Reviews for The Rape of Shavi

The average rating for The Rape of Shavi based on 2 reviews is 2.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2019-03-23 00:00:00 James Orr Some well-crafted texts can convey the gravity of several themes depending on the reading one approaches it with. Unfortunately, The Rape of Shavi is not such a text. There is much going on here with different themes: colonialism, tradition vs. modernity, slavery, racism, feminism, that the short novel reads more like an incomplete treatise of various superimposed ideas at the behest of the genre that it is supposed to be'a literary work of fiction. The constant shift in ideas and themes coupled with the omniscient point of view is like being at a party listening in on all the attendees' conversations simultaneously. It is a cacophony. What suffers even further from this overwhelming approach is characterization. There are many characters that one could pick and invest in, but the depth is lacking because the focus is not to empathize at the micro level of a character, but only at the macro, that of the Shavians. Sadly, in literary fiction, I do not see how that can possibly happen, i.e. sympathizing with the overall plight'in this case, a tribe'if I cannot care for any one of the individuals of that tribe. Emecheta tried too hard to wallop the themes in both a constrained setting and a limited number of pages. Shavi, her fictional African locale, somewhere near the Sahara, is stereotypical of a Eurocentric view of an African tribe, a typical caricature no different than was depicted in the movie King Solomon's Mines (1985) starring Richard Chamberlain and Sharon Stone. One would expect more nuanced details adopted from any or multiple African tribal cultures to seep in and add weight to the authenticity of her African depiction. Lacking this, we are left with an oversimplified tribe that is in awe of the white mans 'fiery bird' (plane). And the reason for this choice: to portray an isolated African culture that will be raped. "But Ista, where is this? It's a desert, but which desert?" "I think we must be somewhere in Africa. Judging from what we've seen, the people are content, work hard and enjoy it…" Just as if they had heard what she was saying, three women came in with Ayoko. They gave the two gaping white women long grasses tied together for sweeping. Amid a lot of giggles, they tied a head cloth on Andria and Ista and showed them how to sweep. "I think I'm beginning to guess. We're being turned into white slaves," Andria said between clenched teeth. This is a lame perspective (not to mention clichéd writing), where Ista and Andria are supposed to be highly educated, emancipated women yet simply speculate about Africa and resort to a fit of giggles. The women, both the Europeans and the Africans, are depicted as morons despite the narrative telling us otherwise. This contradiction between what is told and what is shown results in a jarring dissonance. The real weakness in this novel is the dialogue. The propellant for a scene-based novel is abused to no end with flat characters and clichéd writing that can only end up with dull utterances. "Now I know we're in Africa," Ronje said. "Because of the drums?" Mendoza asked. "Yes. If you want to kill an African culturally, take away his drum." They all laughed. Whether this novel was intended for an African audience or for a European, it fails either way. For the African, stereotyping the Europeans into clichéd characters and reinforcing how Europeans view them (as such: clichéd Africans) is unhelpful. It is only enhancing the negativities without really explaining why these misconceptions exist, or even, as a novel can easily do, throw in the catalyst of change. Again, the reason for this failure is that Emecheta focuses on her themes rather than any one character who would undergo a transformation in the span of the novel. As for the Europeans, stereotyping the Africans is a lost opportunity to show us the richness of cultural difference and the success of a tribal community, instead, we are left with a caricature of Africanness as seen by a 'white' man. Of all the themes crammed up here, the ones that Emecheta returns to most frequently are feminism and tradition. Whenever we witness a scene without the white 'guests,' we get a better glimpse of the tribe, but it is hard to put any stock in it because it is a highly fictionalized account, as the tribe is a made-up one. And when the whites are around, everything is downplayed as ridiculous or primitive. One could argue that this is logical since we have two opposing views of what constitutes modernity, and technology (fiery bird) is used as a standard of measure to this effect so that clearly the whites are more advanced. Emecheta uses the birth of a baby by a Shavian to demonstrate her point, where Ista (the doctor) thinks the Shavian needs a cesarean section and is trying to convince the women of it. But unable to communicate in each other's languages, they see her flailing arms and panicked face as a woman who wants a baby of her own and is probably past her time, so they think she's jealous and they feel sorry for her. Suffice it to say, the baby is born healthy and in a different manner than Ista is familiar with. The point being, she fails to realize that this culture has survived and prospered before the white man came with their medicine and what not to rape the African continent of its resources. "Well look for yourself. He's suckling as thirstily as if he'd just arrived from a cattle farm." "I wouldn't know. I haven't got a man who goes to cattle farms." Ista's voice was sharp. Andria stretched out her hand and took Ista's. "I'm sorry. I know how you must be feeling. I don't like it here very much, but sometimes when you're privileged to watch scenes like this, you wonder whether our complicated life is not all our own making." Probably one of the few intelligent utterances that has a strong impact and clear message, only to immediately be ruined again by the shallowness of the characters: Ista stopped and looked directly into Andria's brown eyes. "Would you like a birth like this for the baby you're now carrying?" "I don't know. I wouldn't mind, though not on such a dirty floor. It's beautiful to watch." Overall, this novel fails drastically in what it sets out to achieve. I have barely scratched the surface here. I have not even discussed the men, the rape of an innocent girl, the racism and reverse racism, genital mutilation, the exploitation… Imagine a whole bunch of characters, two handfuls of themes, a lack of a specific perspective, and only 180 pages'an experienced reader would know what I mean.

Review # 2 was written on 2008-10-12 00:00:00 Thomas Barnes Great book on how "white men" are taken in with open arms only to abuse, contaminate, and take everything from the trusting natives.