Maru (African Writers Series) [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

Political, romantic, and dense, what a wonderful and well-written book. I came upon this book by accident and became quite delighted with the story. The characters and the town really came alive on the pages. The imagery was beautiful and mythic. I just wish it were longer.

Maru is a story about the reaches of oppression within the village of Dilepe in Botswana. It is a fascinating story which examines how oppression and prejudice are maintained, and how they might be overcome. This is accomplished against the captivating backdrop of village life; scenes are depicted in such a way that the reader can imagine themselves in the story. Overall an excellent read that provides a rich view of life in Botswana.

The novel "Maru" written by Bessie Head in 1971 combines the elements of a classic fairy tale as well as the authors own commentary on the societal issues facing her characters. Her main character Margaret, is part of an ethnic group of people enslaved and marginalized in the setting of the story. Margaret's escape from the life of a slave is owed to her namesake and adoptive mother, Margaret senior, who resembles the Fairy Godmother of classic folklore. Head describes her in supernatural terms when writing, "Margaret Cadmore, the wife of the missionary, had the latter virtue in over-abundance. It made her timeless, as though she could belong to any age or time, but always on the progressive side."(12) Margaret Cadmore senior has rescued young Margaret from a life of misery as the lowest member of society, a theme found in many classic tales from Snow White to Cinderella. Rarely is a hero or heroine succesfull in these stories without the help of a supernatural, benevolent female figure. Head invokes themes from the classic mythology of many cultures when she links young Margaret to a god-like position when describing her deceased birth mother,"Quite unconcious of the oddness of her behavior, Margaret Cadmore walked to several angles of the room, studying the dead woman's expression. The note she scrawled at last said: She looks like a Goddess."(15) As the story develops and young Margaret sets off on her journey we meet characters with the familiar motivations of characters in classical Fairy Tales that the Author has adapted and expanded to help reinforce the theme. Foremost of Head's characters is Maru, He is chief of the town Dilepe, where young Margaret comes to work as a schoolteacher and represents the "Prince" of classical fairy tales. Maru falls in love with margaret "at first sight" and realizes that a marriage between them will ultimately benefit his people. Dikeledi, the sister of Maru, discussing his intention of marrying Margaret remarks,"Between the lunch hour and now, people dont suddenly decide they are going to marry. I think you are joking."(66) Maru sees his marriage to Margaret as the destiny of his people when he says,"Should he bother to explain to her the language of the voices of the gods who spoke of tomorrow? That they were opening doors on all sides, for every living thing on earth, that there would be a day when everyone would be free and no one the slave of another?"(66) As head follows the story line of the classical Western fairy Tale the inevitable happy ending comes for Margaret and Maru when he says,"We used to dream the same dreams. That was how I knew you would love me in the end."(124) A happy ending is also seen for the Masawra people when Head writes,"When people of the Masarwa tribe heard about Maru's marriage to one of their own, a door silently opened on the small, dark airless room in which their souls had been shut for a long time. The wind of freedom, which was blowing throughout the world for all people, turned and flowed into the room." Head has used the familiar themes of the western fairy tale to explore the difficult issues of racism, cultural bias and social inequality that still persist in Africa and throughtout the world to this day. This gives her story a relevant timeless quality that stretches across national and cultural borders.