Marechera: Meaning in the Shadows

Abstract

In his book, Nationalism and African Intellectuals, Toyin Falola poses the fundamental question of "How can Africa uplift itself?" in the wake of decolonization. This question of how Africa should proceed from colonization is one of the last ideological dilemmas of the modern world. Dambudzo Marechera, an African author of fiction and arguably Zimbabwe's most important creative writer of the 20th century, attempted to solve the challenge.1 This paper will contextualize his life within the larger history of Zimbabwe surrounding the governments of Ian Smith and Robert Mugabe, and show how his experiences manifested into a political philosophy that blended pacifism and individuality in favor of collective or nationalist identity