The Sculptors of Mapungubwe: an extract from Zakes Mda’s latest novel

“Art creates you as you create it”, writes Mda. Rendani has a literal approach to life and art — he believes in the state, in order and in hierarchical authority. His half-brother, Chata, whose mother was !Kung, has a different view. He is adventurous, highly imaginative, free-spirited, and unconventional. He is also an artistic genius.

Rendani rises to high office by following tradition, but he begins to abuse his power to settle his jealousy of Chata. The civilisation of Mapungubwe slowly becomes corrupted by this poisonous feud between the half-brothers. Mda’s tale is cautionary. The distance between the elite and the people steadily widens during the course of the novel. A society that fails to nurture the human imagination and becomes increasingly bureaucratic and rigid, eventually destroys itself. The kingdom starts to crumble when its most sacred animals, the rhinos, are allowed to be slaughtered and their horns sold to foreigners.

Mda’s tale is pertinent and yet timeless.

Extract

He patiently explained that Rendani’s presentations to the King stated in no uncertain terms that the person granted the honour of Muvhaḓi wa Vhavhaḓi could only create to the glory of no one else but the King. His art should serve the important function of nation building and moulding social cohesion. If at all he created a sculpture to celebrate the love or beauty of a woman, as Chata seemed to be doing, then that would be mbisili, a word created by the Royal Sculptor himself and accepted by the King as part of the vocabulary of the kingdom. From henceforth it would be used for any work of art that was both abominable and strange, and that worked against social cohesion and nation building. Because these rules were outlined to the King and he accepted them, they were therefore the King’s word. It would be foolhardy to defy the King’s word. It had never been known to happen.

“What you are carving now is a mbisili that is not befitting a Builder of the Nation and a Moulder of Social Cohesion like yourself. You must therefore cease and desist before the spirits are offended.”

MBISILI. Chata was to hear that word many times after that. His urge to continue carving miniature ivory dancers was called that by Baba-Munene, by Rendani and even by the guards and the Royal Feeders. When he asked what it meant exactly he got no clear answer. From then on anything that the rulers did not like was mbisili. If it did not satisfy their aesthetic tastes it was mbisili. The word now went beyond works of art to any other activity of an artist. His yearning to visit the town and see Ma Chirikure was declared mbisili. His attempt to find out from the guards who either lived in the town or frequented there about the whereabouts and well-being of Chenayi was called mbisili after the guards revealed it to Rendani. Chata had not known that every conversation he had with them was transmitted to Rendani. In fact, his whole relationship with Chenayi was declared unnatural, an abomination, and therefore a mbisili. The word caught on, and other people fell victim to it. A dancer who tried to come up with innovative choreography, hoping to be the new Marubini, was accused of mbisili, and was condemned and ostracized. When she couldn’t take it any longer she jumped to her death from the highest cliff on the hill. Many people were demonized on the basis of that name irrespective of the nature of their art work, its meaning and intention. Rendani, in his capacity as Royal Sculptor, was very active in determining what was or was not mbisili. It seemed all so arbitrary to Chata. Just that label itself was enough for people to support his decision. They didn’t need to see the work that had been condemned or know the person. If it was a mbisili it was an abomination that no one wanted to associate with. It was a shameful thing for anyone to be caught looking at a mbisili.

“If you don’t stop this mbisili the King will hear about it. It will be a scandal for the Carver of Carvers to be involved in creating mbisili,” said Rendani to Chata one afternoon. He came to warn him because he heard from the guards that he was continuing to carve the ivory figurines of female dancers. Hamisi wa Babu stood a few steps away talking about the recent hunt with the guards. At the same time he was straining to listen to Rendani’s badgering of Chata because the ear is a thief.

Chata was sitting on a stool on the veranda carving some detail on a miniature sculpture. He did not respond to Rendani, and this infuriated him no end. Chata knew that there was nothing Rendani could do. The only possible punishment for mbisili was chastisement and isolation. People were ostracized until they punished themselves either by banishing themselves from the town or, like the innovative dancer, by killing themselves. As it was he was already enduring enough chastisement to drive a weaker man to madness from Baba-Munene, Rendani and everyone else with whom he came into contact. As for isolation, his title of Carver of Carvers had already ensured it. So he would continue to carve exactly what he wanted to carve until they got sick and tired of him and took their title back. Surely they would not tolerate mbisili in their midst forever. Perhaps his defiance was his path to freedom.

The Sculptors of Mapungubwe by Zakes Mda
ISBN 9780795706271
224 pages
Review written by Brent Meersman for GroundUp

You can follow Zakes Mda on Twitter @ZakesMda. You can also follow Brent Meersman on Twitter @Brent_Meersman.