mashilo masemola

Erosion of Black Tradition

WORDS BY: MASHILO MASEMOLA

[The thesis you are about to read is largely influenced by objective and to a larger extent my subjective observation of what is generally referred to as Black tradition – or the Black way of doing things]

In an endeavour to eliminate any form of misinterpretation from the subject, perhaps it is fitting that one draws a distinction between tradition and culture. Tradition is a way of life which remains intact and largely constant from one generation to generation, whereas culture is something which is often informed by contemporary influence. For example the Irish have the river dance as a traditional dance of the Irish folk, it has remained constant over the years; on the other side there’s the contemporary culture of spending weekends in sports pubs indulging their palates on good Irish beer.

Now that I have made an attempt to distinguish between tradition and culture, let me dwell onto the subject of erosion of Black tradition. When I say erosion of Black tradition I’m not talking about an outside influence that has eroded our culture, in the sense that American pop culture has influenced global pop culture; I am talking about the erosion of Black tradition from within – that is by Black people themselves.

The most blatantly eroded part of Black tradition lies in what we ironically today refer to as an integral part of our tradition – wedding celebrations. It is well-documented that black people started embracing the “white wedding” concept at the turn of the 20^th century but I shall avoid the temptation of basing my argument on such obvious trivia. However I shall focus on the lobola/magadi aspect of our marriage ritual as that remains a practise that goes back to the days of boys meeting girls by the river and fermenting their love until it matures to a point where the girl’s parents had to give consent and blessings to their daughter to be married to a boy from a far-flung village.

As it was a practise during those days a deputation from the groom-to-be would be sent to the bride-to-be’s homestead to state the boy’s intensions to make a wife of the girl he met by the river. Upon arrival, the deputation would be bearing gifts and all sorts of other goodies to offer as tokens of appreciation. It must be categorically stated that lobola/magadi was never a negotiated settlement such as was the outcome at CODESA. Maidens were never commodified as it is currently the case where the bride’s delegation of uncles would argue how good their niece is well-educated and place an astronomical amount of monetary value as compensation for the Western education she has acquired.

The contemporary nature of the lobola/magadi process has the potential of setting a young upstart on a back-paddle, instead of putting down a deposit for a house or setting a Trust Fund with an endeavour to make sure that future generations avoid hardship. In extreme cases a poor bloke is set back some R100 000  – excessive price to pay for love is you ask me.

This erosion of Black tradition has to be stopped on its tracks otherwise we risk being a people contemporarily blowing with the wind and perpetually on a back-paddle both economically, traditionally, culturally and in other spheres. Renewal of Black tradition should be an integral part of the African Rennaisance project as advocated by former president Thabo Mbeki and anyone who values African knowledge systems as a source which we draw our being and a guideline which shapes our collective future as a people.

In closing let me quote one of the eminent sons of Pan- African Nationalism, Marcus Garvey who said “a people without a true knowledge of their history is like a tree without roots.”

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a review

The Suitable Girl - A Review

 

I would like to argue that where you are when you read a certain book affects your appraisal of that work going forward. I adore Michelle McGrane as a person and love the poetry she produces. Okay; it's difficult to separate the two. I have been her fan from when I used to read her work in New Coin, Green Dragon and other quality anthologies such as Timbila.

And when I finally got a copy of her collection Hybrid in Cape Town I read the beauty in hours and had an opinion of it. I actually had an opinion before the plane landed at OR Tambo.

There must be something nice I wrote about it when it was new and I believe I still stand by that. Now Michelle dispeared from my radar for some time until I bumped into her again at the Melville Poetry Festival late last year. Not only was she still bubbly but she had a new collection, The Suitable Girl to compensate for all those years of absence.

I love Michelle's work and so I started reading the 50-pages book on my way home; while lounged in a bus. I should confess that since I have been reading her work for some time between then and now she has grown and matured a lot. Her work reflects the reality that comes with age; a reality far divorced from the luxury brought about by hallucinations and fantasies. The 38-years old poet's latest work is themed and each theme has enough nectar to last one a lifetime.

I loved the Lunar Postcards themed poems which takes the reader to space and back in a satirical manner that pokes fun at that outer space. Michelle writes, "we season freeze-dried macaroni/ with liquid salt and pepper/ water is distilled, recycled/ from our breath and sweat./ after a week of granola bars,/ nuts and bitter orange juice,/ the commander's arm/ begins to look tasty" - Space Gourmet. Hahahahaha! I found that pretty funny. It's a hallucination allowed only when you know it can't happen. Otherwise all the alien stories might start sounding creepier.

Michelle's work also shows a lifetime of consuming work from poets far and wide. Between the lines it's easy to find references to beliefs held gospel in other cultures which you might find a little akward. Such as dedications to people you might have heard of but failed to formulate an opinion about. On the person Bertha Mason Speaks, she writes, "now that you've heard Jane's side of the story, what I wish to tell you is this; that I floated on a celestial conflagration of saffron frangipani only to plummet, petrified, into a voodoo tomb; that within these stone walls time became obsolete; no market days, no festivals, no seasonal ebb and flow; that mocking echoes dogged this stifling boudoir and rattled within my bones".

In this collection Michelle takes on different personalities, often conflicting and in disharmony. It however is her style of lucid poetry and sensual delivery that lays the groundwork for this work of art. It is almost like a fresh paint on a tired canvas; or adding the 13^th disciple at the Last Supper painting.

The Suitable Girl is classic Michelle, flowing, lucid and engaging. Get the copy at your nearest bookstore or get Pindrop Press, the publishers to send you one. When we look back at South African poetry fifty years from now, The Suitable Girl will be one of those we try to understand. So, get it today!


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