Modikwe Dikobe

The Marabi Dance does not particularly pull up any trees in regard to it literary imprint or status. It is rather a readable and enjoyable story from the slums of a Johannesburg township in the 1930s; predominantly focusing on a young girl called Martha and her family.

Martha is a young girl reaching womanhood and struggling to keep in line with her parents' traditional views and ritual laws, instead wanting to enjoy the burgeoning social scene on offer to her own generation - bioscopes, show more Marabi parties and her passion for singing.

The tensions between parent and child are tested once Martha becomes of marrying age and is smitten with a local city gang member. Meanwhile, her father happens upon an opportunity to ease his own familial tensions by marrying his daughter into the family he has been alienated from for rejecting the ritual path of marriage himself after getting a woman in the city pregnant (Martha's mother) - refusing to leave her to bring up a baby alone and marrying her instead.

The juxtaposition of choices and values of each generation are particularly strong and Dikobe subtly highlights the inherent problems in both as well as underlining the constant and sad trail of victims that trying to impress values and beliefs on others leaves in its wake. In this case it is very much black Africans, women and the illegitimate children of false promises of love who litter the pages here.

Dikobe's work is definitely important in regard to its inclusion of racial and poverty issues but I get the impression it is far from a flagship book on these subjects. It is more a cultural study and drama concerning the specific time and region.

I enjoy reading books like this - different cultures, customs and people far removed from my own life. 3/5 show less