The Sunday News
Charles Dube
THE story of Harvest of Thorns continues. Last week we left Clopas, a black man, who works at the district commissioner’s office calling his fellow blacks “Maziboyi”.
This is a derogatory term used by racist whites in reference to black people during the colonial era. It is ironic that it is used by a black man against other black people.
He shouts at the people queuing for birth certificates telling them to shut up because his boss, referred to as “baas” is having tea.
This is a clear sign showing that black people were down trodden by whites using other black people to achieve their goals.
We get an insight into inhuman treatment subjected to blacks. Shamiso’s sister is told not to suckle a baby within the district commissioner’s premises because her milk is smelling for the Baas.
Clopas, as we have already seen before, is not fluent in English so most of his talk is in Shonglish.
He mixes Shona and English making what he says quite funny.
For example, when he talks of smelling milk he says: “Lacto yenyu smelling, smelling for the Baas.” Corruption rears its ugly head in the middle of all this.
When Shamiso’s sister desperately asks for a child’s birth certificate urgently in order to catch buses going back home in the reserves, Clopas takes advantage of the woman’s desperation and asks her to first of all give him her sister.
He says she is lovely. In Shonglish he asks for her name which she shyly she tells him.
Clopas has a weakness when it comes to women folk. We are told here that he is stunned by Shamiso’s beauty and is prepared to assist her.
He says he will talk to his baas after he has taken his tea. Clopas is now driven by the love he has for Shamiso and immediately tells his boss, the district commissioner (DC) that the woman needs a birth certificate quickly.
But as we have seen before he uses wrong English especially on spellings. He makes Shamiso’s sister jump the queue for he loves Shamiso and if he helps the sister then he will easily win the later.
There is always humour whenever Clopas says something. He says to (DC) “Schuz, Baas, this woman is needing a bath certificate for his child chops chops, Baas.”
Sarcastically the DC asks Clopas as to who needs a birth certificate chops chops? Taken up by Shamiso’s beauty, Clopas says of her sister, “This good mother, Baas. The DC continues to mock Clopas asking him, “And is this good mother a he or a she, Clopas?” Clopas makes another grammatical error saying, “it is a she, Baas.”
Throughout the whole conversation between Clopas and the district commissioner, the former continues to use wrong English, not to mention wrong spellings.
When the DC says he thought he passed Standard Five Clopas responds: “I dids, Baas.” Clopas continues to break the English to the extent of annoying the DC. After hearing too much of “They dids, Baas,” The district commissioner tells him to speak proper English.
“Then say yes. For God’s sake speak proper English. The queen would send you straight to the gallows the moment you open your mouth. It is obvious that Clopas did not pass his English Language at school for he continues to mutilate the language as he talks to his boss. Surely Clopas deserves some sympathy as he cannot use correct English now. When they continue their conversation with his “Baas” Clopas is unrelenting in his use of wrong grammar.
“This woman is for wanted to having bath certificate for her son, Baas.”
When rural folk protest again he angrily cautions them that they should not laugh at the white man threatening that they could all be arrested and placed in cells.
Coming to serious business, the DC is frank and tells Clopas that the woman he wants helped is not in the queue. Clopas is confused by the word “queue” and he makes a mess of everything saying: “S’begging your pudding, Baas.”
The district commissioner is confused by what Clopas means by pudding but eventually he gets it that he means pardon. He uses an easier word “line” for queue to help Clopas understand what he means.
Driven by lust for Shamiso, Clopas does not give up easily in trying to do her a favour.
He tells the DC: “She is coming awey far, Baas. To the buttocks of reserves. She needs for to climb buses before sun drowned. Back to huts before witches and tikoloshes comes outs, Baas. If she no get bath certificate now is nowhere for them to snoring, Baas”.
Learners can only laugh when they read Clopas’ English. He is so passionate in whatever he is saying, unfortunately, use of wrong English lets him down.
Despite his wrong grammar, Clopas gives us useful information in the study of this play. For example, in the previous paragraph he gives us an insight into traditional beliefs.
He talks of the need for Shamiso’s sister to get home before witches and tikoloshes start their nocturnal and nefarious activities.
Clopas’s plan fails to work as the district commissioner tells him that it is too late. He gives a list of what has to be done on the certificate like: the certificate has to be referenced, certified, indexed, registered, typed, sighed and filed. Finally, Clopas is told that she has to come the following day.
Clopas does not take kindly to this. Aside he mocks the DC to Shamiso’s sister and Shamiso. He tells them that it is too hard and it does not take long to issue a Birth Certificate.
He adds that the only snag is that this white man at times when he is drunk from tea, he spends the whole day on the phone talking to his darling, telling her that he loves her and calling her honey, honey.
Then he tells them to come on the following day and turning to Shamiso he asks for her address. This was the time when letters were the most fashionable and fast means of communication.
Shamiso reluctantly scribbles on a piece of paper and hands it to a grinning Clopas.
Next time we discuss this story we shall be reading Clopas’ hilarious letters to Shamiso.
Commentators classify them as “classic love letters written in comically poetic “Shonglish” (a mixture of Shona and English).
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