The literary history of isiNdebele of Zimbabwe

Abstract

This paper gives a brief account of Zimbabwean literature written in isiNdebele. It tries to cover the major themes that have been written about since the publication of the first isiNdebele novel in 1956 to the last one in 2001. The paper gives the major concerns of the writers and distinguishes the writers who are able to critique both the social and political issues. It also identifies the colonial and post-colonial writers who merely mimic what the state wants. It concludes by stressing that literary art should help societies to understand the complexities of life and that isiNdebele literature has not yet achieved that.