BOOK REVIEW: AROLA - A Journey Into Ten Ancient African Civilizations by Zakes Mda

Everyone who is passionate about Africa has a wish for the continent to be restored to its ancient glory and be portrayed in a positive light it so deserves. The argument that Africa had no history because its history began with writing and thus with the arrival of the Europeans in our shores is malicious.

A book cover. Pic from Zakes Mda's Facebook page

Furthermore, in the late 1800s,  European colonizers propagated the notion of Africa as a 'black continent' and colonialism was celebrated as a civilizing mission carried out by the European missionaries, traders and administrators - all these are but false notions that need to be corrected. What made matters worse for African civilization by Africans was the Berlin Conference convened by first the Berlin chancellor Otto von Bismarck in 1884-85 where Africa was effectively formalised into scrambled pieces. Remembering this conference, Patrick Gathara, award-winning political cartoonist based in Nairobi observed: "It established the rules for the conquest and partition of Africa, in the process legitimising the ideas of Africa as a playground for outsiders, its mineral wealth as a resource for the outside world not for Africans and its fate as a matter not to be left to Africans."

In his latest offering in a form of middle age and young adults' book, AROLA – A journey into 10 ancient African Civilization, Professor Zanemvula Kizito Gatsheni Mda popularly known as Zakes Mda, focuses on African history, African civilization and Africa’s contribution to humanity and spirituality.

The book traces a journey across all different African civilisations, and through Mda’s fictional character called Arola, who uses the ‘time-machine’ of her imagination to go back to the past and visits the various civilisations. We are introduced from onset, to a brilliant girl whose father Ntate Phayi calls 'Nubian Princess'. She is puzzled by the coinage 'Nubian Princess' to which Ntate Phayi explains: "It's what people call brilliant, sweet, dark-complectioned little girls like you." Still curiously dissatisfied with the explanation, she was assured that it is a term of endearment.

From the first page, the reader is hooked for various reasons including that of great resonance on the curiousity of a child and how relatable are the black parents Ntate Phayi and Mme Lolo. The book's target is middle grade pupils but it should appeal to a wider audience. Arola is a clever girl who makes the journey in the book incredibly remarkable, memorable and infomartive. Her insatiable curiosity is rewarded by her father on a first trip outside the country. Her father took a study holiday and traveled with Mme Lolo and Arola to OR Tambo International Airport through a taxi enroute to Khartoum in Sudan.

There’s a tremendous amount of tales folded into these few pages, and all is good. It’s been a while since I’ve been so instantly engrossed in historical fiction story. Although this story is very focused on Arola and her parents, there’s a good spread of characters who spring to new life in varied context. 

This fictional story relies on thoroughly researched historical facts with accurate dates and ancient artistic expressions from sculpture to epic, from painting to architecture, from slaves to masters, from queens and kings and the rise and fall of kingdoms. This book could be the beginning effort in decolonizing our education systems in Africa. The power of imagination that Arola the little girl is profound. 

The ten ancient African civilizations starts with The Kingdom of Kush and The Nubian Pharaohs all the way to the Benin Empire. On her quest for knowledge, Arola meets most noblest of individuals of the royal lineage and the most lowest members of the society. The time-machine transports her thousands of years ago to learn how our ancestors lived. The stories she is told along her journey restores the greatness of African black child. Mda  brings a classic storytelling presentation with exceptionally clean language usage, detailed backgrounds and highly expressive characters. 

This literary rich book is resplendent of amazing illustrations of paintings by Neo Mda (Professor Zakes Mda's son) and splendiferously entertaining cartoons by Zenzi Mda (his daughter). The work done here by Neo and Zenzi is significant to the story of Arola not only because it makes the reader to see children's literature in a whole new way but it further nudges us to appreciate art in its truest forms. They both did an excellent job visualizing the world of the tale. Their attention to characters expressions and form are emotionally connective. As is their colorful work renderings. The tone of each scene is perfectly captured, and I felt completely transported throughout the book.

As the call for repatriation of the looted African heritage continues, I conclude with a assertion by Zephania Lekoama Mothopeng when he said "Africans had no illusions that the claim of the right of self-determination was to be achieved under African nationalism." A book like this contributes immensely Africa's self-determination.

AROLA is available in participating local bookstores. It is a profound and insightful read everyone must buy.