Different Voices and Views of Zimbabwe: A Comparative Analysis of Charles Mungoshi’s Waiting for the Rain and NoViolet Bulawayo\u27s We Need New Names

Zimbabwean literature written by black authors share the same national identity, yet differ in form, style and content. Uncovering the depth of this black nationalist literature form, this paper compares novels written by two different black Zimbabwean authors. Differing in time period, Charles Mungoshi’s Waiting for the Rain (1975) reflects on traditional life in rural Rhodesia, while NoViolet Bulawayo’s more modern text We Need New Names (2013) sheds light on life in recent rural Zimbabwe. Although both novels were written by authors from separate generations, they share similar themes such as gender, religion, and alienation. These themes distinguish how similar and different these two texts are to one another. Very different periods of history is reflected in these novels, but they still manage to address related themes, which is how a relationship is created between the two text. Ultimately, this comparative analysis aims to individually honor and value two Zimbabwean authors through an in depth analysis of the experiences shared in each novel