Narration Modes in Extrafictional Texts

Every published text provides its readers with access to the extra fictional voice. This fictional voice is responsible for the very existence of the fictional world, the characters, their names and personalities and the organization of the plot (Lanser,1981:123). Since readers encounter the extrafictional texts before the fiction itself, textual expectations including expectations about point of view are first set up by the extra fictional voice. This voice is realized through the text‟s title, through whatever information is provided about the text‟s genre, purpose, and mode, and through the

50 The Times, Monday, Jan 13, 1964; pg. 8; Issue 55907; Column A

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author‟s name (Lanser, 1981:124). Each aspect of the extra fictional text plays a role in in the vocalization and focalization of the narrated story. For instance, the title can be used to indicate an ideological position or to bring a certain character or event to the foreground. Emphasizing the importance of the extraficitional features Lanser asserts:

“A comprehensive poetics of point of view properly begins at the extra fictional level of textual structure, a level traditionally overlooked in the analysis of narrative (Lasser, 1981: 127,129).

The study examined extrafictional features to understand the narration and focalization generational conflicts in the selected novels. Some of the extrafictional aspects examined include: titles, authors‟ names and images captured on the covers of the novels. The analysis reveals that extra-fictional texts such as the title of the novel or even the image(s) on the cover of the novel reveal the implied author‟s stance on the narrated story. For instance, a struggle is implied in the title „Kufa Kuzikana‟ (literally dying and burying each other). In Kiswahili, this saying connotes a determination by friends to stay together at whatever cost. Akida and Tim are determined to remain friends in spite of the pressure from their parents to put them asunder. The title and the image two young men not only vocalize and focalize the implied author‟s stance but also orient the reading of the generational conflicts captured in the novel. The same observation could be applies to Vuta n‟kuvute, Kipimo cha Mizani and Tumaini.

The title Vuta n‟kuvute and the image of a man being pulled by a woman to get on the boat suggest the inter-generational conflict on racial prejudice and political ideology. The image of the woman could represent Yasmin from the Indian community who associates with the African men. The title also suggests a tug of war between the younger characters and the older ones. The conflict is over cultural practices that deny women the freedom of association. In the novel, Yasmin is castigated by her community for associating with Africans.

Furthermore, in Vuta n‟kuvute, we see how racial discrimination sparks the conflict between Yasmin and her parents on one hand and Bukheti and his uncle on the other hand. Based, on the context in which the story in Vuta n‟kuvute is depicted, we can deduce a political message in the conflict. It is a call for all the citizens of Zanzibar to arise and fight in unity their common enemy; the oppressive government of the day. Subsequently the title, Vuta n‟kuvute suggests that social stability and political structures go hand in hand. Moreover, unity

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between men and women from different cultural backgrounds for a common cause is crucial as demonstrated by the young characters in the novel. Rather than people pushing each other, citizens should pull together in one direction. The author can thus be credited for his artistic presentation of the inter-generational conflict that is both cultural and political in nature.

Apparently, female authors captured in this study are more inclined towards conflicts centred on family and gender relationships. Both Zainab and Clara portray patriarchy as an oppressive system against the female folk. This point is insinuated in the titles and the images on the front covers of their novels. The title, Kipimo cha Mizani and the accompanying images are quite telling. The image of a weighing scale on the right hand side (kuumeni)⁵¹ showing an „overflowing‟ scale filled with men with others still trying to get on board is satirical. Inspite the fact that it is overflowing with the male folk it is outweighed by the left hand side (kuukeni) scale with fewer people whose gender is unclear. There is yet another image of a man outside the left hand side of the scale just watching while in the middle there is a bigger image of a woman.

All these extra-fictional texts indicate that gender politics are at play in the generational conflicts captured in the novel. The bigger image of the woman could stand for the implied female author subverting the patriarchal social structure in the depicted community. In the novel, Halima suffers after the demise of her husband. Umar, her brother in-law takes advantage of Halima‟s loss of „security‟ to deny her the custody of her children. Apparently, marriage is the only way through which a woman can be secure socially and economically in this patriarchal society. The the intra-generational conflict between Halima and her in-laws on the custody of Amin‟s children is embedded in the conflict between Dr Juma and Salama.

Indeed, the conflict between Dr Juma and Salama is multifaceted. It is an inter-generational conflict on professional ethics, mutual respect and on gender roles and relations. The manner in which the dispute between Dr Juma and Salama is resolved seems to reflect the social-cultural background of the author. Coming from a Muslim and patriarchal systems in Eeast Africa, Zainab Burhani portrays a male-dominated panel that presides over the case.

Moreover, the male doctor is not out rightly reprimanded although he has professionally errored (KCM.184).

51 In Kiswahili, kuumeni literally translated as “on the male side” while kukeni literally translated as “on the female side”.

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In the same way, the title and the image on the cover page on Tumaini insinuate the implied author‟s stance on the generational conflicts depicted in the novel. There is an image of a girl struggling to go up the ladder but she is entangled in straps pulled by a man‟s hand from below. The girl seems to be crying out for help however there is an image of an angry face of an elderly man overlooking her. The image of the girl can be associated with the protagonist (Tumaini). The image of the hand symbolizes Masumbuko while the image of the face signifies either or both Chief Andrea and Mr Majaaliwa captured in Tumaini. Consequently, the title Tumaini and the images on Clara‟s novel replicate the struggles that the protagonist undergoes in her pursuit for her career. As suggested by both the protagonist‟s name and the title of the novel, hope and determination could be the force that propels Tumaini to surmount the challenges emanating from the patriarchal social structure.

5.4 Conclusion

Examining how generational conflicts are narrated in the four novels, it is evident that the historical background of the authors impacts on their narration. Walibora gives more prominence to ethnic prejudice as opposed to racial prejudice. This is probably due to the fact that ethnic discrimination is more pronounced in Kenya. However, in Tanzania and Zanzibar in particular, racial segregation between the African, Arab and Asian communities is more prominent.

Male authors of the selected novels are more concerned with ethnic and racial prejudice than their female counterparts. In Kufa Kuzikana, male characters suffer most due to ethnic and racial prejudice. Tim‟s engagement is almost broken because he is despised by Pamela‟s aunt on ethnic grounds (KK.212). Akida is almost killed by the rowdy youth in Falkland because he belongs to a different ethnic group (KK.204). Tom‟s father is killed in ethnic clashes. Tom is despised by Canadians because he is black (KK.100). Besides, Jerumani loses his scholarship in Germany on racial grounds (KK.155). In Vuta n‟kuvute, Koplo Matata and inspector Wright take advantage of the racial differences between Yasmin and Denge to set them against each other.

Another observation is that the deployment of the homodiegetic/first person- narration in a given literary texts tends to create the impression of a bond between the narrator and the author. The narration of the various generational conflicts in Kufa Kuzikana suggests that the narrator and perhaps the real author may have personally experienced the depicted conflicts.

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For this reason, homodiegetic narration is probably more effective in performing a perlocutionary act by enlisting the reader‟s empathy. For instance, what the protagonist says and does in relation to the generational conflicts on the circumcision rite, ethnic prejudice and governance in Kufa Kuzikana entreats the reader to adopt his opinion.

Finally, the study shows that narrative voice and focalization narrative strategies are present in the fictional and extra-fictional texts. The title, the editorial notes, the images on the cover pages and the authors‟ names not only tell but also orient the reading of the generational conflicts as much as the words in the text do. For this reason, the extra-textual and textual contexts of the Kiswahili novel are complimentary structures that facilitate the performance of a communicative act. Besides, the contexts in which the novels are written and read are crucial in reading out the generational conflicts captured in the four novels. The specific generational conflicts and the manner in which they are narrated in the four novels are summarized in Table 3.

163 Table 3: Generational Conflicts as Narrated in the Four Novels

Text Author’s

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