Thesis (MA) -- University of Stellenbosch, 2004. / Examines theme and conflict in the drama Ditshwantshiso tsa Zakes Mda, which was translated into Sesotho / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study examines theme and conflict in the drama Ditshwantshiso tsa Zakes Mda, which was translated into Sesotho by M.W. Tsiu, and published by Unisa Press, in 2002 in Pretoria. This drama book has five plays. Chapter 1, introduces the aims of study, problem identification as well as the organization of study. Chapter 2, deals with literature review on theme and conflict. Chapter 3, is the analysis of theme and conflict in Se kgitlile lejwe. Chapter 4, analyses theme and conflict in Re tla binela fatshe la bontate. Chapter 5, is the analysis of theme and conflict in Mantswe a tebileng a a /la. Chapter 6, is the analysis of theme and conflict in Lera/la. Chapter 7 analysis of theme and conflict in Tsela. Chapter 8, deals with conclusion about theme and conflict in Ditshwantshiso tsa Zakes Mda. It is found that in these five plays, Zakes Mda try to make us aware about the events in the past in South Africa, a political system in which white people had power over black people and made them live separately. We learn from these plays how should we live together and happily. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie ondersoek die tema en konflik in drama boek Ditshwantshiso tsa Zakes Mda, soos dit vertaal is in Sesotho deur M.W. Tsiu, en uitgegee is deur Unisa Press, in 2002 in Pretoria. Hierdie dramaboek bevat vyf toneelstukke. Hoofstuk 1, stel die doel van die studie voor, identifiseer probleme, asook die organisasie van die studie. Hoofstuk 2, hou verband met teorlee en metodes wat in die studie gevolg word. Hoofstuk 3, ondersoek die tema en konflik in Se kgitlile lejwe. Hoofstuk 4, ondersoek die tema en konflik in Re tla binela fatshe la bontate. Hoofstuk 5, ondersoek die tema en konflik in Mantswe a tebileng a alia. Hoofstuk 6, ondersoek die tema en konflik in Leralla. Hoofstuk 7, ondersoek die tema en konflik in Tsela. Hoofstuk 8, gee die gevolgtrekking van die studie, met tema en konflik in Ditshwantshiso tsa Zakes Mda. Dit bied 'n opsomming van die belangrikste bevindinge van die studie. / Thuto ena e reretswe ho hlahloba mokotaba Ie kgohlano bukeng va lakes Mda, e leng, Ditshwantshiso tsa Zakes Mda, e fetoletsweng Sesothong ke M.W. Tsiu, mme va phatlalatswa ka selemo sa 2002, ke Unisa Press, Pitoria. Buka ena e na Ie ditshwantshiso tse hlano. Tshwantshisong ka nngwe ho tlo shebanwa Ie mokotaba, ho boelwe ho shebanwe Ie kgohlano. Kgaolo va 1, ke selelekela sa thuto ena ka bophara. Mona ho hlaha nalane va lakes Mda ha kqutshwanyane, sepheo Ie hlophiso va mosebetsi ona. Kgaolo va 2, e hlahisa diteori tse tla sebediswa ho manolla mokotaba Ie kgohlano ditshwantshisong tsena tsa lakes Mda. Kgaolo va 3, ho hlahlojwa tshwantshiso va, Se kgitlile lejwe, moo ho shejwang mokotaba Ie kgohlano. Kgaolo va 4, ho hlahlojwa tshwantshiso va, Re tla binela fatshe la bontate, moo ho shejwang mokotaba Ie kgohlano. Kgaolo va 5, ho hlahlojwa tshwantshiso va, Mantswe a tebileng a a /la, moo ho shejwang mokotaba Ie kgohlano. Kgaolo va 6, ho hlahlojwa tshwantshiso ve, Lera/la, moo ho shejwang mokotaba Ie kgohlano. Kgaolo va 7, ho hlahlojwa tshwantshiso va, Tsela, moo ho hlahlojwang mokotaba Ie kgohlano. Kgaolo va 8, ke qeto, mme ho tlo shejwa hore na mokotaba Ie kgohlano di fihletswe, mme bohlokwa ba ditaba ke ho sheba ka moo mawala a dingolwa a sebedisitsweng ka teng; tsela eo mokotaba 0 fihletsweng ka ona Ie tsela eo kgohlano e hlahang ka teng. Qeto e fihlellwang ke hore lakes Mda 0 re elelliswa ka diketsahalo tsa nakong va kgethollo, mme thuto eo re e fumanang ke va hore re tshwanetse ho phela ha mmoho Ie ka kgotso.

I shall argue in this thesis that Zakes Mda's novels Ways of Dying (l995a) and She Plays with the Darkness (1995b) are magic realist texts that are representative of the hybrid nature of this literary mode. Furthermore I shall demonstrate that Ways of Dying (l995a) and She Plays with the Darkness (1995b) share common elements with a variety of magic realist texts. Mda's own creative and literary consciousness has been shaped by an intellectual background stemming from tertiary education at Ph.D level, his teaching positions at various international universities, and his knowledge of African folk-culture. The seemingly contesting streams of Western education and African mysticism are not presented as sources of conflict in Mda's novels, but rather as syncretic forces of potential transformative power. Mda displays in his project as a novelist, the continuing concerns of black writers who saw the novel as a tool for socio-political change. My thesis therefore also investigates the extent to which Mda's use of magic realism in the novels mentioned above, signals a radical shift in literary representation by South African black writers who wrote in English. Mda's novels transcend Black Consciousness-inspired protest that characterised black literature in the 1970's and 1980's. His use of tropes associated with magic realism, African folk-culture, the apocalyptic and carnivalesque has enabled him to create a discursive space for South African black writers on the international stage, and foregrounds a movement towards literature that offers opposition to being classified as merely ''black writing". The death of the old order in South Africa and the birth of a new one, invites questioning and analysis of the position of the self during a period of cataclysmic change. That the apocalypse brings with it both death and renewal could be seen within the context of post modernist visions of the erosion of the self and death as the ultimate reality. Mda's novels, Ways of Dying (l995a) and She Plays with the Darkness (1995b), are the first English narratives by a South Afiican black author that can claim affinities with postcolonial writers such as Carpentier, Marquez, Okri and Rushdie. These writers reflect in their narratives, the infinite possibilities of magic realism in reclaiming the self submerged by the colonial experience. I shall attempt, in Chapter One, a survey of specific theoretical assumptions relevant to magic realism. Chapter Two will provide biographical details of Zakes Mda the playwright, poet, theatre practitioner, film producer and novelist and the importance of magic realism in his writings. Chapter Three is an analysis of Mda's published plays and points to the early uses of elements consistent with magic realism in his work. Chapters Four and Five are investigations into Mda's use of magic realism in Ways of Dying (1995) and She Plays with the Darkness (1995), respectively. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Durban-Westville, 1998.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Massachusetts Amherst, 2009. / Open access. Includes bibliographical references (p. 56-58).

This thesis sought to demonstrate that humour and the grotesque are the primary tools by which Mda achieve his postcolonial strategies of &quot / writing back&quot / , that is, of asserting an identity in the face of colonial pressures, apartheid and the growing selfishness of many in the new, post-democratic South African society.

This thesis analyzed Zakes Mda's The Heart of redness in the tradition of South African pastoral and counter-pastoral. It proposed that the novel is a hybrid of both African and European tradition and perspectives. It adduced Northrop Frye's theory of myth and archetypes in literature as a basis for study. It also analysed the novel in its use of irony.

This thesis sought to demonstrate that humour and the grotesque are the primary tools by which Mda achieve his postcolonial strategies of &quot / writing back&quot / , that is, of asserting an identity in the face of colonial pressures, apartheid and the growing selfishness of many in the new, post-democratic South African society.

This thesis analyzed Zakes Mda's The Heart of redness in the tradition of South African pastoral and counter-pastoral. It proposed that the novel is a hybrid of both African and European tradition and perspectives. It adduced Northrop Frye's theory of myth and archetypes in literature as a basis for study. It also analysed the novel in its use of irony.

Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2004. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis analyses Zakes Mda’s The Madonna of Excelsior from three different points of view, namely post-colonial, feminist and satirical. The latter constitutes the main interpretation of the novel and serves as a link with the other two discourses – the key argument being that satire is not a solipsistic form of art, and thus a satirical text should not be considered on its own, but should rather be interpreted in conjunction with other cultural discourses. This thesis is of the opinion that one needs all three of the named viewpoints in order to fully comprehend and appreciate the depth of Mda’s satire and his comments on South African society. His novel contains several candid comments on the political situation of South Africa in both the apartheid and the democratic eras, and his tongue-in-cheek observations force the reader to consider his novel from a political and a satirical angle. As apartheid is a form of colonialism and South Africa carries several scars from colonial times (such as diasporic conditions and multi-cultural identity crises, to name a few of those discussed), this thesis analyses Mda’s political commentary in terms of post-colonial discourse. Due to Mda’s use of female protagonists, this thesis also considers a feminist interpretation as necessary for a better understanding of the novel: through the use of feminist discourse, the violence that is committed against some of the female characters in the novel is interpreted as a way of enforcing colonial power relations. Chapters two, three and four respectively each discuss one of these interpretations: post-colonial, feminist and satirical, whilst chapter one is devoted to defining the art of satire. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie tesis analiseer Zakes Mda se The Madonna of Excelsior vanuit drie verskillende oogpunte, naamlik die postkoloniale, feministiese and satiriese. Laasgenoemde konstitueer die hoofinterpretasie van die teks, en vorm ook ‘n skakel met die ander twee diskoerse. Die hoofargument van die tesis is dat satire nie ‘n kunsvorm is wat alleen bestaan nie, en dus behoort ‘n mens nie ‘n satiriese teks in isolasie te oordink nie, maar so ‘n teks moet geïnterpreteer word in verbinding met ander diskoerse. Hierdie tesis glo dat al drie van die genoemde oogpunte noodsaaklik is om Mda se satiriese kommentaar en aanmerkings oor die Suid-Afrikaanse gemeenskap werklik te verstaan en waardeer. Daar is etlike openhartige aanmerkings in die teks wat die politiese situasie van Suid-Afrika in beide die apartheid en die demokratiese eras aanspreek, en Mda se skertsende kommentaar dwing die leser om die teks te oordink van ‘n politiese, asook ‘n satiriese, gesigspunt. Aangesien apartheid ‘n vorm van kolonialisme is, en Suid-Afrika verskeie littekens van koloniale tye dra (soos disporas en multi-kulturele krisisse, om maar ‘n paar te noem), analiseer hierdie tesis Mda se politiese aanmerkings in terme van ‘n postkoloniale interpretasie. Mda se gebruik van vroulike hoofkarakters veroorsaak dat hierdie tesis ook a feministiese interpretasie benuttig vir ‘n betere begrip van die teks: deur die gebruik van ‘n feministiese diskoers kan ‘n mens die geweld wat teen sommige van die vroulike karakters gepleeg word sien as ‘n manier om koloniale magsverhoudinge af te dwing. Hoofstukke twee, drie en vier bespreek elk een van hierdie oogpunte: postkoloniaal, feminisme en satiere, terwyl hoofstuk een die satiriese kuns probeer definieer.

Magister Artium - MA / This thesis sought to demonstrate that humour and the grotesque are the primary tools by which Mda achieve his postcolonial strategies of "writing back" that is, of asserting an identity in the face of colonial pressures, apartheid and the growing selfishness of many in the new, post-democratic South African society. / South Africa

Thesis (DLitt (English))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / The dissertation focuses on literary representation of female characters in selected novels by three particular South African writers working within the transitional phase (from the formal ending of apartheid up to the present) of South African history. By means of textual analysis, the study investigates how the representation of numerous female characters in these texts reflects on and reflects the sector of South African society that forms the social setting of each text. This thesis explores the portrayal of female characters in selected fictional works by examining the ways in which the novelists Mandla Langa, Zakes Mda (both of them black and male writers) and Nadine Gordimer (a white and female novelist) characterise women in novels depicting this adapting society. In scrutinising these texts of the transition period, the thesis writer employs detailed individual delineation of female characters, to some extent by means of a comparative approach, with emphasis on parallels between as well as differences among the abovementioned authors’ ways of describing South African women’s circumstances and responses to their social predicaments. In this study literary representations of women are examined in order to evaluate the effects of social and cultural transformation in post-apartheid South Africa. This is done by analysing these authors’ portrayals of women’s circumstances both in the private and public spheres. The thesis therefore contributes to the movement towards a greater recognition of women’s crucial, catalytic function in the achievement of social development and delineates these authors’ expressed awareness of many women’s actual direct involvement in the struggle against all forms of discrimination in society. This research project has been undertaken as an opportunity to investigate the different qualities and types of conduct attributed to female characters in ten selected novels of the transition, on the assumption that the texts reflect something of the way women are perceived and are playing new roles in a changing society. In studying how three significant ‘post-apartheid’ authors depict women affecting and affected by the social conditions of this period, the thesis traces the way the focus of more recent South African writing has shifted from an apartheid-era preoccupation with racial-political issues towards the depiction of private and public, rural and urban social and gender roles available to some contemporary South African women – and of those factors still constraining some other women. Taking in these authors’ portrayals of female political activism and leadership, the thesis also balances previous preoccupation (in South African English literature) with depictions of male political activity.