Returning To Myself

by Linda Smith (Fish Eagle Books, R200)

After having a renowned Zulu sangoma throw the bones for her, Linda Smith heeds his advice and that of her inner voice, which prompts her to write about her upbringing in the then Northern Rhodesia (Zambia) and to shed light on the political and social hardships which Africa has undergone since the 60s.

Here, the author covers mutiny in the Congo, the forced removal of the Ba Tonka tribe so that the Kariba dam could be constructed and the break-up of the Federation of Southern Rhodesia, Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland.

Smith shows how, with rushed independence, discord and corruptibility have been the order of the day and led to poor governance, abuses of power, human rights violations, incompetence, nepotism and other “evil atrocities”.

Smith reminds us how admirable it is that she is willing to speak out about Africa’s problems, since many, including the former colonial powers, are guilty of turning a blind eye.

The author does not condone Africa’s begging bowl attitude, but denigrates the feigning of innocence by countries such as Britain who have been critical of policies which they themselves set into place throughout Africa.

In the final third of the book, she counters these negative scenarios by describing in esoteric terms the “art of becoming a good human being”.

This book can hardly be described as politically correct in its yesteryear talk of “Africans outnumbering the Europeans in Copperbelt towns”, and “innocent garden boys” who watered gardens even when it rained. But it aptly captures the happy sunny days and heavy rainstorms of Smith’s relatively privileged childhood which was spent in the mining town of Mufulira, when not holidaying in either South Africa, Nyasaland (Malawi) Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) or Beira (Maputo, Mozambique) and the Congo.

This reminiscing clearly resonates with others who were raised here, as her website records the endorsement of a number of Mufalirans who share similar memories.

The last section is a brusque departure from the aforegoing, and as such, I struggled to get to grips with the New Age theories espoused.

While incorporating some positive messages, these are delivered in a prescriptive tone and seem at odds with what has gone before. – Janine Magree