Success favours the Undaunted - Book review

Book Title: Undaunted
Authour: Tafadzwa Mahachi
Edited: Philip Chidavaenzi
Published: Royalty Books

When your break-through is blurred by insurmountable mountains of socio-political challenges and thorny bushes of hurdles of hopelessness, remember nothing is achieved by giving up or wailing to the blue sky. Undaunted is a must read and a must have book for it draws a vivid narrative of tribalism, politics, poverty, hypocricy, love, hate, passion for identity amongst other social African pertinent themes.

Tafadzwa Mahachi, a Kadoma Arts Merit Award author, a clergyman and an educator, pens down a classic contemprary African fiction that depicts a lonely life of a peasant Tumbuka boy, Peter Ntini, who grew up in the village in Machingo with his Chewa uncles from his mother's side. A true love story of defied tribal odds resulted in the birth of Peter who had to equally defy the same fair share of tribal persecution to scail through the barricades of Malawian poverty.

The book is set in a post-colonial Malawi with the plot of the story starting on an exhilarating suspense note, where Peter Ntini the main character endures a menacing and a bumpy journey fit for parents finding expedition. Peter got himself into an adventure, braving through insurmountable feats to the fast Lilongwe City life.

In a country reeling in poverty and wearing out by tribalism, Peter a "... product of a forced fumble..." meets his protagonist, Yamikani. In Lilongwe, a conspiracy is underway to topple President Bwanali, a radical tribalist waging a covert war against the Tumbukas. In his pursuant to establish his father's death saga, he got more knitted into tribal drama that characterised the political setting of the country.
After enduring a rolla-coster of life and survival, Ntini graduated with a law degree, thanx to his fathers brother who invested his all for his brother's son. "He wanted Peter to realise the life that his father had failed to..."
Furthermore, unlike a wide general view of fortunate uncles who educate their brother's children as an investment for future returns. Peter's uncle is potrayed as perculiar, one in a million loving relative who sees through generations and generations in his golden hand extention. "... he wanted Peter to be the Tumbuka that would lead the emancipation of other Tumbukas..."
In a turn of tables when Peter subsequently assumes the secretary general post of the Tumbuka outfit, the National Alliance, he eventually got a direct encounter with the president after Yamikani's plot to capture the President was blown out.

Mahachi leaves the reader to feast into a calabash of suspense and imagination. After Peter and Yamikani were captured for suspected treason charges, not only did they realise that the President was a Tumbuka in guise but also his father. Only a swam of food for thoughts sting readers' heart as one wonders how and what transpired during period post the reunion.

During a period of pain and suffering induced by the novel Corona Virus, Tafadzwa Mahachi gives out a book which does nothing but invokes ones imagination to trip further than any essential under lockdown. The 2018 Kadoma Arts Merit Award author of the year, dishes out a classic African contemporary fiction, packed within a 93 long paged novel.

With the Novel Corona Virus cases surging into unprecedented levels, the Government of Zimbabwe has notched up its counter-measures putting its citizens under one month long lockdown, engulfing the whole of January. Moments spent perusing the pages of this book are unregreatable as the novel is tucked in with vivid imagery and well articulated narrative that kindles the dormant reading verve.

The book is well laid up in day to day metaphors and educative literary conotations that may earn itself as a High school set book. If not, it will surely set alight the heels of your doubt with undaunting eagerness to sour for greatness regardless of your situation.