Thamsanqa Moyo

Angles of Telling and Angles on Reality. Representations of the Gukurahundi Period in Selected Zimbabwean Fiction in Shona, Ndebele, and English

The perception of the Gukurahundi period (The Matabeleland disturbances in the years 1981-1987) depends largely on the way the social and ideological forces were aligned during this period. This paper argues that the fictional representations of this particular period are vexed and varied because of the concatenation of the political, ideological, ethnic and social realities of the different writers. It also posits that some of the perceptions that informed the ideological inclinations of the era arguably had some residual effect on the contemporary political scenario in the country. The contention is that the events of the eighties seemingly continue to have a lasting impression in the socio-political and economic spheres of the nation. Recent developments during elections since 2000 prove that the hegemonic imperatives in ZANU PF preponderated in the execution of the 1981-1987 Gukurahundi. This tends to retard national development, healing and cohesion.