Chaka was written in sesotho in 1909, isbn 9780795707148 buy the chaka ebook. Chaka by thomas mofolo is the first of many works of literature that take shaka, the great zulu leader as its subject. Professor bouteldja riche, at the department of english, mouloud mammeri university tizi ouzou, in a 2010 paper thomas mofolo and ayi kwei armah. Publication date 1925 topics chaka, shaka, mofolo, zulu, africa collection opensource language. Thomas mofolos novel chaka 1925, drawn from oral lore and written in sotho by a sotho writer, is about the life and times of the founder of the zulu nation, king chaka. In this article, i present a reading of the multiple stagings of mofolos novel by assessing the changes in the material and paratextual. Thomas mofolo s chaka deserves to be read both as work of great literary value and as a political statement for its time. The traveller of the east 1907 pitseng 1910 chaka 1925.
The traveller of the east 1907pitseng 1910chaka 1925 source for information on mofolo, thomas. Chaka is the most famous novel by the writer thomas mofolo of lesotho. This novel is the first of many works of literature that takes the great zulu leader, king, and emperor as its subject. Pdf thomas mofolos chaka was first published in sesotho in 1925 by the morija sesuto book depot under the auspices of the societe des. He was educated in the local schools of the paris evangelical missionary society and obtained a teachers certificate in 1898. The transculturation of thomas mofolos chaka wiredspace. University felix houphouetboigny of cocody, cote divoire december 20th, 2012 introduction the literary hero in is usually defined as the main character of a novel, a poem or a. The book has been translated into english on two separate occasions. Chaka, an historical romance by mofolo, thomas, 18771948. Dathorne has said, the historical chaka is only the impetus for mofolos psychological study of the nature of repudiation. Chaka kindle edition by mofolo, thomas, kunene, daniel p. Thomas mokopu mofolo 22 december 1876 8 september 1948 is considered to be the greatest basotho author he wrote mostly in the sesotho language, but his most popular book, chaka, has been translated into english and other languages. He is best known for his ostensibly biographical, but largely fictional, narrative chaka 1925. Gale contextual encyclopedia of world literature dictionary.
It recounts the story of a zulu emperor shaka, a successful and influential warrior of the early nineteenth. Publication date 1931 topics shaka, king of the zulu, 1787. Chaka, by lesothoborn author thomas mofolo, belongs to the genre of historical fiction. Educated in protestant mission schools, mofolo worked as a teacher in the mission school system and regarded his writings as an instrument for the propagation of the christian faith among the sothospeaking people. The bankruptcy of the warrior tradition and the quest for a legacy of african intellectual heroism describes mofolos work of chaka as follows. Chaka is a genuine masterpiece that represents one of the earliest major contributions of black africa to the corpus of modern world literature. Kunene concludes in his thomas mofolo and the emergence of written sesotho prose 1989. Thomas mofolo s sentence design in chaka approached in translation article pdf available in tydskrif vir letterkunde 532. Shaka the spelling favoured today is celebrated as the founder of the zulu nation and remains a figure of legendary status, so much so that south africas newest airport is named in his honour. Mofolos chaka is a text about shaka drawn from oral lore and written in sotho. This acclaimed book by thomas mofolo is available at in several formats for your ereader. Mofolos fictionalized lifestory account of chaka shaka, translated from sesotho by d. The novel tells the fictionalized and mythical story of the rise and fall of zulu emperor chaka.
Fundamental rights under the nigerian constitution, 19601965. Written in the sesotho language, his three novels are concerned with the radical. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Mofolo presents it as a study of human passion, of an uncontrolled and then uncontrollable ambition leading to the moral destruction of the character and the inevitable punishment. Mofolo depends on the oral traditionmore specifically, the traditional heroic cyclefor read more. Thomas mofolos chaka was published in 1925 by the missionary press of the. Thomas mofolo and the emergence of written sesotho prose combined with. Read chaka, by thomas mofolo online on bookmate written in sesotho in 1909 and first translated in 1931, thomas mofolos classic south african novel has formed the foundation of all modern interpr.
Chaka une epopee bantoue pdf and epub document is now genial for free and you can access, open and keep it in your desktop. Major works the traveller of the east 1907 pitseng 1910 chaka 1925 overview. University felix houphouetboigny of cocody, cote divoire. Thomas mokopu mofolo, the first important writer from what is now lesotho, who created the first westernstyle novels in the southern sotho language. Shaka the spelling favoured today is celebrated as the founder of the zulu nation and remains a figure of legendary status, so much so that. Dathorne has said, the historical chaka is only the impetus for mofolo s psychological study of the nature of repudiation. If you do not have a genuinely selfless heart, you will become corrupted by your own power. As things now stand, mofolos purpose in writing this book must of necessity, forever remain a matter of conjecture, like the great mysteries of chakas life which are beyond the peoples understanding. Entitled the definitive chaka, this essay appeared in march1976 issue of the literary journal transition. Article citation thomas mofolo, chaka, the journal of negro history 22, no. Thomas mofolo 18761948 by using a wealth of archival material, much of which is located at morija museum and archives, and interviews with a variety of elderly informants, including mofolo s last surviving daughter and other family members. Thomas mofolo s novel chaka 1925, drawn from oral lore and written in sotho by a sotho writer, is about the life and times of the founder of the zulu nation, king chaka. Chaka isbn 9780795707148 pdf epub thomas mofolo ebook. He wrote mostly in the sesotho language, but his most popular book, chaka, has been translated into english and other languages.
Thomas mofolos chaka deserves to be read both as work of great literary value and as a political statement for its time. Mofolos fictionalized lifestory account of chaka shaka begins with the future zulu kings birth followed by the unwarranted taunts and abuse he receives during childhood and adolescence. It has been translated into several languages, including english, french and german. Armah praises mofolo unsparingly for the portrait he made of his epic character chaka. Often called one of the earliest african novels, i argue that how we read chaka especially for what simon gikandi calls the novels early postcolonial style is indicative of a range of assumptions about africa and its. Lesothos thomas mofolo was one of the earliest authors from africa to make a major contribution to modern world literature. His most renowned novel, chaka, is considered a genuine masterpiece of historical realism, giving rise to a new literary genre in southern africa through its depiction of an african hero in precolonial times. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading chaka. Thomas mofolo, chaka, the journal of negro history 22, no. Southern africa and francophone africa in dialogue introduction p. It was named one of the twelve best works of african literature of the 20th century by a panel organized by ali mazrui. Published for the international institute of african languages and cultures by the oxford university press. The book examines the various military innovations made by chaka. Kunene, begins with the future zulu kings birth followed by the unwarranted taunts and abuse he receives during childhood and adolescence.
After graduating in 1898 with a teachers certificate from the missionary training college at morija in basutoland, mofolo worked at the sesuto book. Daniel kunene is in no doubt that mofolos book on chaka is decisively. Thomas mofolo 18761948 was a lesothoan writer whose historical novel chaka encouraged a vernacular literary movement in south africa. Thomas mofolos novel chaka essay 1004 words bartleby. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or. The portrayal of the powerful in thomas mofolos novel chaka 1027 words 4 pages. May 21, 20 chaka is a genuine masterpiece that represents one of the earliest major contributions of black africa to the corpus of modern world literature. Publication date 1925 topics chaka, shaka, mofolo, zulu, africa collection opensource language english. This article revisits thomas mofolos novel chaka 1925 in order to make an argument for a different historical approach to the field of african literatures. Thomas mofolo is considered the first great author of modern african literature. Thomas mokopu mofolo 22 december 1876 8 september 1948 is considered to be the greatest basotho author. Kwela books presents a new edition of chaka, thomas mofolos mythic retelling of the rise and fall of shaka chaka is the first of many works of literature that take shaka, the great zulu leader, as their subject. Written in sotho, it is a mythic retelling of the story of the rise and fall of the zulu emperorking shaka.
Chaka kindle edition by mofolo, thomas, kunene, daniel p download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Chaka is the third and final novel by basotho writer thomas mofolo. The novel chaka was written by thomas mofolo, an author from lesotho. Among the literary productions of the sotho born writer, thomas mofolo, chaka. Pdf thomas mofolos sentence design in chaka approached. Written in sesotho in 1909 though only published in 1925, it was an instant hit and quickly became mofolos most highly regarded work. This is important because it coincides with the consolidation of the four southern african colonies and the formation of the union of south african. The summaries and critiques of the works of thomas mofolo originally written in sesotho or southern sotho which are presented in this paper. The african ejournals project has digitized full text of. Thomas mofolo 18761948 by using a wealth of archival material, much of which is located at morija museum and archives, and interviews with a variety of elderly informants, including mofolos last surviving daughter and other family members. African philosophy, chaka, interconnectedness, thomas mofolo, translation. There is an admirable, stark clarity in the way mofolo presents chakas.