WHY MS. MAHLANGU IS A PURE PAIN AND AN UNSUNG
HEROINE
-
Ndaba Sibanda
(Zimbabwe)
With her furious, feisty and fruitful pen,
she brought global fame
and vigorous discussions
and debates to a number of crucial issues –
as well as the critical
questions of land disparities and discrimination
and of independence at a
time when such themes were tough to explore.
With such a firm and
fabulous oeuvre, Ms. Mahlangu is a lovely living legend—
or rather she should be
celebrated as such. Her pen is still emitting and igniting.
A former ZAPU freedom
fighter, she is disgruntled over the state of affairs,
Over the prized assets of
her party that were seized and the Gukurahundi issue.
How she is not a heroine
today in the eyes of the felons, cons and lousy lackeys
is not difficult to see.
Her plays and poetry tell stories of betrayal and brutality,
of starved and ignored
orphans, disheveled buildings, rutted roads and shams.
She broaches key issues
and themes of development and justice without favor.
This has not endeared her
to those who are anti-progress, peace and equality.
Old and frail, she has
been labeled an unpatriotic irritant after penning a play
titled: Unfulfilled
Promises And Shattered Dreams. Her play casts new light
on corruption, elitism and
clannism. Its special lens and refrains can be utilized
to add nuance to
multifaceted political issues and the state of the economy.
****