Niketche — a story of polygamy is the best known work of writer Paulina Chiziane and tells the story of the narrator-character Rami, who joins the four lovers of her husband, Tony, to form a large family. In this way, they accept to share the love of the same man.
The book is marked by the stream of consciousness of the character Rami, who analyzes her place as a woman in Mozambican society in the post-civil war period. Thus, Paulina Chiziane occupies her place in the history of literature in Mozambique and becomes one of the main African authors.
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work summary Niketche — a story of polygamy
Mozambican novel from the post-independence period.
Its author is writer Paulina Chiziane.
Historical context: post-Mozambican civil war.
She discusses polygamy relationships in African culture.
She reflects on female submission.
Analysis of the work Niketche — a story of polygamy
Characters of the work Niketche — a story of polygamy
Juliet: Tony's second wife.
Levy: Tony's brother.
Luísa: Tony's third wife.
Maria: aunt of Rami.
Mauá: Tony's fifth wife.
Rami or Rosa Maria: Tony's wife.
Saly: Tony's fourth wife.
Tony or António Tomás: husband of Rami.
Vito: Luisa and Rami's lover.
construction time Niketche — a story of polygamy
The narrative time is not specified. However, it is clear that the action takes place after the Mozambican civil war, that is, after 1992.
construction space Niketche — a story of polygamy
Tony's women come from Mozambican locations such as Matutuíne, Zambézia, Nampula and Cabo Delgado, but the main action takes place in southern Mozambique, in the city of Maputo.
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plot of the work Niketche — a story of polygamy
O romance é narrated in first person by the character Rami and it starts with an incident, that is, Betinho, his youngest son, breaks the window of a car. The car owner is very angry. She apologizes and promises that her husband, Tony, who is the police commander, will fix the problem.
The narrator-character, all the time, resorts to the stream of consciousness to reflect on her condition as a Mozambican woman. She is not Tony's only wife, he has children with a certain Juliet. Rami decides to confront her rival, goes to her house and says she's there to look for her husband.
The protagonist can't contain herself, and the two women start a melee fight. Rami gets the worst of it, gets all bruised and, surprisingly, Julieta takes care of the other's wounds. They talk, and the narrator learns the story of her rival, who hasn't seen Tony for seven months. So, Rami pities the other and, later, reflects:
In some regions of northern Mozambique, love is made up of sharing. A woman is shared with the friend, with the noble visitor, with the circumcised brother. Wife is water that is served to the hiker, to the visitor. The love relationship is a footprint in the sand of the sea that the waves erase. But it leaves marks. A single family can be a mosaic of colors and races according to the type of visits the family has, because a woman is a fertility. This is why, in many regions, children are named after their mother. In human reproduction, only the mother is right. In the south, the situation is quite different. The woman is only given to her brother by blood or circumcision when the man is barren.
Afterwards, Rami decides to meet Luísa, Tony's third wife. Upon arriving at the other's house, she again engages in physical struggle. They end up being arrested and become friends. Then Rami goes to meet Saly, Tony's fourth wife. And then Mauá, the fifth wife of her husband. Therefore, the narrator concludes:
My Tony's heart is a constellation of five points. A pentagon. I, Rami, am the first lady, the queen mother. Then comes Julieta, the deceived, occupying the post of second lady. Luisa follows, the desired one, in the place of third lady. Saly is in the mood, it's the fourth. Finally, Mauá Sualé, the beloved, the youngest, newly acquired. Our home is a six-point polygon. It's polygamous. A loving hexagon.
From there, Rami starts to reflect on polygamy and the social roles. So, she is invited to a birthday party for Luísa's son, meets the other's lover and ends up having a sexual relationship with him. And the two start sharing the same lover, whose name is Vito.
Rami decides to reunite all of her husband's wives to discuss their situation. The narrator proposes that they unite. So, on Tony's 50th birthday, Rami invites her husband's wives and the children they have had with him. Tony is surprised, embarrassed, angry and ends up running away.
So, they decide to make a "marital schedule", so that Tony spends a week in each house, but he ends up getting involved with another woman, and that worries the other five. And, realizing Rami's leadership, Tony decides to divorce her, out of revenge, as punishment.
The woman does not accept the divorce, but soon the news comes that Tony was run over and died. However, the dead man's body is unrecognizable. According to tradition, Rami gives herself to Levy, her husband's brother, but Tony returns to find that he has been presumed dead.
Finally, Luísa leaves Tony, marries Vito and invites Rami to be his “second wife”. The remaining women then decide to fill Luisa's vacant place with a new woman for Tony, Saluá. But Tony rejects her and then finds out that Rami is going to have a child by Levy and thus the dance of love (niketche) comes to an end.
Characteristics of the work Niketche — a story of polygamy
Paulina Chiziane is an author of post-independence Mozambican literature. In her works, included Niketche — a story of polygamy, the female voice stands out, which makes a reflection on the condition of black women in Mozambican society. In this way, the narrator makes a critique of customs.
Divided into 43 chapters, the novel is centered on the stream of consciousness of the narrator-character, which analyzes, with a lyrical language, her condition and that of other women linked to the tradition of a patriarchal society. Thus, it shows a female reality marked by submission and enriched by cultural plurality.
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Paulina Chiziane
![Paulina Chiziane, in photo by Otávio de Souza, in 2008. [2]](/f/b545628a4dc5119d35869f4843cae322.jpg)
Paulina Chiziane was born on June 4, 1955, in the city of Manjacaze, in Mozambique. Her father was Protestant and opposed to Portuguese colonization. Despite this, she attended primary school at a Catholic school. She later graduated from the Maputo Commercial School and began studies in linguistics at the Eduardo Mondlane University.
Before Mozambique's independence in 1975, she was involved with the Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (Frelimo). During the civil war period, she worked with the Red Cross. With the pacification, in 1992, he joined the Nucleus of Women's Associations of Zambézia (Nafeza). Won the José Craveirinha Award for the romance Niketche — a story of polygamy, published in 2002.
Historical context of Niketche — a story of polygamy
After signing the General Peace Agreement in 1992, the Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo) continued to be a political force in opposition to the government of the Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (Frelimo). Despite the ceasefire, conflicts between the members of these two parties continued to threaten peace.
So it's in this context of political and social instability that the narrative Niketche — a story of polygamy develops. Like other works from the post-independence period, it seeks to value cultural diversity, in order to show that it should be used not to separate, but to foster the country's unity.
Image credits
[1] Companhia das Letras Group (reproduction)
[2] Wikimedia Commons (reproduction)
by Warley Souza
Literature teacher
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/literatura/niketche-uma-historia-de-poligamia.htm