Cion [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

South African novelist Zakes Mda has always been a master of place. It is exotic locations, places steeped in history, tradition, and quite possibly, magic, that inspire his literary muse. His previous novels have all been set in his native South Africa, but his newest work, Cion, is placed firmly in the American heartland, in Appalachian Ohio, specifically the city of Athens and the nearby hamlet of Kilvert.

Mda transports Toloki, a professional mourner first introduced in Ways of Dying to Athens, where a chance encounter with a young man from Kilvert during Athens's world-famous Halloween celebration changes Toloki's perspective on life and the many ways of mourning. Toloki discovers the heart and soul of the impoverished Kilvert community and the mixed race (White/African/Native American) people who live there.

I live only a few miles from Kilvert and can attest to the authenticity and accuracy of Mda's observations of the colorful people and places in Appalachian Ohio. They are beautifully rendered and evocative of a past that no longer exists except in memory and hopeful for a future not yet realized.

Cion is a wonderfully poetic, moving and entertaining novel. Don't miss this one!

John Kachuba
Author: Ghosthunters: On the Trail of Mediums, Dowsers, Spirit Seekers, and Other Investigators of America's Paranormal World

I had not read of Ways of Dying or heard of Zakes Mda before reading the Essence article that featured Cion as the October 2007 book of the month. Based on the article's synopsis, I knew it was a book I wanted to read, so I ordered it immediately - in doing so, I have no regrets - what an insightful, creative, and often humorous read!

Cion follows the travels of Toloki, a professional mourner (which in itself is an unusual profession), as he ventures to Southeastern Ohio (Appalachian country). It is in this rural, impoverished setting and through Toloki's eyes that American pop culture, politics, and other "isms," such as racism, colorism, sexism, etc. are explored. A Halloween prank-gone-bad leads Toloki to form an unusual friendship with a local, rather eccentric family. His host family is self-described as WIN (White-Indian-Negro) and it is with them that the complexities of racial identity, prejudice, and stereotypes emerge.

Mda uses his creativity and playwriting skills to construct scenes that evoke crystal clear images and crafty dialogue/arguments to cover aspects of African American history (a wonderfully imagined Underground Railroad escape is presented as a sub-plot) and its far-reaching impact on Americans today. Toloki's observations and internal thoughts/commentaries are oftentimes laugh-out-loud funny and laced with truth and heartfelt honesty. This book is definitely in my 2007 Top 10 list - I have already ordered his earlier works and look forward to the reading experience.

Reviewed by Phyllis
October 6, 2007
APOOO BookClub
Nubian Circle Book Club

Cion, a fictional narrative by Zakes Mda, gives a unique perspective on American culture through the lens of an outsider from South Africa. By interweaving the past with the present, Mda creates a patchwork of stories that shows the importance of heritage to an American family.
The novel begins when Toloki, a professional mourner from South Africa, haphazardly ends up in Athens, Ohio during the yearly Halloween festivities. While observing Americans partaking in the "parade of creatures," Toloki befriends a young man named Obed Quigley (Mda 15). Fascinated by Toloki's profession, Obed invites Toloki to his home in the rural village of Kilvert. When Toloki arrives at the Quigley residence, he meets the members of Obed's family, including Mr. Mahlon Quigley (Obed's father), Ruth Quigley (Obed's mother) and Orpah Quigley (Obed's sister). During the first evening Toloki spends with the Quigleys, Mda gives the reader a glimpse of the Quigley way of life by describing their dinnertime conversation. In this conversation, Ruth uses the phrase "our people" several times to describe the rich traditions that the people of Kilvert carry on from their collective past (Mda 31). This provides a conduit into the next chapter of Cion, which is a flashback to the lives of the Quigleys' enslaved ancestors: The Abyssinian Queen and her two sons, Nicodemus and Abednego. For the rest of the story, Mda traces the family's history from the escape of Nicodemus and Abednego to the founding of Tablertown, which is present day Kilvert. As Toloki becomes more familiar with the Quigleys' past, he notices incongruities between who they think they were and who they actually are, finally concluding that "memory is what you make of it...we all construct our past as we go along" (Mda 272).
One aspect of the past that Ruth Quigley overlooks in order to validate her present is the religious beliefs of her ancestors. Throughout the story we learn that the two parts of Ruth that weigh most heavily on her daily choices are her Christian faith and her family's heritage. She votes for George Bush because he is "a man of God" and "he [gets] his messages direct from God" (Mda 63). She complains that scientists are "crazy" and they "always think they are smarter than God" (Mda 75). Ruth frequently quotes scripture to provide support for her political choices, such as her belief that gay marriage should not be allowed (Mda 81). She also uses her ancestry as a reason for much of what she does. Ruth grows carrots, cilantro, onions, kale, cabbage, and Swiss chard in her garden because her people, "them Indian people," have always raised their own food (Mda 79). She sews quilts in her spare time because "her people are a quilting people" (Mda 32). For someone to whom family tradition is so very important, it is interesting that Ruth chooses to reject certain traditions if they are contrary to her religious beliefs. While her Irish forebear, Niall Quigley, actively participated in Christian revivals, the other two-thirds of her ancestry, the Native Americans and the Africans, participated in activities that Ruth would consider unchristian (Mda 192).
In chapter four, Mda writes that Abednego worshipped the God of the Shawnee, who was believed to be a female (Mda 121). Later on, Ruth expresses with certainty that the Quigleys have Cherokee heritage rather than Shawnee because "them Shawnees were crazy anyways...how can God be a woman?" (Mda 140). Even though she will not accept the possibility of having a Shawnee heritage, by claiming that the Shawnees were crazy, she is also calling Abednego, her beloved ancestor, crazy. For the sake of her own veracity, Ruth chooses to overlook the fact that she might not agree with her African ancestors' beliefs.
Another tradition from her family's past that Ruth disapproves of is the custom of story-telling. The story-telling began with the Abyssinian Queen's nightly tales of escape at the Fairfield Plantation, incorporating elements of fantasy and magic (Mda 49-51). Eventually the lady of the plantation confronts the Abyssinian Queen, offended that her "voodoo stories" have no mention of Jesus, and insists that the Abyssinian Queen tell Bible stories instead (Mda 51). In chapter nine we learn that Ruth became uncomfortable with the stories the more she read the Bible (Mda 268). Like the lady of the plantation, she decided that the stories "about the sun that was lonely because nothing had been created yet" were unchristian and thus, banned them from the Quigley household (Mda 269).
Ruth's unwillingness to allow unchristian elements of her family's past to take place in the present is especially apparent when Obed begins his quest for the occult. Motivated by the desire to make money, Obed "dabbles in everything that is remotely connected with his heritages" (Mda 229). He sets up a tent near the creek and opens up a "hand trembling" business, assuring people that because of his Native American ancestry, he can tell fortunes (Mda 129). Ruth is vehemently opposed to this, giving him daily sermons from the Bible that condemn such practices, regardless of whether their people took part in such practices in the past (Mda 130).
In one situation, Ruth explicitly and surprisingly chooses to honor her religion over her ancestry. Toward the end of the book, Ruth expresses an interest in making "Bible quilts," showing Toloki the Biblical figures she cut out to appliqué to the fabric of the quilt (Mda 306). This is shocking because previously, Ruth was disgusted when Orpah tried to incorporate some of her original artistic designs on a quilt (Mda 137). Ruth complains that Orpah's "newfangled designs are not our tradition...our patterns have come down from our great-great-grandmothers, and ain't no little squirt's gonna change that" (Mda 138). Eventually, Ruth chooses to go against the grain of the past tradition of quilt patterns in order to create something that honors her religion.
It is ironic that Ruth Quigley refuses to carry on certain traditions she deems "unchristian" while proudly claiming to be a Cherokee princess and the descendent of an African queen (Mda 268). Throughout Cion, Ruth chooses the elements of the past that she wishes to incorporate in her present. This points to the observation Toloki makes in chapter nine: What actually happened doesn't really matter. What matters is what Ruth believes happened (Mda 272). By providing a detailed history of a Southeastern Ohio family, Zakes Mda does an excellent job of connecting the ghosts of the past with the spirit of the present. Sometimes what we choose to believe overrides what has actually happened and the past can be changed to validate the present.