Fathers of Nations Chapter Six Summaries and Analysis (Episodic Approach)

 

CHAPTER SIX
Episode 19: The Essence of Security Clearance
Summary pages 82–85

The episode begins with a description of the day the summit was opened: the weather is hot, and comrade Melusi is in line waiting to be cleared. Before his time, he appears engrossed in thoughts about security clearance and concludes that they are meant to not only detect but also deter and punish potential criminals everywhere.

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Finally, after an x-ray machine scan, the young security officer sees a needle in his briefcase. He informs the young officer that the needle is for his diabetic medication. We learn that Comrade Melusi was diagnosed with diabetes during a medical check-up that AGDA required of him after joining Patha Alpha.

The young security officer maintains his position and emphasises that he will not allow Comrade Melusi to enter the summit with the needle because it is dangerous. Comrade Melusi informs the young officer that thirty percent of one hundred people aged 70–75 are diabetic, meaning they are unable to regulate the sugar level in their blood, which kills most of them. The survivors are kept alive by the medicine. He argues that he cannot live without his cellophane pouch.

The young officer still refuses to allow him to take the needle in the peak, even suggesting that Comrade Melusi leave it with him and return for his shot when the time comes. Comrade Melusi persists in entering with his medicine pouch, and the young officer threatens to summon the guards to take care of him in the best way they know how.

Comrade Melusi claims that abandoning his medication pouch forces him to climb a steep mountain, which results in blindness, kidney failure, foot ulcers, leg amputation, and other serious consequences. With this, the officer has faith in Comrade Melusi and allows him to enter the summit.

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Analysis

Stylistic Device

The episode describes events that occurred on the day the summit formally opened in Banjul, Gambia, with fifty heads of state as its main participants. A vivid description of the day is presented, which is reported to be scorching due to the sun and the Atlantic Ocean. '... the sun, very; and the Atlantic Ocean, not far away... when it came.’ Page 82. Both the sun and the Atlantic Ocean are personified in this illustration, and they are supposed to set the tempo. Personification as a style is also evident when Comrade Melusi ponders the logic behind the security clearance. Time has been personified and is supposed to have been murdered here. ‘To kill time, he was reflecting... page 82 

There is also the usage of a figure of speech in which it is claimed to be a picture of tranquilly, which is a metaphor. On the other hand, rhetorical questions arise when Comrade Melusi inquiries about security clearance. ‘What was the big idea here: to detect or to deter? Page 82.

 We learn through flashback that comrade Melusi found out he was diabetic during a medical check-up requested by AGDA while he was joining Path Alpha. When we learn that Comrade Melusi's interest in reading diabetes leaflets is compared to the interest with which first-time vehicle purchasers read user manuals, we see the use of contrast. The young officer's chat with Comrade Melusi at the security checkpoint also involves dialogue. There is also the use of direct address, which is defined as a discussion between two or more persons; however, direct address requires the exact words of the speakers, whereas dialogue can be paraphrased.

The Episode's Thematic Concerns

The exchange between comrade Melusi and the young security officer, on the other hand, emphasises the topic of security. ‘So, security was at its tightest.’ Page 82. 

The episode also highlights the predicament of diabetes patients, shedding light on the pain and suffering these people undergo. Comrade Melusi informs the young security officer that 30% of people aged 70–75 are diabetic and hence unable to regulate their sugar levels, which kills the majority of them. ’ … you forcing me to climb up a steep mountain of risk here. It ends in blindness, kidney failure, foot ulcers, leg amputation, and many other bad things like that.’ Page 85.

Characterization

Comrade Melusi is presented as informed or educated in this episode; after learning about his diabetic condition, he read extensively about it. ‘This attitude had paid off because he was now an authority on diabetes.’ Page 83. In this story, he also comes across as persuasive when he ultimately convinces the young security officer to let him attend the summit with a needle and a cellophane medicine pouch. He is also steadfast or firm; ‘Comrade Melusi decided to get firm.’ Page 85. 

The youthful security officer, on the other hand, is portrayed as unconcerned. ‘The youth yawned, making even more obvious his indifference to what he had just heard.’ Page 83. The youthful security officer is also trusting of Comrade Melusi. ‘The more I look at you, I see somebody I can trust.’ Page 85.

Characters' Roles in the Episode

The role of Comrade Melusi is to develop the theme of the plight of diabetic patients, as illustrated above, while the young security officer develops the theme of security. Both contribute to the development of the other's personality features.

Episode 20: The Origins of Comrade Melusi
Summary Pages 85–92

The episode describes Comrade Melusi and Mr. Tad Longway eating lunch at Chaminuka Restaurant in Harare, Zimbabwe's capital. This was before Comrade Melusi earned the moniker comrade from the head of his group, with whom they fought the colonisers in Zimbabwe. As they enjoy their lunch, Comrade Melusi notices that people can no longer afford to eat at the restaurant because the Zimbabwean economy has crumbled. Mr. Tad Longway, AGDA's Director of Special Projects, apparently invited Comrade Melusi out for lunch because he wanted to recruit him to team Alpha, but he delayed asking him to enlist because Comrade Melusi was giving details about what had occurred to him and Zimbabwe after they gained independence. We notice that the group's commander became the new government leader. And the government was constituted quickly, but Comrade Melusi was betrayed by his companion in the struggle, who is now the leader of the state. Since they struggled for independence together, the new ruler did not pick Comrade Melusi as a minister as anticipated. We observed that the new boss had completely different ideas. He was increasing his fans while simultaneously weakening his opponents. We find that the new leader saw everybody who was not from his tribe as an enemy and an opponent to be defeated, which explains why Comrade Melusi was not selected as a minister as he expected because he was a Ndebele and the new leader was a Shona. This new leader did not remain in charge of the government for long. A stash of weaponry was discovered at his residence, indicating that he was planning a coup, and he was ousted. When word of his departure as government leader reached his hometown of Southern Zimbabwe, where the Ndebele tribe lives, anti-government protests erupted. The Ndebele, enraged by their man's humiliation, went on a rampage, attacking any government supporter in their path. The government took revenge on them. A branch of the army known as the Gukurahundi, which represents in Shona the first downpour of the year, washing chaff off the field so that soil tilling can begin. The Ndebele militants were washed away like chaff. We find that comrade Melusi's wife, Ziliza, perished in this manner, strangled in their kitchen. Comrade Melusi arrived home from work in Bulawayo, where he runs a company, to discover her dead. After the Ndebele insurgency, the new leader changed. He could not trust the people he had once viewed as allies, not only his fellow Shona tribalists but also Ndebele tribesmen who had fought for Zimbabwe's independence. He now solely trusted his Shona tribesmen, and the Ndebele tribesmen became rivals and opponents to be killed. Mr. Tad Longway suggests they end their discussion there and continue the subject the next day.

Analysis

The episode uses flashbacks to reveal more information about comrade Melusi prior to joining AGDA as a Path Alpha follower. 

Thematic Concern 

The dominant theme is betrayal; we encounter instances of betrayal coming out through comrade Melusi, who is betrayed by the leader of his group after fighting alongside him against the colonisers: ‘The new ruler did not appoint you minister.’ Page 87. 

Also, there are examples of treachery when the new ruler, a Shona, discovers that Comrade Melusi is a Ndebele, thus thinking him an opponent, presuming him guilty, and kicking him out of his government, which is an example of betrayal. 

The subject of nepotism is also there; we learn that the new ruler changed following the Ndebele insurrection. The man, who had previously considered the Ndebele as allies as well as his Shona tribesmen, now exclusively trusted his Shona tribesmen. All Ndebele tribesmen were turned into rivals and foes to be eliminated.

 The notion of change is also present in the episode, as comrade Melusi observes that it is around 1:30 p.m. and the restraint is empty. People in Zimbabwe no longer eat out. Because of bad leadership, their economy had crumbled. ‘How the new ruler changed after the Ndembele insurgency!’ page 91. Another problem presented in the episode is the government's use of Gukurahundi to deal with Ndebele militants, which resulted in Comrade Melusi's wife Ziliza's death. 

Stylistic Devices 

The author employs a variety of literary devices to convey his message, including personification, a figure of speech that involves imbuing non-human objects with human characteristics. 'Banjul would soon lie firmly on their trajectory.' Page 86. Banjul, Gambia's capital city, is personified here by being stated to be lying solidly. ‘Hunger does have a dark side.’ Page 87. You know, just to see if it is as creamy and yummy as their menu brags it is.’’ Page 89. Both hunger and the menu are personified in these circumstances. The Chaminuka Restaurant is also said to have the sorrowful appearance of a funeral parlour. Page 89. Finally, slaughter is deemed to have run its course. Page 91. 

Symbolism is employed. Comrade Melusi and his comrades fought against the colonisers, who are referred to as 'Smith' in the text. ‘After defeating Smith,’ page 86. Gukurahundi also represents the army that the new commander will use to deal with the Ndebele insurgents.

 The writer employs instances of repetition, a style employed to emphasise a repeating point or notion. 'No, no, no. page 86, ‘Well, well... page 87. 

There is also the usage of local dialect in the text to provide local flavour, originality, realism, and to imply setting. Local dialects employed to spice the text include 'Simudzai mureza weZimbabwe, 'Kalibususwe ilizwe leZimbabwe, page 87, and Gukurahundi.

 Rhetorical questions are also employed: ‘Unity, Freedom, and Work. But what unity, what freedom, and what work? Page 87. The questions are intended to elicit thought from the reader for them to comprehend the meaning of the book. 

The episode also has a vivid description, which aids the reader in better understanding the meaning of the text. ‘He was toying with his food. Having tried stabbing his pepper steak with a knife in search of flaws, then flipping it over on its other side to search for more, now, with a fork for a pen, he was drawing lines in his mashed potatoes, smoothing the figures out, and then drawing them again.’ Page 87.

Character Role in the Text

 Comrade Melusi and Mr. Tad Longway are employed in the episode to develop each other's character attributes as well as the thematic concerns discussed above.

Episode 21: Settling Political Scores
Summary Page 92-99

The events of this episode take place at Muponda Restaurant, which is located on the outskirts of Harare. Comrade Melusi invited Mr. Tad Longway to Mupanda Restaurant, which claimed to be the mother of Zimbabwe's traditional cuisine, since he wanted to experience traditional food. After they had given their orders, Comrade Melusi resumed where he had left off. He claims that he was naive because he chose to aggravate the 'bomber,' which represents Zimbabwe's ruler, who was blasting the country's economy back to the Stone Age. Comrade Melusi irritated the new ruler by founding an opposition group called 'the New Independent Party' and running for the country's highest office, the presidency. The new leader, the bomber, won the elections with 99% of the vote, while the opposition received only 1% of the vote. Comrade Melusi claims that he expected them to lose but did not expect them to lose so heavily. Comrade Melusi believes that things could have turned out differently if they had been able to band together as the opposition and fight the new ruler as a unit. The attempted collaboration by comrade Melusi and the leader of the Reformed Union of Freedom Fighters, who later did not compete as a result of a lack of a university degree, brought no fruit, and each party went it alone in the end. After losing the polls, the opponents came together in about a half-hour and declared the elections a fraud, with charges of rigging filling the air. At the same time, Comrade Melusi observes that defeating the ruler would have been simple because the odds were stacked against him, with the country—Zimbabwe—facing the worst drought in history, to the point where the sitting president called it a national disaster. The international community had also imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe's SAP (Structured Adjustment Programme), which intended to restructure the country's economy but failed. Comrade Melusi returned to business, and due to inflation, which was eroding his earnings faster than they could expand, he chose to relocate to a slum in Harare's poor suburbs since he couldn't afford to pay rent in the clean suburbs. Comrade Melusi revealed bad leadership when he talked about bulldozers that were sent to slums to evict families by pulling down their homes without providing early notice or alternative lodging. There is also the ‘Murambatsvina, which in Shona means expelling the trash. This occurred under the pretence of simulating diseases and reducing crime. Comrade Melusi observes that it was a government effort to punish the urban poor for voting for opposition parties in the just-finished elections—a political witch hunt. Mr. Tad Longway feels sorry for Comrade Melusi and, at the end of the episode, hands him a stack of American cash, which he joyfully takes. A Path Alpha whitepaper designed to mobilise people's dissatisfaction with Africa in its current status into a desire to change it He then asks Comrade Melusi whether he wants to join the project, and he agrees and joins AGDA.

Analysis

Using flashbacks, the episode continues to reveal details about Comrade Melusi's past life before joining Path Alpha.

Thematic Analysis

The African politicians are satirised as Zimbabwe's leader constructs the image of poor leadership; in the episode, he is referred to as the bomber since he was blasting the country's economy back to the Stone Age. Africans' misery is further highlighted when African leaders are represented as self-serving—they solely serve their personal interests and aspirations. The opposition leaders, for example, are portrayed as lacking unity—they do not have the people's or country's interests at heart—because everyone is focused on their personal objectives rather than the country or its residents, who are suffering and looking up to them to initiate change. Furthermore, the fact that elections in Africa do not produce the desired results reinforces the notion that they are only a formality marred by rigging and labelled as a sham. The subject of sorrow and suffering is also present when Comrade Melusi tells Mr. Tad Longway about his struggles to make ends meet, including opposition from the government, the destruction of his home, the murder of his wife, Ziliza, and inflation. ‘Inflation was eroding incomes faster than they could grow. But I survived. I didn’t live and work in as clean a suburb as I did before. I just could not afford the rent there anymore. No, I had relocated to a slum in a poor part of Harare. But, hey, I was alive. He laughed falsely. Sorrow was in his eyes. ‘Then there came Murambatsvina, Page 97. All of this was done in order to settle old political scores.

 Characterization

When Mr. Tad presents Comrade Melusi with a stack of American money, the author paints him as benevolent. 'He reached into a side pocket for another stack of American dollars this time and handed it to him.’ Page 98. 

Comrade Melusi, on the other hand, is grateful and thankful for Mr. Tad's generosity. ‘Thank you, Mr. Longway.’ Page 99. 

The new president of Zimbabwe, dubbed the 'bomber' in the text, is spiteful, going so far as to punish anyone who supported the opposition. ‘Its true aim was to punish us, the urban poor, for supporting opposition parties.’ Page 98.

On the other hand, the opposition leaders are portrayed as self-serving because, rather than banding together to confront a shared adversary, everyone prefers to go it alone, resulting in an easy electoral defeat. ‘I begged them to lay personal ambitions aside and combine our effort and then fight the bomber together. They booed me.’ Page 96.

 Literary Devices

 In this episode, there is use of dialogue; Mr. Tad and Comrade Melusi are having a conversation about Comrade Melusi's prior life and Zimbabwe after independence. 

Direct speech is a style with a similar definition to dialogue, but when illustrating it, the exact words of the people involved in the conversation must be presented in quotation marks. 

Repetition is also used stylistically to emphasise or bring attention to a point addressed in the text. ‘Looking good, looking good, ‘page 95.

The episode also makes use of vivid descriptions. ‘Comrade Melusi was working on his sadza, licking his fingers and smacking his lips from time to time.’ Page 96. This technique helps the reader realise Comrade's terrible living; he is described literarily eating like a poor person—it emphasises poverty. 

Local dialect is employed in literary texts to add flavour, imply setting, and offer authenticity and originality to the supplied piece. Words like 'sadza', 'page 97,' and 'Murambatsvina' are all examples of local direct. 

Situational irony occurs in the episode where the Murambatsvina true goal is to prevent diseases and reduce crime, but in the end, diseases and crime increase as a result of individuals being made homeless and their source of income being destroyed. This also satirises Africa's terrible leadership.

 There is use of personification when Comrade Melusi states that ‘Murambatsvina chewed me up then spat me out.’ Page 98. Murambatsvina is symbolised in this scene by his capacity to chew and spat.

Role of Characters in the Episode

Comrade Melusi, the opposition leaders, and Mr. Tad are used in this episode to build on poor leadership, misery and suffering, poverty, and each other's character attributes, as illustrated above.

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