Vol. 2 Streets Paved with Gold
Clive Cooke
- “The
- Naturalist”
- is
- a
- dramatization
- of
- the
- first
- large
- battle
- in
- the
- Anglo-Zulu
- War
- of
- 1879.
- It
- is
- based
- on
- an
- anecdote
- about
- a
- British
- trooper
- catching
- insects
- while
- waiting
- for
- the
- battle
- to
- begin.
“The
- Tramp”
- is
- set
- during
- the
- Anglo-Boer
- war
- of
- 1899.
- An
- isolated
- farm
- in
- the
- Orange
- Free
- State
- is
- relatively
- untouched
- by
- the
- war
- until
- it
- is
- visited
- by
- a
- Boer
- commando.
- Surprisingly,
- the
- commando
- abducts
- a
- tramp
- who
- is
- lodging
- in
- the
- barn.
- The
- tramp
- is
- well
- educated
- while
- none
- of
- the
- burghers
- in
- the
- commando
- can
- read
- or
- write.
- They
- use
- him
- to
- communicate
- with
- other
- commandos
- in
- the
- field.
“Any
- Fish
- To-day?”
- is
- a
- tale
- about
- growing
- up
- in
- the
- countryside.
- The
- young
- boy
- in
- the
- story
- is
- witness
- to
- the
- forced
- removal
- of
- people
- of
- colour
- from
- the
- so-called
- “white”
- suburbs.
- Many
- years
- later,
- he
- is
- reminded
- of
- the
- incident
- when
- he
- chances
- upon
- a
- fishmonger’s
- horn
- in
- an
- antique
- dealer’s
- shop.
“A
- Little
- White
- Lie”
- is
- the
- dramatization
- of
- an
- incident
- during
- the
- siege
- of
- Mafikeng
- in
- the
- Anglo-Boer
- War.
“The
- Snake”
- is
- about
- a
- confidence
- trickster
- preying
- on
- the
- unsophisticated.
“I
- Want
- My
- Cows”
- traces
- the
- effect
- of
- the
- labour
- laws
- of
- fifty
- years
- ago
- on
- family
- life.
“White
- Man’s
- Muti”
- compares
- witchcraft
- of
- the
- European
- and
- African
- varieties.
“The
- Resurrection”
- is
- a
- humorous
- story
- about
- a
- rogue
- who
- tries
- to
- escape
- his
- debts
- and
- his
- family.
“Homecoming
- 1”
- is
- the
- story
- of
- a
- young
- country
- boy
- returning
- home
- to
- boast
- about
- making
- the
- big
- time
- in
- the
- city.
- However,
- he
- is
- in
- for
- a
- lesson
- from
- the
- villagers
- who
- remind
- him
- about
- the
- African
- tradition
- of
- Ubuntu,
- or
- sharing
- one’s
- good
- fortune
- with
- others.
“Homecoming
- 2”
- is
- a
- homecoming
- of
- a
- completely
- different
- kind.
- A
- university
- professor
- returns
- to
- the
- country
- of
- her
- birth
- and
- by
- chance
- ends
- up
- having
- dinner
- on
- the
- first
- night
- of
- her
- arrival
- with
- the
- man
- who
- used
- to
- employ
- her
- as
- a
- domestic
- servant.
- What
- could
- have
- been
- an
- interesting
- cultural
- exchange
- turns
- out
- to
- be
- a
- minefield
- of
- misunderstandings,
- stereotyping
- and
- blame.
“Alarm”
- is
- a
- humorous
- story
- about
- a
- rogue
- who
- invests
- in
- technology
- to
- cover
- his
- tracks.
- Unfortunately
- for
- him,
- it
- is
- the
- technology
- that
- unmasks
- him.
“The
- Entrepreneur”
- is
- a
- light-hearted
- description
- of
- the
- street
- vendors
- in
- central
- Johannesburg.
“The
- Crocodile
- Queen”
- is
- based
- on
- African
- myths
- and
- legends.
“A
- Midsummer
- Night’s
- Dream”
- is
- the
- African
- version
- of
- Shakespeare’s
- play
- of
- that
- name.
In
- “Rebellion”
- the
- descendants
- of
- the
- leader
- of
- the
- colonial
- force
- that
- defeated
- the
- rebels
- in
- the
- Bambatha
- Rebellion
- of
- 1906,
- reap
- the
- harvest
- sown
- by
- their
- ancestor.
“Baboon’s
- Hat”
- is
- a
- light-hearted
- look
- at
- a
- village
- isolated
- by
- high
- mountains
- and
- forgotten
- by
- the
- rest
- of
- the
- world
- until
- one
- day
- the
- authorities,
- in
- their
- wisdom,
- decide
- to
- build
- a
- road
- there.
“Letters
- Home”
- dramatizes
- the
- first
- large
- battle
- of
- the
- Anglo-Boer
- War
- from
- letters
- written
- by
- the
- troopers
- and
- from
- the
- official
- reports
- written
- by
- the
- officers.
- The
- points
- of
- view
- differ
- substantially.
“Division
- of
- the
- Spoils”
- is
- the
- last
- will
- and
- testament
- of
- great-grandmother
- Zodwa.
- Her
- three
- daughters
- are
- beside
- themselves
- with
- worry
- because
- the
- old
- lady
- has
- not
- written
- it
- down.
- Great-grandmother
- calls
- a
- family
- conference.
- Presumably
- all
- will
- be
- revealed
- at
- the
- meeting.
- However,
- her
- daughters
- take
- the
- initiative
- and
- resort
- to
- negotiating
- with
- one
- another
- over
- the
- spoils.
- But,
- can
- the
- three
- sisters
- trust
- one
- other?
“Zama-Zama”
- is
- the
- name
- given
- to
- illegal
- gold
- miners.
- A
- whole
- industry
- has
- grown
- up
- working
- the
- closed
- mine
- shafts.
- The
- illegal
- miners
- come
- from
- all
- over
- Africa.
- It
- is
- dangerous
- work
- and
- many
- are
- fated
- to
- return
- home
- in
- a
- coffin.
“Maritzburg
- Station”
- is
- the
- last
- story
- in
- the
- collection.
- We
- follow
- the
- escapades
- of
- a
- privileged
- boy
- at
- an
- expensive
- boarding
- school.
- He
- is
- a
- loser
- and
- a
- rebel.
- He
- becomes
- drawn
- into
- an
- outreach
- programme
- building
- classrooms
- for
- an
- underprivileged
- school.
- His
- motives
- for
- joining
- the
- programme
- are
- pure
- self-interest,
- but
- the
- programme
- ultimately
- does
- more
- for
- him
- than
- his
- expensive school.
