ABSTRACT
One of the tragedies of criticism in Africa is its philosophical open-check syndrome. It seems there is no limit to how much criticism in Africa borrows from the opulent West whose theories have travelled farther than most as a result of its histories of writing, imperialism and slavery. Because Europe long dominated the medium of print and was involved in expansionist projects into distant parts of the world, it managed to promote its philosophies and thus enable their wider circulation and appeal. Although “the nuancing and/or adaptation of some Western theoretical concepts can illuminate and enliven certain aspects of […] Zimbabwean experience, tradition and culture as re-presented in fiction” (Mhlahlo 2013: 10), African wisdom, which has remained relatively preserved within more provincial texts – including local songs, proverbs and folklore – needs to be released. One of the challenges this article poses to African-based critics is the need to excavate and cultivate philosophical gems that resonate with set values, beliefs and goals of specific communities. New patterns of voluntary migration, where individuals from former European colonies are now able to penetrate the former metropoles, and developments in information communication technologies provide opportunities to recast African modes of speaking in wider contexts and consequently curtail what Vambe (2005: 89) has called “a poverty of theory in Zimbabwean literature.”
