African Laughter: Four Visits to Zimbabwe

The author writes about her homeland--from which she was exiled by the former all-white government--discussing political corruption, AIDS, communal living, and more

After the wars fought by black nationalists for the liberation of Rhodesia ended in 1980 and the nation of Zimbabwe came into being, Lessing was able to return to the homeland that had officially exiled her 25 years earlier because of her opposition to the white government. The distinguished novelist ( The Fifth Child , etc.) details four trips she made to Zimbabwe in 1982, 1988, 1989 and 1992 in a series of haunting vignettes dealing with facets of life there: the corruption--and achievements--of the black government, poverty, land erosion, wildlife destruction, the emergence of feminism, the death of Marxism, AIDS and the daily problems of the people as they cope with social change. Lessing's keen descriptions of the entrenched white racism demonstrated by her friends and family are as discouraging as her observations of the new mixing between the races are inspiring of hope. A powerfully written, passionately felt memoir by a writer of conscience. Author tour.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Because Lessing grew up in Zimbabwe, she has drawn upon her African experiences in many of her writings, including Going Home (1957. o.p.), the story of her return to a land still ruled by a white minority. This time, she returns to an independent Zimbabwe in 1982 to be greeted by The Monologue: white complaints about black ineptitude. Subsequent trips in 1988 and 1989 focus on black frustration with the slowness of change ("Why can't Mugabe chief of state do anything about . . . ?") as well as with corruption. A 1992 update ends the book on a somber note: economic decline, drought, and AIDS. This is quite a fascinating look at life in Zimbabwe from someone who has an intimate knowledge of the country. Af rican Laughter is highly recommended. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 6/15/92.
- Paul H. Thomas, Hoover Inst. Lib., Stanford, Cal.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.