Published in the Heinemann African Writers Series, these stories are set in traditional villages in Botswana, South African-born Bessie Head’s adopted home, and they introduced me to one of the most important African writers of the 20th century.
A theme common to many of the stories is the position of women in 1960s Africa: relegated to an inferior status, abused and suffering, and struggling to raise children in poverty, but also displaying extraordinary resilience, courage, selflessness, resourcefulness and strength. They are subjected to double colonisation – by the authorities, whether white colonial or tribal, and by the behaviour and attitudes of men.
Change is also a key, and related, theme: from colonial rule to independence and how this change affects society and especially the place of women. The change causes conflict, not just between characters but within characters; the struggle is frequently between powerful, repressive forces and equally powerful drives caused by desire and refusal. Both The Deep River and Life show patriarchal society’s intense bias against women, as does Kgotla (meaning the village court), where the village elders, who judge the cases, are all men.
The title story, the collection’s best and most poignant, concerns the subjugation of women within marriage and shows Head at her most forthright in her criticism of men. She reflects on the subhuman status of married women from pre-colonial through to postcolonial times. The “treasures” the heroic protagonist lovingly collects and cherishes are the little acts of kindness and understanding she experiences.
Further perspectives on marriage are provided by Snapshots of a Wedding and The Special One, especially as polygamy is permissible for men, which women must accept and remain obedient to their husbands. These and other stories make clear that female identity and individuality are stifled and attempts to assert them can prove fatal to the women.
Written in a sometimes satirical, sometimes humorous tone, these well-crafted stories skilfully weave aspects of oral tradition with many local interviews and conversations the author conducted, as well as elements from her own life story.
