I just finished reading Mukiwa: A White Boy in Africa, by Peter Godwin. It’s the story of a young man growing up in Southern Africa–Rhodesia, to be specific–from the 1960s to the 1980s.
The book begins with Rhodesia’s Unilateral Declaration of Independence from Britain. Britain had announced that its African colonies would not be granted freedom until the minority white governments had been replaced by governments in which the majority of the population were allowed to participate. Rather than accept such a change, Ian Smith, the Rhodesian prime minster, thumbed his nose and declared independence. This was followed by years of sanctions that crippled the nation’s economy, and increasing unrest and outright war that developed between white government forces and the various tribal militias. Finally, in 1979, white minority rule came to an end, and the country was renamed Zimbabwe Rhodesia, later shortened to Zimbabwe.
Peter Godwin grew up during all of this, and upon graduating from secondary school was conscripted into the Rhodesian army. A journalist who was a foreign correspondent for the Sunday Times, Godwin has a writing style that is clear and easy to read. Although the book necessarily includes some description of the political and economic situation, these appear mainly as a backdrop. The book is not a political statement, it is a memoir: one man’s reactions to a turbulent time.
I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the history of Southern Africa. I’m looking forward to reading When A Crocodile Eats the Sun, based on the author’s experiences when he returned to Zimbabwe in 1996.
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