Announcing James Kilgore’s We are All Zimbabweans Now (with Excerpt)

June 3rd, 2009 by Emily

Umuzi proudly announces the release of We Are All Zimbabweans Now by James Kilgore. Written from a California prison cell by this one-time fugitive author, the book occupies an important place amongst the fictional chronicles of post-independence Zimbabwe.

We are All Zimbabweans Now tells the story of young American historian Ben Dabney who arrives in Harare in 1981, full of admiration for Robert Mugabe and Zimbabwe’s policy of reconciliation. His euphoria in this country he calls the “Land of Forgiveness” heightens when he becomes involved with disabled ex-freedom fighter Florence Matshaka who connects him with the emerging black elite.

His research, however, takes him down a different path. When he explores the case of a liberation war leader who died in a mysterious car accident, he receives elusive answers, then threats. An interview with a teacher in rural Matabeleland, propels him into the middle of the army’s offensive against “dissidents” and civilians in that part of the country. As he delves more into his research the dangers deepen and the connections of Florence to mysteries past and present force Ben to confront difficult decisions about career, love, parenting and political principle.

We are All Zimbabweans Now is an accomplished and compelling novel. While written in the style of a detective thriller, the story deftly analyzes the complex struggles for power in post-independence Africa. The characters and events of this fascinating tale will resonate loudly for South Africans as well as those familiar with Zimbabwe.

Read an excerpt from We are All Zimbabweans Now

Chapter 2

‘Which hotel, sir?’ the taxi driver asks as he closes the trunk of his gleam-ing yellow Datsun. The latch catches on the third try.
‘King George the Sixth,’ I reply.

‘The King George, sir,’ he answers as if he hasn’t heard correctly.

I sit in the back with the Hermes on my lap. Although a plastic piece is missing from the window crank, the silver handle shines like a place setting at a Christmas dinner. The driver picks up a piece of towelling and wipes it across the dashboard, chasing away imaginary dust. The steer-ing wheel on the right has me disoriented. I look out the window for murals of heroic guerrilla fighters or billboards with Mugabe’s face. The yellowing facade of Harare International Airport bears no odes to the Chimurenga, as the Zimbabweans call their 13-year liberation war.

The driver pulls a lever and the meter ticks like an angry metronome.

‘Your car smells new,’ I tell him.

‘We are trying our level best, sir,’ he answers. ‘These days things are so tough.’

‘Why?’

‘We don’t know if the Europeans will keep coming,’ he responds. As we pull out of the parking lot, he puts on black-framed sunglasses. A strip of masking tape holds one of the sidepieces together.

‘Is this your first time in Zimbabwe, sir?’ he asks.

‘My first time outside the United States.’

‘You are from America, sir?’

‘Yes, Wisconsin. A very cold place in the Midwest.’

‘I think at school we once learned that they produce cheese in Wis-consin, sir.’

‘That’s right. Wisconsin is famous for cheese and the Green Bay Packers.’

Despite his politeness, I’m starting to worry about the driver. I don’t see many people or houses. I’ve asked no one about taxis or crime. I am at his mercy in this land of reconciliation.

‘Sir, what’s a Packer?’ he asks.

‘It’s a football team,’ I reply. ‘It’s a little hard to explain.’ A stadium full of freezing people with their faces painted yellow and green is hard to explain.

Keep reading (pdf download)

About the author

James Kilgore first made news in South Africa when he was arrested in Cape Town in 2002. He had been living under the alias Dr. John Pape and become a respected academic at the University of Cape Town. U.S. authorities extradited him to California where he served six and a half years in prison. He was released 10 May 2009.

Kilgore grew up in California and lived in the volatile San Francisco Bay Area during the late 60s and early 70s. He became immersed in left-wing politics, eventually linking up with the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA). His involvement with the SLA led to an indictment for possession of explosives in 1975. Kilgore then fled the law for 27 years, living in Zimbabwe, Australia and South Africa. He abandoned the politics violence, focusing on a career as an educator. He resided in Harare, the site of We Are All Zimbabweans Now, from 1982-91. There he met his wife, Terri and also wrote a doctoral dissertation on the history of domestic workers in Zimbabwe.

From Harare Kilgore and Terri moved to South Africa where he worked as an educator and director for both Khanya College in Johannesburg and the International Labour Research and Information Group (ILRIG) in Cape Town. He earned a reputation as a champion of workers and the poor.

The author currently lives with Terri and their two sons, in Illinois, U.S.A. We Are All Zimbabweans Now is his first novel and his first publication under his real name. He is currently working on manuscripts of seven other novels which he wrote during his incarceration. Umuzi looks forward to a long and productive relationship with this blossoming writer.

Book details