in 1930. In 1928 the Zulu writer R.R.R. Dhlomo published an English-language novel, entitled 'An African Tragedy', at the missionary Lovedale Press, in Alice. This makes Dhlomo's novel the first published black South African novel in English, even though Plaatje's 'Mhudi' had been written first. He also wrote[1] Native Life in South Africa, which Neil Parsons describes as "one of the most remarkable books on Africa by one of the continent's most remarkable writers";[2] and Boer War Diary that was first published 40 years after his death.
Plaatje was a committed Christian,[3] and organized a fellowship group called the Christian Brotherhood at Kimberley. He was married to Elizabeth Lilith M’belle, a union that would produce five children: Frederick, Halley, Richard, Violet and Olive. He died of pneumonia at Pimville, Johannesburg on 19 January 1932 and was buried in Kimberley.
As an activist and politician he spent much of his life in the struggle for the enfranchisement and liberation of African people. He was a founder member and first General Secretary of the South African Native National Congress (SANNC), which would later become the African National Congress (ANC). As a member of an SANNC deputation he would travel to England to protest the 1913 Native Land Act, and later to Canada and the United States where he met Marcus Garvey and W. E. B. Du Bois.
While he grew up speaking the Tswana language, Plaatje would become a polyglot. Fluent in at least seven languages, he worked as a court interpreter during the Siege of Mafikeng, and translated works of William Shakespeare into Tswana. His talent for language would lead to a career in journalism and writing. He was editor and part-owner of Koranta ea Becoana (Bechuana Gazette) in Mafikeng, and in Kimberley Tsala ea Becoana (Bechuana Friend) and Tsala ea Batho (The Friend of the People). Plaatje was the first black South African to write a novel in English - Mhudi. Plaatje wrote the novel in 1919, but it was only published in 1930. In 1928 the Zulu writer R.R.R. Dhlomo published an English-language novel, entitled 'An African Tragedy', at the missionary Lovedale Press, in Alice. This makes Dhlomo's novel the first published black South African novel in English, even though Plaatje's 'Mhudi' had been written first. He also wrote[1] Native Life in South Africa, which Neil Parsons describes as "one of the most remarkable books on Africa by one of the continent's most remarkable writers";[2] and Boer War Diary that was first published 40 years after his death.
Plaatje was a committed Christian,[3] and organized a fellowship group called the Christian Brotherhood at Kimberley. He was married to Elizabeth Lilith M’belle, a union that would produce five children: Frederick, Halley, Richard, Violet and Olive. He died of pneumonia at Pimville, Johannesburg on 19 January 1932 and was buried in Kimberley.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
July 29, 2017
South African literature especially history is plagued with bias, propaganda and inaccuracies. Reason being that it is predominantly penned by White writers who are enabled by readily available resources to them. In Mhudi, Plaatje seeks to give a different perspective to certain false narrations. To give back dignity and truth to those misrepresented in main stream history.
According to White historians , Zulus are barbaric savages who kill for no reason. Barolong and Basotho are painted as timid cowards who are allergic to war. Whites are portrayed as victors, saviours and a saintly lot. Black women are painted as non significant sub missives, who only play auxiliary and subservient roles.
In a three in one love story Plaatje weaves a captivating tale of fiction that plays out during the battles of Difacane in the 1830s. Due to unresolved conflict with Shaka, the Khumalo tribe under King Msilikazi had to leave Natal in 1836 and migrated North, eventually settling in Zimbabwe in 1840. Plaatje relates of the nomadic and predatory nature of life , and the devastation of hostile tribal take overs. The author specifically centred on confrontations between Barolong, Vooetrekkers, the Bushmen, Basotho, the Karanna and the Griguas.
A classic decorated with rich proverbs and idioms.
Discover for yourself how Plaatje asserts that Barolong and Basotho were combative and brave, not purported poltroons. Quoted in the book " Maddened by these awful scenes the Barolong hurled themselves against the enemy and fought like fiends do "
That Matebele were not senseless blood thirsty killers. That Voortrekkers were not innocent God given angels.
Find out about the strength, intuition, bravery , and influence Umnandi and Mhudi as representative of Black females portray.
Of the Basotho it was writ " The Basotho inflicted upon the raiding Matebele such a severe punishment that they ran down the mountains and retired across plains on scattered format"
Mhudi is a first novel in English by a Black South African, a classic not to be missed in one's life time.
According to White historians , Zulus are barbaric savages who kill for no reason. Barolong and Basotho are painted as timid cowards who are allergic to war. Whites are portrayed as victors, saviours and a saintly lot. Black women are painted as non significant sub missives, who only play auxiliary and subservient roles.
In a three in one love story Plaatje weaves a captivating tale of fiction that plays out during the battles of Difacane in the 1830s. Due to unresolved conflict with Shaka, the Khumalo tribe under King Msilikazi had to leave Natal in 1836 and migrated North, eventually settling in Zimbabwe in 1840. Plaatje relates of the nomadic and predatory nature of life , and the devastation of hostile tribal take overs. The author specifically centred on confrontations between Barolong, Vooetrekkers, the Bushmen, Basotho, the Karanna and the Griguas.
A classic decorated with rich proverbs and idioms.
Discover for yourself how Plaatje asserts that Barolong and Basotho were combative and brave, not purported poltroons. Quoted in the book " Maddened by these awful scenes the Barolong hurled themselves against the enemy and fought like fiends do "
That Matebele were not senseless blood thirsty killers. That Voortrekkers were not innocent God given angels.
Find out about the strength, intuition, bravery , and influence Umnandi and Mhudi as representative of Black females portray.
Of the Basotho it was writ " The Basotho inflicted upon the raiding Matebele such a severe punishment that they ran down the mountains and retired across plains on scattered format"
Mhudi is a first novel in English by a Black South African, a classic not to be missed in one's life time.
November 23, 2017
'Mhudi' is the first English novel to be published by a black South African, making this not only a significant piece of writing, but a historic milestone.
The novel opens with the near complete destruction of the Barolong tribe by the Matabele under the rule of Mtzilikazi. Men, women and children were slaughtered indiscriminately. Only Ra-Taga and Mhudi survive. The two meet after many days of wondering, trying to find some human contact, living in terror of stumbling upon further Matabele. From here on, a love story evolves, staged on the background of what must have been a bloody war, as other tribes, joining forces with the Voortrekkers, take on the Matabele.
The language in this novel was more clinical than figurative. I have a feeling that it carries the tone of oral tradition, as one does not generally talk as poetically as they write. However, don't assume that there is no imagery or detail. The vocabulary is fabulous (I love learning new words), and the characters are definitely very real. Sympathy is even raised for Mzilikazi by the end.
The stars of this story were Mhudi and Umnandi, Umnandi being the favoured young wife of Mzilikazi; Mhudi, the loving wife to Ra-Taga. Considering the setting, the last thing I expected were strong female leads. But these two women added a sense of inner strength to all the testosterone (and bullets) flying around. Both broke with tradition and stood by their husbands.
I enjoyed this. Not as much as I have other books; but I am very glad to have read this.
The novel opens with the near complete destruction of the Barolong tribe by the Matabele under the rule of Mtzilikazi. Men, women and children were slaughtered indiscriminately. Only Ra-Taga and Mhudi survive. The two meet after many days of wondering, trying to find some human contact, living in terror of stumbling upon further Matabele. From here on, a love story evolves, staged on the background of what must have been a bloody war, as other tribes, joining forces with the Voortrekkers, take on the Matabele.
The language in this novel was more clinical than figurative. I have a feeling that it carries the tone of oral tradition, as one does not generally talk as poetically as they write. However, don't assume that there is no imagery or detail. The vocabulary is fabulous (I love learning new words), and the characters are definitely very real. Sympathy is even raised for Mzilikazi by the end.
The stars of this story were Mhudi and Umnandi, Umnandi being the favoured young wife of Mzilikazi; Mhudi, the loving wife to Ra-Taga. Considering the setting, the last thing I expected were strong female leads. But these two women added a sense of inner strength to all the testosterone (and bullets) flying around. Both broke with tradition and stood by their husbands.
I enjoyed this. Not as much as I have other books; but I am very glad to have read this.
November 28, 2010
Plaatje creates a timeless, almost mythical feel in this story of survival and the need for human connections in a violent and uncertain world. The ending is ambiguous: Ra-Thaga and Mhudi head into a future they hope will be more peaceful and settled than their past, but Plaatje and we know the horrors of dispossession and oppression that await them as the Boers settle the land, so it's hard to take the characters' hopefulness at face value.
March 5, 2021
There is nothing more exhilirating than a trip to the past, particularly in such an articulate and well written form. ❤💯
February 4, 2018
How things change...
Forty years ago I was studying African history and devouring every edition of the Heinemann African Writers Series, hungry to connect with the soul and lineage of the people of this land.
Yet this pearl of South African writing didn’t even cross my radar amongst the wonderful books from our neighbours near and far: Chinua Achebe, Ngugi Wa Thiong’o, Ama Ata Aidoo, Sembene Ousmane, Bessie Head, and so many more. It was the homage paid to Mhudi by Achmat Dangor in Dikeledi: Child of Tears, No More that finally brought Sol Plaatje's book into my life - thought to be the first English novel by a black South African.
I am grateful: this book fills so many gaps in our South African heritage. Written around 1920, it is extraordinarily modern in the strong feminist protagonist Mhudi, a Setswana Morolong woman. Throughout the book, women have agency and depth and are honoured for their crucial roles.
The book is also remarkably clear sighted about both what happened between the different black and white tribes in the 1830s in the area where I now live, and what might have been. The spans the Highveld of South Africa from Botswana to Lesotho, and gives a great sense of the devastating impact and confusion of the difaqane and the Boer Trek.
The respectful friendship between Mhudi's husband Ra-Thaga and a young Boer gives a whiff of a different possibility for South Africa's destiny, one of mutual respect, collaboration and appreciation of difference. Yet the reality of Boer racism, and that a brief military alliance with the Barolong against Mzilikazi's AmaNdebele will be followed by Boer subjugation of their black "allies" is clear. As Mzilikazi says at the end,
Indeed it was not long before the Boers abandoned their alliance with the Barolong, and in 1852 at the Sand River Convention the British sided with the Boers in placing all the Barolong land under Boer dominion.
On the other hand, he shows up sad parallels in the way humans can dehumanize those they see as "other" - from the Barolong questioning whether Matabele warriors are really human, to Mzilikazi calling the Barolong "dogs" to the Boers brutally torturing their black slaves.
I loved the richness of the story, Plaatje's love of the land, and his ability both to tell a great love story along with great war stories, and make powerful commentary on colonialism and diversity all at the same time. I am glad the wheel has turned to respect Plaatje's enormous contribution to our literature and understanding of ourselves in this land.
Forty years ago I was studying African history and devouring every edition of the Heinemann African Writers Series, hungry to connect with the soul and lineage of the people of this land.
Yet this pearl of South African writing didn’t even cross my radar amongst the wonderful books from our neighbours near and far: Chinua Achebe, Ngugi Wa Thiong’o, Ama Ata Aidoo, Sembene Ousmane, Bessie Head, and so many more. It was the homage paid to Mhudi by Achmat Dangor in Dikeledi: Child of Tears, No More that finally brought Sol Plaatje's book into my life - thought to be the first English novel by a black South African.
I am grateful: this book fills so many gaps in our South African heritage. Written around 1920, it is extraordinarily modern in the strong feminist protagonist Mhudi, a Setswana Morolong woman. Throughout the book, women have agency and depth and are honoured for their crucial roles.
The book is also remarkably clear sighted about both what happened between the different black and white tribes in the 1830s in the area where I now live, and what might have been. The spans the Highveld of South Africa from Botswana to Lesotho, and gives a great sense of the devastating impact and confusion of the difaqane and the Boer Trek.
The respectful friendship between Mhudi's husband Ra-Thaga and a young Boer gives a whiff of a different possibility for South Africa's destiny, one of mutual respect, collaboration and appreciation of difference. Yet the reality of Boer racism, and that a brief military alliance with the Barolong against Mzilikazi's AmaNdebele will be followed by Boer subjugation of their black "allies" is clear. As Mzilikazi says at the end,
if [the Barolong under Tawana] imagine that they shall have rain and plenty under the protection of these wizards from the sea, they will gather some sense before long.
Indeed it was not long before the Boers abandoned their alliance with the Barolong, and in 1852 at the Sand River Convention the British sided with the Boers in placing all the Barolong land under Boer dominion.
On the other hand, he shows up sad parallels in the way humans can dehumanize those they see as "other" - from the Barolong questioning whether Matabele warriors are really human, to Mzilikazi calling the Barolong "dogs" to the Boers brutally torturing their black slaves.
I loved the richness of the story, Plaatje's love of the land, and his ability both to tell a great love story along with great war stories, and make powerful commentary on colonialism and diversity all at the same time. I am glad the wheel has turned to respect Plaatje's enormous contribution to our literature and understanding of ourselves in this land.
June 3, 2023
This book is an extremely fascinating historical epic that chronicles the dispossession of the Barolong people, who are forced off of their land and killed by a splinter faction of the Zulu kingdom. Mhudi and Ra-Thaga, the protagonists, team up with a bunch of other groups who don't like the Zulus, even some Boers, and end up defeating their enemy. It was really interesting how Plaatje depicted the friendship between Ra-Thaga and De Villiers, a Boer settler, and foreshadowed the ways in which the Boers accumulated land and power.
March 31, 2021
a very significant book considering it was the first one written in English by a black South African but honestly it was really boring. I like the strong female characters and their friendship compared to the constant battles and fighting of the male characters, but the plot was a little dull and lost on me, also I didn’t get the sympathy for the villain by the end
May 22, 2022
Beautiful historical tale of love and war in 19th Century South Africa, giving some useful insight into the interactions of various peoples at the time, particularly the Batswana (specifically the Barolong), the Ndbele and the Boers.
October 21, 2018
Twice this month I’ve been chastised by friends for reading old books. First by Ayanda Xaba, and most recently by Ndumiso Dladla, both authors. With only three of all books I've read in the year having been published within the last five years, I found myself exposed. Mhudi, which was published in 1910, is indeed an old book. Said to be the “first full-length English novel by a black South African”, there are more than a hundred years between myself and the text.
Having searched for the book over a number of years, purely on the basis of it being on a number of “Must Read African Literature” lists, I was over the moon when I found a copy at Bridge Books during the April Book Club meeting. Shiny new, red, with a Dumile Feni on the cover. I took it home with no idea of what I what to expect.
Judging from the title, one would assume that the novel was about Mhudi, a young Bechuana maiden who finds herself alone and orphaned in a foreign land. At least this is what I said, fifty-six pages on, when a colleague asked what the book was about. Boy, was I mistaken. Mhudi, who later inherits the title “mother of sorrows” is not as much at the center of the plot as she is a part of it. At the center of the novel is the issue of land.
Mhudi, as a character, is strong and resilient, often rebelling against many of the customs of her time. The circumstances of her life find her making new means of living, of surviving, and thus gaining reverence from her husband, who loves her unconditionally. Much of the novel is about her and Ra-Thaga’s love.
A man was not made to live alone. Had it not been for Mhudi, I don’t think you would have known me at all. She made me what I am. I feel certain that your manhood will never be recognized as long as you remain wifeless. [160]
Writing the novel just before the Native Land Act of 1913 became headline news, Plaatjie, who lived through the Anglo Boar War and the voertrek, takes us on a historical journey over the mountains, valleys, and rivers of South Africa; and at times venturing as far as Rhodesia. He does this by describing the events that occurs in Mhudi’s lifetime. It all begins with the separation of Mzilikazi’s Matebele from the Zulu tribe all the way to their battle against the Boers and subsequent migration north.
Plaatjie looks at a time when the “Native” lived off of the land, when the soil was for his sustenance; a time when a man’s power and influence was measured by the number of cattle he owned. He looks at when different tribes went to war using shield and spear, and then how these weapons proved useless against the barrel of the gun.
Although some readers may find the language in the book a little heavy, I found that the humour and richness in proverbs brought the book closer to home. I did at times feel as though the phrases were a direct translation of a local language into English, but that made me relate even more to the narrative. With names such as Tshetsanyana, Matsitselele, Rra-Thaga, Kong-goane, Maupenyana, and Tlholo, the text often required that that I slow down and decipher meaning in the names to better understand the time it was set in.
With the wide area of land covered in the book, I feel I would have benefited from a map of the terrain to better understand how all the tribes moved and where they eventually settled. I feel this would have assisted me much in understanding the current tribal scattering of our people across the land.
She wondered if they too were classed into tribes such as the people are on earth. Can it be that the stars also engage in fighting sometimes, and if so, did they kill one another’s wives and children? Could it be that the thunder and lightning and hailstones that accompany the rain at times were the result of aerial battles. [60]
The issue of race, although not central to the novel, sticks out like a sore thumb. I will remember, many years on, the way Plaatjie wrote about how Boers almost killed Ra-Thaga for drinking out of a cup their cups. I will remember Mzilikazi’s prophesy about how the Bechuana would regret helping the Boers in their conquest of the Matebele, how he said they would turn, take their land and murder them. I will remember these because they are the many lived realities of many black people over a hundred years after Plaatjie wrote about it.
This book, at a time when the policy on land redistribution in South Africa is being tip-toed around, is important. It has, for me, come to be the old and wise ancestor who prophesied the future of land in this country, which saw Africans dispossessed of their land, driven into reserves, and forced into labouring on white farms. Plaatjie, who was a founding member of the Native National Congress at the time, has here written down a tale those reality has spanned a century.
The viewpoint of the ruler is not always the viewpoint of the ruled. [70]
September 4, 2007
Mhudi is a romance set against the historical backdrop of South African tribes’ clashes with each other and with white colonialists in the 1830’s. It is set in eastern South Africa, and its principal characters are Mhudi and Ra-Thaga, a Barolong couple who meet and marry after their village is destroyed by the fierce Matabele tribe. The Matabele are ruled by Mzilikazi, whose reputation as an unreasonable, bloodthirsty tyrant has forced most area tribes into fearful submission. In the end, however, even the Matabele fall to the Dutch settlers who force their way inland with modern weaponry that the tribes believe must be magic. The epic chapters, in which battles and sweeping history are recounted, have a tone of despair on behalf of the smaller tribes as they are overrun first by the Matabele and then by the Dutch settlers. The romance chapters, which detail the personal lives of Mhudi and Ra-Thaga, have a much more positive tone, as their relationship deepens and their family grows and even thrives despite hardships.
Sol Plaatje wrote Mhudi to provide a more balanced, insider’s view of the tribal wars, and to preserve elements of the South African tribal culture, including language and folklore. His messages include the devastations brought about by colonization, a call for humane treatment of all people, and the importance of strong family relationships to survival and happiness. He achieves his purpose by alternating the chapters between history and story, by including traditional South African folk tales in both, and by allowing the narrative point of view to switch between several characters. The book, first published in 1930, is perhaps most remarkable for its female heroine whose strength, courage and foresight, in everyday challenges and in affairs of battle, repeatedly save her husband, family, and community from harm.
Sol Plaatje wrote Mhudi to provide a more balanced, insider’s view of the tribal wars, and to preserve elements of the South African tribal culture, including language and folklore. His messages include the devastations brought about by colonization, a call for humane treatment of all people, and the importance of strong family relationships to survival and happiness. He achieves his purpose by alternating the chapters between history and story, by including traditional South African folk tales in both, and by allowing the narrative point of view to switch between several characters. The book, first published in 1930, is perhaps most remarkable for its female heroine whose strength, courage and foresight, in everyday challenges and in affairs of battle, repeatedly save her husband, family, and community from harm.
April 25, 2019
"Despite all these shortcomings, this book is a must for all students of South African literature. Further, it gives us some insight into the writings of one of the great political leaders of South Africa." - Mazisi Kunene
March 5, 2017
Mhudi provides a fine fictionalized history of the clashes between rival South African tribes and Boers during the Mfecane era. Where the novel drags is as romance between two survivors of a massacre by the Matabele, a Zulu offshoot. The dialogue is highly expository, which as historical speeches a la Thucydides is fine, but as romance dull. Having read a few novels by/about Africans, I wonder if the Zulu/Bantu languages are as overly formally when translated to English as the conversations in these stories or if there is some collective attempt by African authors to show how civilized and noble their heroes (and language) are. Also with one or two exceptions, I did not find the novel especially funny, which the blurbs on the back promised.
So why three stars? If you're in South Africa and interested in its history, then it's a fine read--just don't pick it up as a great work of world literature.
So why three stars? If you're in South Africa and interested in its history, then it's a fine read--just don't pick it up as a great work of world literature.
August 26, 2020
revisted this read. the female lead, Mhudi is a present and silent hero in the book. set in post Mfecane war, the dispersion of the southern african tribes, alliances, the land act, white settlers and friendship, interaction between the tribes - Griqua,Koranna, the Tswana's, the Boers. Mhudi is a love story that traces the death of a nation, survival of a people and their attempt at establishing new traditions because they are alone, and the terror of Mzilikazi has destroyed all that they had known. Mhudi is assertive and she is a mother. she allows Ra-Thaga to lead whom in return allows Mhudi to take space when he feels vulnerable or uncertain. he allows her to be a woman. i enjoyed the learning about the practices and customs of country life, rural south africa/botswana. the migration and the
February 22, 2012
Apart from its historical status as the first novel by a black South African, this is an enjoyable historical novel, but not an especially outstanding one. The two main characters (who meet and become a couple in exile after a massacre of their tribe by a rival nation) are fun, especially the independent-minded Mhudi, but a little too noble to feel realistic. Despite this, it's not a black-and-white story of good and evil: it documents the uneasy alliances of the time between natives and the Boer, and even the Matabele 'bad guys' are humanised towards the end.
A strange detail was that 'tigers' are mentioned alongside the more usual African fauna, I'm guessing that this refers to leopards?
A strange detail was that 'tigers' are mentioned alongside the more usual African fauna, I'm guessing that this refers to leopards?
February 19, 2022
A Historical fiction fairytale. It’s a love story that explores tribalism, violence, love, racism and war.
Mhudi is female a protagonist who dearly loves her husband. Her love for Ra-Thaga convinced her to encourage her husband to fight for their people and to claim their rights to their land from Mzilikazi, the Zulu inhumane greedy king who wants to rule at the expense of other peoples lives (including children and women).
A beautifully written light love story that will leave you love struck and yearning for romance.
Mhudi is female a protagonist who dearly loves her husband. Her love for Ra-Thaga convinced her to encourage her husband to fight for their people and to claim their rights to their land from Mzilikazi, the Zulu inhumane greedy king who wants to rule at the expense of other peoples lives (including children and women).
A beautifully written light love story that will leave you love struck and yearning for romance.
August 11, 2013
The story of a Barolongo woman who flees when her village and tribe are massacred in the late nineteenth century, around the time of the Great Trek by the Boers, this is a remarkable novel for its gender dimensions, its complex view of colonialist and indigenous politics, and its weaving of myth with history. As a South African modernist novel, it is extraordinary.
August 5, 2016
Mhudi is a story of survival, war, love and inter-racial friendship in a late-1800s Southern Africa that was only beginning to learn that such a thing is possible. Plaatje is one of SA's best writers and this book is a classic that I warmly recommend to all of those interested in learning more about this amazing country.
August 13, 2016
The first book we read for Modern African Literature and a good one! It can be read in one sitting, portrays the complexities of conflict within southern Africa before the Dutch and British came, and is by a fascinating figure in literary history.
November 11, 2013
Beautifully written. A masterpiece that illuminates the tumultuous period that led to the colonization of South Africa known as the mfecane, but also highlights the most basic instincts and feelings of the human heart.
November 11, 2018
Cracks in the ideologies of indigenous resistance coming from a South African author himself. Fast read of a story of wisdom, resistance, and a shifting of the lens that provides a somewhat refreshing narrative compared to some other narratives circulating in 19th century novels.
July 11, 2008
First important novel in English by a black South African writer who was a founder of the organization that became the ANC; much more than just historically interesting
October 6, 2009
Honestly, I should probably give this more than two stars, seeing how it was the very first novel written by an African, but I just can't. It was pretty bad.
July 22, 2012
A beautiful African love story!
May 16, 2015
This novel is important in the history of fiction in South Africa, and still an interesting read in its own right.
June 26, 2017
If you're looking for a historical-fiction treatment of the Matabele/Barolong conflict, this is the best one out there.
July 28, 2017
I bought Mhudi ten years ago and could not go past the first page.
January 2, 2024
A masterpiece of South African literature. Plaatje, the first General Secretary of the ANC, did not view South African history through the prism of a starkly black and white African nationalism. His Christian faith probably played a role on this front. Set during the brutal wars of Southern Africa in the 1830s, African leaders commit atrocities in the narrative, while some Boers are bred "by angels" and find Biblical justification for racial harmony.
One thing that struck this reader was that while Plaatje makes frequent references to African wildlife, wolves and tigers curiously figure in the narrative. Yet Plaatje clearly knew an eland from a kudu, and a jackal from a hyena. In the case of tigers, one wonders if he did not mean leopards? And in the case of the references to wolves howling, perhaps he meant wild dogs?
Still, a fascinating read that offers insights into the cast of mind of an early leader of an organisation - the ANC - which has in recent decades descended into an incompetent criminal syndicate bent on personal accumulation. Plaatje was a stirring man of letters with a formidable intellect, while the current SG of the ANC is a semi-literate fool. The contrasts are as jarring as they are revealing.
One thing that struck this reader was that while Plaatje makes frequent references to African wildlife, wolves and tigers curiously figure in the narrative. Yet Plaatje clearly knew an eland from a kudu, and a jackal from a hyena. In the case of tigers, one wonders if he did not mean leopards? And in the case of the references to wolves howling, perhaps he meant wild dogs?
Still, a fascinating read that offers insights into the cast of mind of an early leader of an organisation - the ANC - which has in recent decades descended into an incompetent criminal syndicate bent on personal accumulation. Plaatje was a stirring man of letters with a formidable intellect, while the current SG of the ANC is a semi-literate fool. The contrasts are as jarring as they are revealing.
September 16, 2020
The first novel written by a black south African in English has kept me intrigued from chapter to chapter. I for once, simply could not wait to read the book as I sat up late to finish it. This writing takes place many years before apartheid and gives insight to the mentality of the people, be them white or black, back then.
The story follows a violent beginning of human lost and brutality of one tribe over the other. Within this we meet the partnership of a man and women and follow their quest of vengeance, determination, sorrow and new beginnings. We also meet the antagonist of the story, and slowly, I began to have compassion for the Chief.
Wonderfully written for its time and reflective of those times. The arrival of trekkers, white afrikaaners, brings along interest for the reader in manner in which they are written. They fled the colony and then built ties with the tribe in order to defeat their common enemy. In this I see even common enemies can unite people of different racial lines, however, in this book it is clear that after the collaboration the white man would not share the same drinking cup as a black man.
The story follows a violent beginning of human lost and brutality of one tribe over the other. Within this we meet the partnership of a man and women and follow their quest of vengeance, determination, sorrow and new beginnings. We also meet the antagonist of the story, and slowly, I began to have compassion for the Chief.
Wonderfully written for its time and reflective of those times. The arrival of trekkers, white afrikaaners, brings along interest for the reader in manner in which they are written. They fled the colony and then built ties with the tribe in order to defeat their common enemy. In this I see even common enemies can unite people of different racial lines, however, in this book it is clear that after the collaboration the white man would not share the same drinking cup as a black man.
November 15, 2021
"There were no home ceremonials, such as the seeking and obtaining of parental consent, because there were no parents; no conferences by uncles and grand-uncles, or exhortations by grandmothers and aunts; no male relatives to arrange the marriage knot, nor male relations to head the family union, and no uncles of the bride to divide the boadi (dowry) cattle as, of course, there were no cattle. It was a simple matter of taking each other for good or ill with the blessing of the ‘God of Rain.’" (p. 59-60)
A marvellous, beautifully written book. I can see some quibbling with the 'happy ending' but this is a novel with real depth. I'd recommend it as one of the first few African novels for people to read.
A marvellous, beautifully written book. I can see some quibbling with the 'happy ending' but this is a novel with real depth. I'd recommend it as one of the first few African novels for people to read.
July 12, 2023
I love that this is historical fiction. It's beautiful how he weaved the stories of Rathaga and Mhudi into the times of the Voortrekker and the Matabele. Sol Plaatje's writing feels almost Shakespearen but his characters still resonate and so do the themes. The female characters are capable and proactive and nuanced. To me it felt almost like a journalistic writing in that the times and the people are depicted accurately, which I appreciated. But it's clear he really wanted the reader to understand the greater sadness of war, displacement and the subjugation and oppression of people. I really wish Sol Plaatje's path lead to him writing another book in his lifetime because he had talent for more.
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