The Heart Of Redness

Red is the traditional color of the Xhosa, and along with the Thembu and Bomvana, they are known as “the red ones.” As a result, “redness” is used as an insult by the proponents of development who view traditional ways as backward and unbecoming: “They want us to remain in our wildness! [...] To remain red all our lives! To stay in the darkness of redness!” (71). When Bhonco confronts Camagu about supporting conservation over development, he shouts, “So I was right. You have chosen your side already. I defended you when the villagers were accusing you of taking the side of redness” (145). When NoPetticoat tells her daughter how much she likes the traditional clothing made by the cooperative, Xoliswa Ximiya responds, “They are the clothes of the amaqaba, mother—of the red people who have not yet seen the light of civilization” (227). However, the color red continues to have special meaning for the Xhosa. Both Zim and Qukezwa decorate themselves with red ochre in honor of their ancestors. 

“Redness” signifies the tension between those that would abandon the past in the name of civilization, and those that find value in conserving both tradition and the past.