Dispatches from the Village

<p>In this book Chris Mabeza takes the reader through a breath taking journey of the vicissitudes of village life in Zimbabwe from the colonial days to the present. This at a time when telling African stories is enjoying a Risorgimento. Thus in essence Mabeza “throws his fingers in the wind” and catches the zeitgeist of African storytelling. The stories leave the reader spellbound. Dispatches from the village has its finger on the pulse of the people. This gorgeous collection of short stories is a product of immersive thick descriptions of rural life as it intersects with urban life. The author grapples with the effects of what has generally been observed as the “brutish and nasty new normal”. The rural landscape has not been spared the vagaries of this new normal. However when overwhelmed by the tsunami of negative news that permeate our media pick-up <em>Dispatches from the village</em> to soothe yourself.</p>