'Eyes in the Night: An Untold Zulu Story' - a tale of survival and triumph
It's more than just a detailed account of a young Zulu girl who lived during the Anglo-Zulu War, but a tale of survival and triumph immortalised in an 'untold Zulu story.'
Eyes in the Night: An Untold Zulu Story traces the life of Nombhosho okaMakhoba, who overcame adversities to become - I believe - an understated key historical figure in the Zulu culture.
Author, Nomavenda Mathiane explores this narrative centred on her grandmother in two forms.
The first is the story as retold to her by her sisters, sis Albertinah and Sis Beatrice (who become known to the reader as sis Ahh and sis B respectively).
Despite hearing this second-hand, she traces the life of okaMakhoba with accuracy in the second form - as if told to her by her grandmother herself.
Speaking to Newswatch, Mathiane says it was important to keep the voice of the protagonist - who we as the readers encounter in the first person narrative form, alive.
She spent little time with her grandmother in her later years prior to realising the value of information the old woman had.
Mathiane says she has many unanswered questions.
In the book, the reader encounters influential figures such as Pixley ka Isaka Seme, and John Langalibalele Dube. Both founders of the South African Native National Congress - which evolved into today's ruling party.
KaSeme was South Africa’s first black lawyer, while Dube was the founder of longstanding Zulu publication, Ilanga laseNatal – known as Ilanga today.
In turn, we learn of these historical greats that preceded the renowned figures in recent South African history, including Nelson Mandela, Robert Sobukwe and Walter Sisulu.
Mathiane is the author of South Africa: Diary Of Troubled Times and Beyond the Headlines - published in 1989 and 1990 respectively; a collection of essays written while she was a journalist.
Mathiane explains how Eyes in the Night: An Untold Zulu Story differs from the previous publications.
“This one is different in the sense that I had to research, travel to Zululand in KZN and speak to people. As you know, our history is oral – so there’ve been many interviews. I had to understand the dynamics of the era,” she says.
This is also aptly put in the excerpt below:
Sis Ahh’s and Cousin Mjabhi’s narratives helped me connect the dots, and what I came up with astounded me. I began to understand the kind of problems people of that era were grappling with. I was exposed to knowledge and insights that I would never have found in any classroom or textbook.
The novel is well-researched - staying true to historical facts, with Mathiane having consulted academic references. She includes the 1879 maps of Zululand and Southern Africa, and the matrilineal family tree of the Makhoba clan.
The reader encounters Mathiane’s latest work as a non-fictional read.
The inclusion of Zulu customary practices that are still relevant in the Zulu culture today, further convinces the reader of the book’s authenticity. Examples of these include calling your favourite grandchild by their praise name, and the passing of ucu - where maidens would give a string of beads to a man they want to marry.
She says all South Africans - whether from an Nguni clan or not - must consciously learn of their roots.
"Unless we know where we come from - we will never know where we are. [Other nations laugh at us] as we look down on what makes us as a people. I am not saying we are better or different as a clan. What happened to Nombhosho at the time was the winds of change in South Africa. These are the stories that our people should be writing - it is our narrative and we have to chronicle it," she said.
VERDICT: This is an enjoyable read for all South Africans seeking a relatable history lesson, and an even greater treat if you're of Zulu descent.
Eyes in the Night - An Untold Zulu Story.
Nomavenda Mathiane
Publisher: BookStorm