
Picture of book cover: provided
Kariba
Daniel & James Clarke
Catalyst Press
ISBN 9781946395825
............
I stand in awe of the combined talents in this book for telling the story in a manner that appeals to both young stars and old.
...............
Recently, I have come across a pleasing trend of telling African stories in the raw authenticity of their own terms. It would seem that Catalyst Press in particular is making a concerted effort to do this. I really applaud this attitude and hope it becomes contagious in other publication houses also. An infinite rapture of literary fruition into authentic storytelling based on our ancient African wisdom awaits us on this path. But first we have to go beyond the limitations of thinking that African stories need to adapt to a Western gaze for universal appeal.
...........
I recently read with enormous pleasure the graphic novel Kariba, which is narrated in a style that infuses African (Zimbabwean) mythology. Myths assist our storytelling through collectively felt experiences that speak to the heart, more than the mind, because they’re not literally true.
.............
I recently read with enormous pleasure the graphic novel Kariba, which is narrated in a style that infuses African (Zimbabwean) mythology. Myths assist our storytelling through collectively felt experiences that speak to the heart, more than the mind, because they’re not literally true. Kariba is the story of Siku, a ten-year-old daughter of the river god Nyaminyami, who seeks her father, whom she last saw going to work at the dam project in Kariba. This is how her adventures begin in villages along the riverbanks. In one village, she’s told by the village chief, Chisaba of the Shonga people, that her father should have told her that one day she would need to fulfil the Rumuko. Siku doesn’t really understand what that is and is not really interested. Finding her father is her priority.
Chief Chisaba tells Siku to find instructions on how to fulfil the Rumuko from Maalila, the spirit medium. He gives her food to pay the spirit medium with. Like all spirit mediums, Maalila speaks in the cryptic ways of amagqirha/sangomas or the Delphi Oracle. He tells her that she must follow the narrow path to find answers to the questions of her heart, and often appears as a guide in her dreams and day vision, to urge her forward on her fateful quest. In the end, he tells her to return home, where the smoke thunders, and the path for the Rumuko will find her.
Siku is conflicted, not interested in the powers everyone seems to think she has. She just wants to find her father. She meets Amedeo when the plane he is travelling on to Kariba makes a short refilling stop in Siku’s village. They all end up being kidnapped by pirates, who want the river powers of Siku to open a treasure trove under the water. Apparently, Siku is also the key that can open the underworld door to Rhutapa, where all the treasures, according to their sage, Mulozi, are hidden. Siku and Amedeo eventually manage to escape into more adventures as the pirates pursue them. Both are trying to find their way to Kariba and their respective parents who work there. They also have to contend with criminal elements sent by the engineering company that wants to build a distillery near the dam that is being constructed. The villagers believe that the dam will bring upon them the curse of floods – and that only Siku can stop this, once she undergoes her ritual for the Rumuko into becoming a proper goddess with controlling powers over the river. Otherwise, the land will drown from floods. The tribes lose not only the land when it floods, but their memory and identity also.
Siku’s refusal to honour her calling means Nyaminyami cannot be reborn, and therefore the floods will soon come. Siku thinks her gift is a curse that killed her father, because she doesn’t know how to control it. A wonderful surprise awaits. Her father, though he nearly drowned for the foolishness of fighting a river god, is still alive but has washed up in one of the villages. But he believes the death of Nyaminyami is a good thing that would free Siku from the river power’s curse. He dreams of a quiet, urban life in Salisbury (Harare). He thinks villagers are just being stubborn for refusing to cooperate with the engineers, because the dam will bring electricity to the whole country. This brings division even between the two of them. How will things end for all of them?
This is the stuff that action-packed, environmentally friendly stories are made of. In my home of vegans, pescatarians and meat-eaters, the book provoked a lot of discussion on several moral questions, especially when Siku dived to free fish from the hooks of fishermen. Should the spread of industrial progress be curtailed, controlled or allowed free rein towards possible ecocide? Is ecogrief enough reason to oppose the need to feed the fast-growing human population? Do the rights of rural living supersede the needs of rampant development?
............
The pleasing thing about this graphic novel – or comic book, in the parlance of this old-timer – is how it teaches not only old African beliefs, but also that ancient wisdom can be adopted to support the protection of our ecosystem.
............
The pleasing thing about this graphic novel – or comic book, in the parlance of this old-timer – is how it teaches not only old African beliefs, but also that ancient wisdom can be adopted to support the protection of our ecosystem. After all, was it not Carl Jung who told us we need traditional myths to amplify our vision and sharpen our hearing to customs and ways of life that have been handed down to us by those who live in our blood, our ancestors?
Though Kariba is a little too idealistic at times, and hesitates towards getting too deep to debate big topics, I would rather be subjected to that than total wilful ignorance about the possible environmental catastrophes that may occur if we don’t change our greedy ways to fit into the natural development of our ecosystem. I have not read many graphic novels in a long time, so am not sure what the standard out there currently is. But my ten-year-old nephew, who is also a Manga artist, thinks the drawing standards of Kariba are pretty awesome. I stand in awe of the combined talents in this book for telling the story in a manner that appeals to both young stars and old.
Also read:
Up-close South African insight: a review of Pearl of the sea