In my last post in this community, I discussed the complexities of power and gender dynamics in a patriarchal society. In a patriarchal society, men often have more power and control than women. This is a common phenomenon in African societies. In many African countries, it is traditional for women to respect and obey men, particularly their husbands and fathers. The notion that "no matter the circumstances, men are always right" is deeply rooted (they are trained with this notion), shaping how people live their lives and often leading to problems and unfairness. The complexities of gender and power dynamics involve understanding how these issues affect people's lives and relationships. In this post, I will review a book that explores this theme: "Deciduous Gazettes" by Melissa Tandiwe Myambo.
Melissa Tansiwe Myambo is an African Writer and researcher who completed her primary and secondary education in Zimbabwe. She furthered her education at New York University where she earned her PhD in comparative literature. Until last year, I'd never come across book. Interestingly, The Deciduous Gazette was one of the recommended books for a course, so we had no choice but to read it. It explores the themes of patriarchy and gender roles, infidelity and emotional betrayal, identity, and many more. Before I dive fully into this review, I’d like you to know that this book requires maximum attention. Have you ever read a book where you had to read a paragraph more than twice before you get what the author is trying to pass across? That is exactly the kind of book this is.
The Deciduous Gazettes explores the theme of infidelity and deception through the characters of multiple couples. The first couple is Mr Ncube and his wife, Mrs Ncube. Mr Ncube is the typical, rich African man who seems to have achieved everything in life. He is legally married to Mrs Ncube with two children, but still jumping from one woman to another. On a cold evening, Mrs Ncube attends a party where she gears two women discussing a sensitive topic- infidelity and deception. Unknown to them that Mrs. Ncube is behind them, they talk about how Mr. Ncube is cheating on his wife with Mainini, Serato, and other women. Everyone except Mrs Ncube knows that Mr Ncube is not faithful. They conclude their discussion with the phrase, “The wives are always the last to know.”
This shocking truth had psychological damage on Mrs Ncube’s health and she had to leave the marriage to start staying on her own. Her friend, Saru, who is married but barren, supports her. Her niece, Irene who is a teenager also stays with her to help with chores.
Next, readers are introduced to Mr. Fidelis Kanyanganra, who like Mr Ncube is married, but cheating on his wife. To worsen the situation, Mr Fidelis is cheating on his wife with Irene, a teenager. Irene is Mrs Ncube’s niece who was sent to help out with chores and other things in exchange, her A levels will be taken care of. Now, she is going out with a “sugar daddy.” Mr Fidelis neglects his wife and starts taking care of Irene, buying her gifts and feeding her with promises to buy more just to get what he wants.
Next, readers are introduced to Mrs Phiri and Mr Phiri. They are both working class citizens who go out and come back tired after a long day. Out of the blue, Mr Phiri tells his wife that he has impregnated Mainini and there's nothing to do about it as he has started the traditional process to make her his wife. At first, she was sad about it for days. Soon enough, she accepted reality.
The issues explored in Melissa’s The Deciduous Gazettes are still present in today’s society. In many African societies, we have many married men, deceiving their partners despite being married with kids. Several issues are presented in this novel. However, the one that I think is quite important is the complexity of infertility in African culture. This issue is portrayed by Saru, Mrs Ncube’s friend. Saru is married to a middle-aged Austrian, with no children but two cats. In African tradition, a marriage without children is considered fruitless and unremarkable. However, Saru and her husband are happy with their lives. Although other characters, such as Official Mr. Ncube and Mr. Anderson, gossiping and laughing about her childlessness, Saru seems unmoved, living her life, enjoying herself, and taking good care of herself.
Moving on, another issue is parenting. After leaving her marriage, Irene's family decided that Mrs. Ncube should not be left alone to care for her two children. So, they sent Irene to live with Mrs. Ncube, with the understanding that Irene would help care for the children in exchange for the opportunity to pursue her A-level education. Interestingly, Irene's priorities shift dramatically. She starts a relationship with an elderly married man, commonly referred to as a "sugar daddy." Mrs. Ncube is deeply concerned about Irene's behavior and laments her own failures as a parent. She worries that Irene's actions will have negative consequences for her future and fears that she has not provided adequate guidance and support. In my opinion, Mrs Ncube did her best to care for Irene, but Irene, on the other hand, became uncontrollable.
In summary, Mellisa’s work explores how women are treated in an African society. The focus is on married men and women and also teenagers. I recommend Melissa’s The Deciduous Gazettes to all book lovers.
Thanks for reading.
Images are mine.
Posted Using INLEO
Congratulations @justfavour! You received a personal badge!
Wait until the end of Power Up Day to find out the size of your Power-Bee.
May the Hive Power be with you!
You can view your badges on your board and compare yourself to others in the Ranking
Check out our last posts:
Thanks, Buzzy.
Oh! I remember the day you came to my DM and said this, lol. The dedicous gazette indeed covered so much topics and now that I think about it, the title fits so perfectly.
The African culture has so many things that needs review but it's hard to change most of these mentality we have but it's possible. Thanks to writers like this, we get to reflect on these things and see more reasons why we should be open to learning.
Thanks for sharing it with us. ❤️
I also remember that day. It was hilarious.
Indeed, many African societies have so many things that needs to be checked. While it'd be difficult to change most of them, writers have made it easier to reflect on such topics.
Thank you.
Yeah it was hilarious.
It's my pleasure.
❤️
It's always great to see African literature being highlighted here. There are so much we could learn from contemporary African works. From her works, we could learn that the societal problem she presents aren't that much different across some countries where power and gender dynamics between men and women remain as a key issue.
A few months ago, I took a course on contemporary African women writers, which opened my eyes to many topics deeply rooted in the culture. Indeed, these issues can also be found across different countries.
Thank you so much.📕
Congratulations @justfavour! You received a personal badge!
Participate in the next Power Up Day and try to power-up more HIVE to get a bigger Power-Bee.
May the Hive Power be with you!
You can view your badges on your board and compare yourself to others in the Ranking
Check out our last posts:
Thanks, Buzzy .