Disillusionment and Disappointment

Both Zimbabwean author NoViolet Bulawayo and South African author Niq Mhlongo encapsulate in novels published by each of them in 2013 what has become of their governments’ promises of freedom and prosperity. In her novel We Need New Names, Bulawayo criticises the poverty, corruption and mismanagement seen under the regime of Robert Mugabe and caricatures the grandiose slogans of ‘Black Power.’ In his novel Way Back Home, Mhlongo reveals how a former anti-apartheid activist in the ANC becomes enmeshed in self-enrichment and nepotism and is pursued by the ghosts of the past. Both Bulawayo and Mhlongo are not content with merely decoding slogans, but identify possible paths to a future with greater self-determination. Disappointment about the unredeemed promises is thus transformed into a sobering résumé and stocktaking that can provide a basis for a new consideration and new definition of social objectives.