Earlier this year, Petina Gappah tweeted her translation into Shona of the first three paragraphs of Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. To date, the novel has been translated into at least sixty-one languages. Within the African continent itself, Things Fall Apart has been translated into Afrikaans, Ganda, Northern Soto, Setswana, Swahili, Xhosa, Yoruba, and Zulu. To date, there isn’t an official published translation of Things Fall Apart in Achebe’s native language, Igbo.
Gappah gave no reasons for her decision to undertake this task, but does one really need a reason? If anything, Gappah’s translation has opened a gateway for readers to appreciate Things Fall Apart in Shona, and for that we are thankful.
Mbiri yaOkonkwo yaipfuurira kune matunhu pfumbamwe ose ichidarikira. Akawana mbiri iyi neumazvikokota hwake.
Achiri jaya chairo remakore gumi nemasere, akaunza mukurumbira mukuru kune dunhu rake paakariga rimwe jinda rainzi Amalinze. pic.twitter.com/ZkzdhV76QQ
— Petina Gappah (@VascoDaGappah) February 24, 2020
Ndiro jinda rakarakashwa naOkonkwo mumakwikwi ainzi neharahwa dzeko aiva asati amboonekwa kubva mazuva manomwe nesiku nomwe dzakakakarisana muvambi wedunhu ravo nerimwe shavi resango. pic.twitter.com/fkTA6OvUl7
— Petina Gappah (@VascoDaGappah) February 24, 2020
Tsinga dzese netsandanyama dzakabuda, kubva mumaoko kusvika muzvidya, zvekuti vanhu vakafunga kuti machinda aya achatovhunika mbabvu.
Zvakazopera pakuti Okonkwo ndiye akariga Kiti. pic.twitter.com/ZMeHsyG19q
— Petina Gappah (@VascoDaGappah) February 24, 2020
Amalinze was the great wrestler who for seven years was unbeaten, from Umuofia to Mbaino. He was called the Cat because his back would never touch the earth.
— Petina Gappah (@VascoDaGappah) February 24, 2020
The drums beat and the flutes sang and the spectators held their breath. Amalinze was a wily craftsman, but Okonkwo was as slippery as a fish in water.
— Petina Gappah (@VascoDaGappah) February 24, 2020
In the end, Okonkwo threw the Cat.
— Petina Gappah (@VascoDaGappah) February 24, 2020
A couple of Gappah’s followers suggested an alternative translation for the title and for character names. Gappah explained her choices.
Nope sorry. The title is from a poem by Yeats. He uses “things” allegorically not literally. He uses things in the sense not of objects but in the sense of “all things” meaning “everything falls apart” therefore Zvose. Translation is about meaning not just word for word activity
— Petina Gappah (@VascoDaGappah) February 25, 2020
Nope that is not how translation works. The idea is to present in Shona the book written by the Author not to rewrite the book completely in Shona. Names that would change are names that actually have meaning for the book, like the nickname The Cat.
— Petina Gappah (@VascoDaGappah) February 25, 2020
I though long and hard about that one, and went with kiti because it sounds deeper. Thanks for reading so closely!
— Petina Gappah (@VascoDaGappah) February 25, 2020
Overall, Gappah’s followers were thrilled with her translation and asked her to continue.
The Shona translation gives it a completely different vibe. Please kondinyu!
— HatiGonese (@hati_G) February 24, 2020
Please do, this really is wow!
— Charity Straessle (@vonStraessle) February 24, 2020
Please finish the whole book… please please!
— Tawanda Gota (@TawandaGota) February 25, 2020
Could we possibly be looking at a translation of Things Fall Apart into Shona, possibly also by Petina Gappah, in the future? Fingers crossed!
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