Jack Mapanje, Of Chameleons and Gods

Fiona Johnson Chalamanda (University of Stirling)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 8.2.3: Anglophone African Writing and Culture: Subsaharan.
Vol. editors: Helen Rachel Cousins (Birmingham Newman University), David Firth (University of Manchester), Alex Nelungo Wanjala (University of Nairobi)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1981

Places

Malawi (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Poem collection
Satire

Resources

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Jack Mapanje's first collection of poems,

Of Chameleons and Gods

made a very particular impact in Malawi after its publication in 1981 because the Censorship Board recognised its implicit criticism of the autocratic regime of Hastings Kamuzu Banda, and subsequently withdrew the book from circulation, despite its international reputation. The notoriety of the poems' political gesture has often deflected from the skill and beauty of the poems as they transform elements of Malawian oral culture into syncretic literary forms. Mapanje makes particular use of the praise verse form in making ironic, understated and satiric commentary on the political situation and its supporters. This rhythmic speaking voice is apparent in the poem “When This Carnival Finally Closes”:

When this frothful

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322 words

Citation: Chalamanda, Fiona Johnson. "Of Chameleons and Gods". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 08 January 2001 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=3156, accessed 19 April 2024.]

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