Abstract:
A propos the translation from Zulu to French of Mathews
Mngadi’s debut novel Asikho ndawo bakithi (We are done with,
people), the paper argues in favour of translation of literature
written in African vernacular languages, and dismisses its
perception as mere didactic literature. In post-apartheid South
Africa, its capacity of bearing witness to issues central to the life
of Black people cannot be overestimated. Asikho, among other
texts, centers on the lack of accommodation in townships for
ordinary black people and the attending miseries and purposeless
violence visited upon them as a consequence, culminating in the
destruction of entire families and the negation of the social ethos
as they find themselves at the mercy of slum lords. The author
places the blame squarely on Apartheid selfish policies, not shying away though from denouncing misguided political lines
among Black people. The strength of this testimony largely
outweighs a somewhat artificial register which still reflects the
purist norms set by the erstwhile language boards, making the
text at times a challenge for today’s readers. Translating, it is
argued, is a condition for creative writing in African languages to
proceed, and can be a trigger to innovate, so as to reach out to
the potential ‘born-free’ readership.
