Harvest of Thorns

There are many writings in various genres that seek to document the Zimbabwean War of Liberation; but I think Harvest Of Thorns, a work of fiction by Shimmer Chinodya, is one of the few that tell of the transition between white dominated Southern Rhodesia, through the war of liberation to the new black regime in a vivid, yet simple narrative; candid, straight forward and engaging; a story that many of the past and present generations can understand, relate to, enjoy while actually learning something about why the war had to happen, how it happened, and what it achieved, against the backdrop of society’s general expectations; and finally, the effects of the war and the scars that it left.

Born in 1957, Shimmer Chinodya is an award winning Zimbabwean writer whose first work was published in 1982. Over the years, he has written many books, poems, stories and tales, and, though it appears his target audience is the younger generations, Harvest of Thorns is a book that will appeal to anyone because of the forthright way in which it is written. Harvest of Thorns was his fourth novel, and it won the Best Book category for the 1990 Commonwealth Writers regional prize. His other books include Dew in the Morning (1982) Farai’s Girls (1984) and Child of War. Over the years, he has written Short Stories, Plays and Poems for Primary Schools. Harvest of Thorns has also been used in Secondary Schools as an English Literature Set Book.

Harvest of Thorns is set in Colonial Zimbabwe, through the movement from the political passivity prevalent in Rhodesia, through the growing resistance against colonialism. It goes into the Liberation Struggle and ending in the aptly titled and very disappointing harvest of thorns. Shimmer Chinodya successfully takes the reader through these stages by the depiction of the lives of the Tichafa family; from the simple and humble background of Shamiso Mhaka, Benjamin’s mother, and his father, Clopas Tichafa. The book also depicts their courtship, their marriage, and their problem of childlessness that saw them seeking help from doctors and traditional healers; and ultimately turning to the Church that in turn strongly discouraged any political involvement. 

The story is told in a very straight forward, realistic and captivating narrative. The reader will definitely be transported back to the colonial and post colonial times. There is no finger pointing or blame, but it leaves the reader in a position to appreciate the reasons why war happened. It allows the reader draw personal conclusions about why people still ended up being disappointed despite having made painful sacrifices to gain their independence. Harvest of Thorns is an excellent book that is well worth reading. Captivating and irresistible, whatever one’s reasons for reading it, the book will not disappoint. Although it is set in a particular time, it remains a timeless read.