Mhudi

South African novelist Sol T Plaatje (1876–1932) was a pioneer in the fight against racism in his country. He labored as a political activist to advance governmental reforms and promote civil rights for oppressed blacks. His Mhudi, penned in 1919–20 but published in 1930, represents the first full-length novel in English by a black South African writer. Today regarded as a classic for its skillful utilization of the African oral narrative and its robust validation of the positive qualities of African customs, the story of Mhudi, the harvester, and her romance with birdman Ra-Thaga is set during the country’s cataclysmic wars of possession of the 1830s. Plaatje’s heroine, Mhudi, is an enduring symbol of resilience of spirit and the belief in a new day.