Book Review: The Sacred Passage

Reviewed by J.B. Leddington

Political hope quickly turns to horror when an unabashed despot is given unchecked power over his people.

A political satire of the most brutal and bloody kind, Mwana waMusikavanhu’s The Sacred Passage takes the newfound independence of an African nation and the unchecked power of its new Prime Minister as the starting point for an exposé of the dangerous and dramatic way in which absolute power corrupts absolutely. A shocking indictment of political corruption, greed, and complicity, it reveals in sometimes painful detail the extent to which people will go to gain and retain authority and all its trappings.

“Runo” Runobvepi has just been declared Prime Minister-elect of an unnamed African nation. “He had not shown any visible relief or the smiles of a winner. It all appeared normal for this former rebel and terrorist leader.” Rather, his immediate focus is on paperwork and securing the means to ensure that he retains leadership of the Party going forward. In this regard, his wife, Lady Marunjaya, is in complete agreement. “Civilian life was not part of her plan during her life again, and the two seemed to have been cast from the same mould.”

Still, Lady Marunjaya has more insight into the bigger picture than her husband, admittedly likely due to a strong sense of self-preservation rather than an altruistic impulse, recognizing that it is not only political allies and rivals who need to be kept in check: “The locals got nothing for their war scars and trauma. Their situation was never going to change except that they could sing freedom.” She displays a real fear that the people, having demonstrated their anger and commitment in the recent war, might rise up again if their lives are not improved:

“There is land to nationalise and redistribute, the economy to revitalise, grow and   create employment, health services, education. You are inheriting a debt of nearly $1 billion, and the list is endless.”

However, given that his leadership is tied to the celebration of the country’s independence from colonial rule, Runo believes he is safe to concentrate on other matters:

“Remember, mine is the power to safeguard, cement and consolidate. I never mentioned all those other castles in the air in my victory speech, and therefore, I cannot be held to account for that which I never promised. Power, therefore, shall be my only preoccupation.”

As a consequence, Runo focuses on consolidating his power through forming short-lived alliances, altering the education system, and leveraging formerly hated legislation from colonial days rather than seeking to build the wealth and prosperity of the country. He also demonstrates a willingness to engage in overt oppression when he deems it necessary, including sentencing enemies to trumped-up jail terms and expelling rivals from the government. He manages to find the time to shmooze with former foreign enemies too. 

Still, as a three-year famine rages, the rumblings of insurrection continue to grow and Runo takes further, increasingly radical steps. “He suppressed the level of publicity to counter what the international press was doing. He also allocated a small army to attend to critical areas where, at times, curfews or a state of emergency were declared.” And when such steps no longer prove sufficient, “Runo had seized the opportunity to liquidate and crush those who chose to remain independent, free or defiant and all elements that were unwelcome in Runo’s nation.” 

As the years pass and the country slips into further decline, with the people displaying increasing dissatisfaction, neighboring countries exerting pressure for reform, and earlier foreign sponsors changing tack, Runo’s rigging of the electoral system and besmirching of his opponents mean that he manages to cling onto power. In fact, he soon becomes President, making it even less likely that he will be easily toppled, which sets the scene for an even greater descent into depravity, corruption, and brutal murder, one that will have devastating consequences for the country as a whole for decades to come.

The country in which these shocking events unfold is not named in The Sacred Passage, nor is the time in which it is set specified, although details sprinkled throughout the story indicate the setting to be Zimbabwe, the period to be 1980 onwards, and Runo to be very much based on Robert Mugabe. Other real people can also be identified from their characters’ names and/or attributes, including Margaret Thatcher and Queen Elizabeth II, indicating the extent to which the story is true. Such details enhance the worldbuilding and backstory of the novel, although the lack of specificity actually highlights the universal nature of the central themes.   

While Runo is a particular Prime Minister of a particular country, the circumstances of his rule are sadly far from unique, meaning that his story can be interpreted in relation to a host of countries and periods. As such, the novel provides a potted history lesson on events in Zimbabwe since independence, albeit one that is told with verve and intensity, and a stark warning about the dangers of unchecked political power. Furthermore, even without the link to real people and events, the novel is both entertaining and shocking, capturing attention from the outset with its slow-building tension and catalogue of oppressions.

Given its action-packed and distressing subject matter, Mwana waMusikavanhu has chosen an interesting approach to relating The Sacred Passage, with the story being told in a rather detached third-person tone and events largely being explained after they have happened rather than occurring on the page. In this way, the novel again veers very much into the territory of a history book, although Musikavanhu strikes a good balance between revealing staggering events and highlighting their inhumanity. The novel is also very dialogue-heavy, which works really well due to Musikavanhu’s ability to capture tone and intention.

Saying that, The Sacred Passage is very much a character study of Runo and those closest to him, both friends and foes. Runo’s self-serving and despicable nature is clear from the outset, although he still manages to get worse as the novel progresses. “Runo […] was fragile underneath, full of cowardice, insecurity, vengefulness and temperamental, but would not hesitate to pack a ruthless punch at any slight opportunity.” The odd or even comedic aspects of his personality, particularly his tendency toward sudden rages and his familial shenanigans, are also brought out by Musikavanhu, which elucidates the absurdity that is often associated with evil.

While Runo is, unsurprisingly, the most well-drawn and complex character, Lady Marunjaya is also a very striking character, with all her self-aggrandizing and vapid moments adding further depth and sometimes even humor to the story. The alternating roster of Runo’s political allies and opponents, such as the Bellyman, the Collarman, and Marujata, add additional perspectives to the story, allowing Musikavanhu to reveal just how low and in so many ways people are willing to sink.

In particular, Musikavanhu elucidates the hypocrisy that characterizes most of the political dealings in The Sacred Passage. For instance, the Western nations are willing to overlook Runo’s many faults and even award him honors in exchange for access to the country’s resources and support against neighboring countries: “Runobvepi’s image had been made into a standard portrait of a terrorist, his rebels – the axis of evil and the worst form of any genocidal machine. All this changed in an instant.” 

For his part, Runo is willing to sacrifice his previously stated principles to maintain his current power. “He wanted to be different from other states where the white population completely disappeared after independence. If it meant sacrificing his people to keep them, he was prepared to do it.” As such, there’s never any doubt that his alliances will crumble and enemies are waiting for a chance at vengeance. 

As a whole, The Sacred Passage is a surprisingly fast-paced and impressively detailed work of political fiction with a hefty dose of reality thrown in. Through delving into the darkest recesses of political ambition and the seemingly unending capacity for complicity, Musikavanhu elucidates a tumultuous period of African history and reveals how easily such evil can take shape and how feasible it is that it might do so again.

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