Zenzele: A Letter for my daughter by J. Nozipo Maraire

Zenzele: A Letter for My Daughter by J. Nozipo Maraire

A middle-class Zimbabwean girl is setting out for her undergraduate education at Harvard University in the USA. Traditionally when a child is traveling, tales of wisdom are shared with her in order to prepare her for the new life but in this case Zenzele’s mother, who has never been to America, decides to strengthen her daughter’s footing in the world but empowering her with tales of her background, tradition and culture. The mother does this in form of letters. She talks of her own courtship with her husband, her relationship with her mother in-law, the role of the Lobola ceremony when one is getting married. In the process she tackles some of Africa’s traditions, tells them with an authentic African woman’s voice which in turn brings dignity to the traditions. The author finds a delicate balance between a young woman’s yearning for life and experiences beyond her native Zimbabwe without trivializing the offerings and richness of her homeland. In the story of Mukoma Bryon, we see the other side of immigration gone sour, sadly, a very common occurance where an individual decides to disassociate with their culture and language returning to Africa as a caricature of themselves. This is a story of every young lady who has left her homeland in search of greener pastures. The home can be Mongolia, Alabama, Ireland, Tanzania or Zimbabwe. It’s a must have for every family library and truly ensures that the cord between mother and daughter truly remains uncut.

J. Nozipo Maraire wrote her debut novel while she was finishing her neurology residency at Yale. We stand in awe of her work, and we are impatiently looking forward to more of her work.