The Mad by Ignatius T. Mabasa, translated by J. Tsitsi Mutiti

'I tried to pick up my jacket and missed it as I stumbled. I tried to laugh at myself but what I was feeling led to self-pity. The hunger was now a real pain, like a hot brick in my belly. I decided to go to the bins, where I had often seen people in search of food. Shyness is a luxury for the well feed, not for those who feel the way I was feeling. ' Page 27

The Mad is a novel by Ignatius T. Mabasa, translated by J. Tsitsi Mutiti and first published in 1999 in ChiShona as Mapenzi. I have read translated books that lose the essence of the original text by using a direct translation approach. While effective in its own way, as a reader, I am captivated by translations that capture the moments and mood in a manner almost as similar to the original text. A heated conversation arose at the 2nd Edition of the Harare Open Book Festival, where I was moderating a discussion with Tsitsi Nomsa Ngwenya about translating works written in our mother tongues, the extent to which meaning is lost in translation, and the very act of translation: what purpose does it serve? (a conversation for another day) I commend Mutiti for boldly translating this Zimbabwean classic. Her admirable work begins with the title, ‘the mad’, because 'mapenzi' can be translated in different ways; this title applies to the city, its things, and its people, making it all-encompassing.  From the University of Zimbabwe to Seke Unit D, these characters will have you wondering if it is true that the more things change, the more they remain the same.

The novel tackles themes like the liberation struggle, postwar trauma, culture, identity, family dynamics, HIV/AIDS, sexual violence, and substance abuse in a web of chaos. The novel begins with the winding rant by Hamundigoni, the main character. It’s easy to dislike Hamundingoni, a war veteran and former teacher who refuses to accept the assertion that he has lost his mind. 'No one likes a profound thinker who speaks his mind. That's me, wide awake and always on the ball. I'm a genius but they call me mad. Do they even recognise madness when they see it? Amai, do you know madness?’- page 5. He is crude and annoying to a great extent, yet I found some empathy for him. This is the case with most of the characters linked to Hamundigoni, whose actions evoke frustration.  Closely connected to the post-independence disappointment is the trauma of war, which Hamundigoni marries in his periodic rants. Mabasa's humour is as strong as the sarcasm, which makes the blow of reality manageable to swallow. Mabasa’s comedic relief is clever, sneaking up on the reader in the fashion of a crow attentively preying on oblivious chicks and catching them at a perfectly calculated time.

The Mad is a commentary on Zimbabwean society, where racism, homophobia, and sexism are rife at the time of the novel. The book comes with a warning that alerts the reader to expect characters who reflect the society of the time. One of the things that this book asks the reader to interrogate is whether it's possible for us to be alright in a society filled with so much decay, disappointment and pain. One connects with these characters as they navigate life in an evolving society and realise that we are all on the brink of losing it somehow. Repression was the order of the day at the time this book was written. People who often speak their minds are seldom applauded unless their voices conform to the established norms, but is this the case for Hamundigoni as he alleges?

There are many strong characters in this novel, but alongside Hamundigoni, in the fashion of African folklore, Harare, the dog, is an indispensable character (Mabasa is a notable sarungano). This dog (formerly known as Salisbury before being renamed to ‘go with the times’) is given to Mai Jazz by her white employer, who, upon having to leave Zimbabwe to return to her home in Britain, can't travel with it. The employer gives this dog to Mai Jazz out of constraints. Harare is a key site in the novel, and as I read this, I couldn't help but draw parallels between Harare the dog and Harare the city. The allegory is sharp and impossible to miss. The characters curse Harare for what it has done to them, the city where people go to take on new characters (or their most authentic selves?) and shift their culture. Yet their intersections reveal that Harare is what it is because of its people, which leads us back to the title.

The novel beautifully intertwines the music produced by the singers, who have come to be regarded as legends in Zimbabwe, with the art of storytelling. Music and books meet at the well of storytelling, where people can draw what they require. In this text, Mabasa fuses the two; you can tell a great deal about people from their music over the years, as it also captures the language of the day. Mabasa effectively mirrors the tone of the time. I enjoyed reading this story once again, and the translation was well done. I highly recommend!

---

Book Details

Title: The Mad   

Genre: Fiction

Author: Ignatius T. Mabasa, J. Tsitsi Mutiti

Publisher: Carnelian Heart Publishing, amaBooks Publishers (2025)

Pages: 244