Book bares complexity of human relations
Amelia’s Inheritance: By Sarudzai Mubvakure; Coventry: The Lion Press Ltd, 2010 202 pages ISBN: 978-0-9562422-9-7 (Paperback) WHENEVER people hear the term inheritance, they think about material possessions that one may get after the death of their parents or some other relative.
It is unusual for people outside the family to emerge as beneficiaries of a distant person’s estate.
Those who may have read Charles Dickens’ classic novel Great Expectations will recall the mystery of Pip’s benefactor.
For the greater part of the story, a wealthy woman who lived in the neighbourhood was thought to be the benefactor when in fact it was an ex-convict Magwitch.
It seems not coincidental that the narrator’s mother at one time made them read the Dickensian masterpiece.
Sarudzai Mubvakure Amelia’s Inheritance is a thrilling 32-chapter narrative that revolves around Amelia Gruber, daughter to a German immigrant who owned a coal mine before becoming poor. Despite the fact that her father had died bankrupt, people still do not expect Amelia to be poor. "It was burden enough for them to know that we were white and poor." (p11) However, there is reason to believe the author does not look at material possessions as the definer in human life. Amelia’s father acknowledges: "Amelia, a person’s worth is not determined by what they have, but it’s determined by who they are inside. It’s their character." (p20)
Amelia’s Inheritance is set in colonial Rhodesia around the late 1960s to early 1970s, a period which few authors would want to look at. The racial tensions of that time, women’s rights, domestic violence, poverty are the issues that Mubvakure concerns herself with in this powerful story that examines the long-term consequences of family intrigue.
The story is told through the eyes of Amelia Gruber, a seemingly unusual adolescent who is born into a wealthy family with all privileges which her race and father’s wealth — drawn from his coal mining ventures can guarantee.
Her mother Alana, who is rejected by her parents, is raised by Sisi — a servant girl who was employed at the orphanage. When she is picked up in a reed basket: "This child is no longer wanted. Therefore bring it up in the way that you see fit. However, to show that we are not of evil character, we enclose this cheque with a sum to be used for its upkeep and education. This is our act of Charity." (p14)
This automatically brings in the theme of parental love as well as support. Mubvakure also examines the theme of love between family members like we see between Amelia and Sister Trudy.
Amelia evolves into becoming a very strong woman who rejects defeat and is ready to take charge of her own life. After persistent criticism and bashing from her mother, Amelia starts to work on her own. It is during this period that she stumbles into her family’s past.
One of her closest accomplices, Peter Mudondo is an attorney representing the victims of illegal resettlement. Crawford and Crawford represent the minority white settlers. It is Stern Conglomerates that is buying most of the land and homes of displaced people. Ironically Amelia works for Mr Stern, who has also been the architect of the displacement of her family from their original home.
Sisi remains a calm, compassionate and supportive character throughout the neatly interwoven narrative. It is through such characters as Sisi that Mubvakure explores the complexity of human relations. Somehow Peter fails to accept that Amelia has no hand in his loss in the case between Mr Stern and Chief Sanhowe and his people. Mubvakure is making subtle comments on the history of dispossession that has been the fulcrum of colonial economic policy. The same court case also reveals the corrupt nature of the judiciary. Court officials receive money to influence decisions. "Listen, when you’ve got cash, you don’t need a good Lawyer." (p160)
The conceit reflected in this statement, especially when placed against the miserable-looking villagers whose mood is summed up by "Chief Sanhowe, the Head of Dambudzo Village. He looked tired and frail. He looked like he had travelled a long distance, but still many miles away from his destination". (p160)
Amelia’s shock at being shown a "Europeans only" section at the court gallery is suggestive of apartheid-style segregation, which Amelia believes should be blamed on the excesses of the colonial government.
Mubvakure’s voice sounds firm and emphatic. Her concerns are those, which many authors would shudder to consider as playing ground without hopping into contemporary politics and injustices.
One theme that the writer paints so well is that of race relations. Whites clearly enjoy unlimited rights and can even get conflicts twisted in their favour on the grounds of the colour of their skin. "They were so in love but they had to keep it a secret. As you know, back then, it was difficult for blacks and whites to be in love as they were." (p127)
Earlier, Amelia has to intervene when a near-scuffle occurs at the police stop line. ". . . Bruce was getting closer to Peter and I feared that the situation could get worse. If a scuffle were to occur, I was sure that the officer would later paint a picture that would eventually point accusation towards Peter as being the instigator. I decided to intervene." (p114)
There are several other instances that the author looks at race relations. The red-faced man is told: "You blacks are always causing trouble." (p41) Amelia is also reminded: "What are you doing around here anyway? Lost your way? Your kind shouldn’t be roaming around here." (p42) There are clear signs that some places are no-go areas for blacks while there are also suggestions that whites are not safe in others.
Mubvakure’s skill, however, is noted in the way she manages to create suspense in her novel. The reality about the protagonist’s family history is only known at the end of the book. And what a revelation!
Sisi, who has all along remained close and loving to Amelia’s family, is in fact her maternal grandmother. Mr Stern, whose firm has ironically made Amelia’s family homeless and her father poor is her maternal grandfather.
Amelia realises that she had hated "grandparents that I never knew. I hated them because I believed that they had left my mother, Alana Pennyfarthing, at the door of the orphanage, unloved and unwanted. But I never knew that my grandparents were not as evil as I thought. In fact, my mother being left at the doorstep of the orphanage was indeed an act of God. Rosemary Chitiyo, my beloved Sisi, was my grandmother." (p198)
All seems to be settled at the end of the narrative. The Dambudzo villagers have been given the castle by Amelia. Their lawyer Peter Mudondo has risen to become prime minister of the new government that replaces the racist Rhodesian regime. Amelia and her family now live at the Stern mansion, following the death of both Mr Stern and Sisi, who at that time were living as husband and wife. That is Amelia’s Inheritance, which has been kept hidden from the reader in the same way Pip’s benefactor in Great Expectations is kept secret.
In all this Mubvakure seems to be making very subtle comments about human relations and their complexities. These know no race or skin colour. Human relations transcend all these borders because after all — all humanity is the creation of God. The writer also seems to be advocating equitable distribution of resources, which in the book include land and minerals among others.
What Peter and his friends have embarked on is a "Struggle against bigot policy makers. They push hard-working black families off their fertile land to make way for capitalist thieves. As we speak, men, women and children are being ripped off in broad daylight. People are being bulldozed out of their villages leaving with nothing but clothes on their back. That’s a crime against humanity that I am not afraid to fight." (p90-91).
This book is a must-read for those keen on looking at another rendition on colonial Rhodesia and the transition that takes place despite the resistance from the minority racist regime. After all, Amelia has always contended the problem was the government. "This government is ridiculous. They make us feel like prisoners in our own country." (p90)
Sarudzai Mubvakure was born in Islington, London in 1973. She moved to Zimbabwe with her family in 1983. She was educated in Harare after which she returned to London in 1998. Sarudzai always loved creating and imagining things and this reflected in her love for music and art. She did not read much because she was never able to finish the story due to loss of interest. She wanted to find that ultimate page-turner that she would not be able to put down. "Divine inspiration made me sit down to write the dream book, Amelia’s Inheritance, that could not be put down," Mubvakure says.
Mubvakure now lives and works in London as an Occupational Therapist. She read Occupational Therapy at the University of Zimbabwe.
Her interests and passions include music and abstract art. Reading or writing were never Sarudzai’s passions however, she had a strange fascination with buying and collecting books which she never read. Therefore, writing her first novel, "A Disappointing Truth", published in 2008, was an unexpected and strange surprise.
This was followed by Amelia’s Inheritance, published by the Lion Press Ltd in January 2010. She is currently working on her third novel, Sarah’s Revelations, which is a sequel to A Disappointing Truth. Other projects she is working on include a novella entitled Muchineripi. An interest for the history of Zimbabwe in the 1960’s and 70’s is a prominent feature in Sarudzai’s stories.
What is even more prominent is her interest in painting a colourful picture of the race relations that shaped the Zimbabwe that now stands today.
Amelia’s Inheritance will soon be available on Zimbabwean bookstore shelves although orders can be placed online on Amazon.com and The Lion Press website.
l Feedback: edmore.zvinonzwa@zimpapers.co.zw
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