A tale of a forbidden romance, religious fanaticism and political conspiracies converge in Nega Mezlekia's novel, \The God Who Begat a Jackal."" In 17th-century Africa the feudal system erupts as slaves rise up and a nation withers away. From the turmoil rises Gudu, the jester in Duke Ashenafi's court. Aster, Ashenafi's daugher, is drawn to Gudu and they hold a forbidden love. Their love is in violation of all they know; a slave holds the heart of royalty.
While they are forced to steal moments in each other's arms, foul things are afoot. Upstart heretics threaten to corrupt the kingdom. A heartless drought holds Hararhe in its grip. Ergum, the vile spirits of the dead, run rampant. Then the duke discovers his daughter in the embrace of his jester.
Mezlekia's novel takes the reader to the shadows and the daylight of East Africa. He weaves together the folklore of forgotten realms and the history of overlooked people. A syncretic religion scrapes against pillaging crusaders. The traditions come out beside the progress.The Daily Cardinal talked with Mr. Mezlekia recently.
First of all, could you explain the meaning of the title, ""The God Who Begat a Jackal""?
There are two reasons for the title. There's the obvious one: Amma, one of the deities in the novel, was believed to have fathered a jackal. The less obvious one has to do with the count and Gudu.
Does this have a relation to something featured in your previous work, ""Notes from a Hyena's Belly,"" about a 'kinae' [a poem that contains an obvious and hidden meaning]?
I consider ""The God Who Begat a Jackal"" a continuation of my previous work. The previous work is, of course, nonfiction and dealt with my own life and the country was involved in a revolution. ""The God Who Begat a Jackal"" is sort of a warning of what is to become of Ethiopia and sub-Saharan Africa in that aspect because religious fanaticism has become a very dominant way of life nowadays. That I attribute to the fighting that was created after the collapse of communism.
Could you give an idea of the importance of storytelling in Ethiopia?
In Ethiopia and much of Africa storytelling plays a very significant part. For many generations our own history was told or passed on from the old to the young generation through word of mouth. Written language has played a different part in our history. Storytelling is even more important. Somebody said not too long ago that when an old man dies in Africa, an entire library burns down, because that old person carries with him the history of his people. Coming from my own family, storytelling was not fairy tales or bedtime stories. It was a means of passing wisdom from the old to the new generation. For example, if I did something wrong, my mother would sit me down and tell me a story. The story usually involved animals and what have you. If I repeat the same mistake she would ask me what the animal would do in a situation like that. If I repeated the mistake again, I'd get a spanking. Storytelling is a very significant part of our tradition.
How much belief do people put behind folklore in Ethiopia?
A great deal. Myth is a driving agent of society in general. When I was growing up, for example, my mother would send me to the market. She would tell me, depending on the hour of the day, 'Don't go by the cutters around noontime because the devil will be there. Go by this way, but if you pass by the dried-up well toss in some salt. If you go by this thing, do this, do this sort of thing.' Mythology is part of life really. And in many cases that is something that keeps us going. North America is a very scientific culture. I feel that one of the things I miss here is mythology. No matter if you believe in it or not, but because it's something that keeps us together. Some people find mythology in the faith, whether it is in the Bible or Koran. But for those of us who don't observe religious rites, we hunger for those myths.
You spoke about the impact of religion in East Africa. What impact did the Crusades have on East Africa?
The religious crusades reached that region. You find cousins who have been divided by these crusades, one to Christianity, one to Islam. With the collapse of communism that religious cleavage became more dominant than ethnic unity. Now religion becomes a more divisive factor. Ethiopia is almost a Muslim country. And that was because of the crusades. What's troubling me is that one group can't accommodate the deity of another. The religious tremor is waiting to explode and it's not a matter of if but when. It will be of significant proportion because East Africa is very, very emotional whether it's a tribal conflict or religious war. What concerns me most is that this one will be a very, very bloody one. People realize that it's not communism that's a threat to our existence but religious conflict.
Particularly, is anything brewing in Ethiopia? There's been a conflict with Eritrea. Is religious conflict ready to boil over there?
Eritrea and Ethiopia used to be one country. In Africa a lot of conflicts can be attributed to colonialism. When the colonial powers conquered their regions they forced different groups to stay. The case in Ethiopia is that when Eritrea was colonized by Italy it developed its own identity. It's really the opposite instead of being forced together. Colonialism forced that bonding to break away. Eritrea and Ethiopia have a vast number of Muslims and Christians. In the case of Eritrea the population of Muslims outnumbers Christians. The conflict between Eritrea and Ethiopia is because some border regions were in dispute. These two regions used to be part of the same kingdom. That's the sort of thing you see today in parts of Asia.
Could you tell us a little bit about leaving Ethiopia in 1983?
When I left Ethiopia the military was still in power. I was imprisoned, tortured and what have you. I lost my parents because of religious conflict. My good friends were executed with many others during the turbulent years. 1983 presented an opportunity for me to leave Ethiopia and when I did leave I didn't think I would stay away. I thought things would change in a few years. I thought that it may not last another couple of years. It was 1991 before those in power were overthrown. I left because of the military who claimed to be communist. I was a young communist, but a different type of communist. We realized the folly of the ideology. Communism is very, very enchanting in words, but implemented in practice it doesn't work. I realized the folly of it.
Moving back to your own work, what made you decide to switch from a memoir to a novel?
I've always wanted to write a novel, though I'm an engineer by training. Education is a huge thing where I come from. But writing is different. That kind of storytelling is frowned upon because it's something telling the story that isn't alive. But now I did what I promised my father, I finished my schooling. Now I can afford to indulge in my ambition, which is to be a writer. I did submit the memoir and it turned out to be a huge success. Having that acclamation I decided that I should continue writing. I am working on another novel set in Africa.
