Ualalapi
Encyclopedia
Ungulani Ba Ka Khosa
(also spelled as Ungulani ba ka Khosa) is a Mozambican
writer. He published two books: the novel
Ualalapi in 1987 (it won the Grand Prize of Mozambican Fiction in 1990) and a collection of short stories Orgy of the Deranged in 1990. He is almost finished with his next work The Kingdom of the Vultures.
Ualalapi is the name of a warrior nguni
who is destined to kill Mafemane, brother of Mudungazi (later called Ngungunhane). This fictional story, a collection of six loosely related episodes, describes the life of hosi (king
, emperor
, in the Tsonga language
) Ngungunhane, celebrity of the resistance to the Portuguese
at the end of nineteenth century. Ualalapi´s telling of the story creates an epic ambience, however, an oral tradition describes the emperor as a tyrant rather than a hero. The author tracks his rise to power over his murdered rivals and his eventual decline. The story is a disguised warning against tyranny. The rough and aggressive personality of the character is radically contrasted with his son Manua, who is passive and pro-Occidental. This opposition will display the conflict of the identity in transition to colonial rule. The violent drive in Ngungunhane’s motivations depicts him as suffering from an incontrollable fear of losing power. This seems to be a metaphor of historical interpretation when considering colonial motivations.
The book is not yet translated to English. It is available only in Portuguese. In 2002, Ualalapi was announced by a panel of judges in Accra
, Ghana
as one of Africa's 100 best books of the twentieth century.
Ungulani Ba Ka Khosa
Francisco Esaú Cossa is a Mozambican writer born August 1, 1957, in Inhaminga, Sofala Province....
(also spelled as Ungulani ba ka Khosa) is a Mozambican
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
writer. He published two books: the novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
Ualalapi in 1987 (it won the Grand Prize of Mozambican Fiction in 1990) and a collection of short stories Orgy of the Deranged in 1990. He is almost finished with his next work The Kingdom of the Vultures.
Ualalapi is the name of a warrior nguni
Nguni
The Nguni languages are a group of Bantu languages spoken in southern Africa by the Nguni people. Nguni languages include Xhosa, Zulu, Swati, Hlubi, Phuthi and Ndebele . The appellation "Nguni" derives from the Nguni cattle type...
who is destined to kill Mafemane, brother of Mudungazi (later called Ngungunhane). This fictional story, a collection of six loosely related episodes, describes the life of hosi (king
King
- Centers of population :* King, Ontario, CanadaIn USA:* King, Indiana* King, North Carolina* King, Lincoln County, Wisconsin* King, Waupaca County, Wisconsin* King County, Washington- Moving-image works :Television:...
, emperor
Emperor
An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...
, in the Tsonga language
Tsonga language
The Tsonga or Xitsonga language is spoken in southern Africa by the Tsonga people, also known as the Shangaan.- Classification :Tsonga belongs to the Bantu branch of the Niger–Congo languages...
) Ngungunhane, celebrity of the resistance to the Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
at the end of nineteenth century. Ualalapi´s telling of the story creates an epic ambience, however, an oral tradition describes the emperor as a tyrant rather than a hero. The author tracks his rise to power over his murdered rivals and his eventual decline. The story is a disguised warning against tyranny. The rough and aggressive personality of the character is radically contrasted with his son Manua, who is passive and pro-Occidental. This opposition will display the conflict of the identity in transition to colonial rule. The violent drive in Ngungunhane’s motivations depicts him as suffering from an incontrollable fear of losing power. This seems to be a metaphor of historical interpretation when considering colonial motivations.
The book is not yet translated to English. It is available only in Portuguese. In 2002, Ualalapi was announced by a panel of judges in Accra
Accra
Accra is the capital and largest city of Ghana, with an urban population of 1,658,937 according to the 2000 census. Accra is also the capital of the Greater Accra Region and of the Accra Metropolitan District, with which it is coterminous...
, Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
as one of Africa's 100 best books of the twentieth century.