OMOSEYE BOLAJI AND HIS WORKS (revised and updated)

By Kgang Abel Motheane

This piece is intended as a sort of introduction to Omoseye Bolaji’s ever increasing literary output. Many people can not reconcile his prodigious contributions to journalism - eg the fact that Bolaji has written for, and edited many South African publications- but in this article we are focusing on most of his books.

Impossible Love (2000) is perhaps Bolaji’s most famous novel, a hit with readers, male and female, and a popular read at libraries across the country. The stunning story of a gentleman who somehow found himself later falling in love with his own daughter (!) is one that will always fascinate.

After the publication of The Ghostly Adversary (2001) Bolaji’s reputation as a skilled, fascinating African novelist was arguably assured, whether he published other works or not. In this highly readable book that "no true reader would be able to put down" we are cleverly guided through a series of well planned, sustained violence and mystery with the pivotal “Mr. Tortoise” an enigmatic person till the end of the book.

The "Tebogo mystery" series of books was born in 2000 when Bolaji published Tebogo Investigates in which he introduces the "detective" Tebogo Mokoena. The first book, now in retrospect, does not look as impressive as it once was, but the initial party scene in that first adventure is still etched in the mind.

Tebogo’s spot of bother (2001), the second of the series, was a real triumph with a double or triple gripping twist at the end of the book that would bring any reader of the book out in sweat. This was also the time when Bolaji began to write the detective series in the first person, bringing Tebogo closer to our hearts

Tebogo Fails (2003) maintained the puzzling nature of the Tebogo novelettes. In this story set in Botshabelo, the thing that strikes one most is that Tebogo goes on to fall in love! "the type of romantic love in Impossible love on a minuscule scale " as Flaxman Qoopane commented. Yet Tebogo still solves the baffling mystery in the third adventure in the end.

Ask Tebogo (2004) is the longest, and reveals what seemed like Bolaji’s pessimistic approach to his then writings (a follow up to People of the Townships). He introduces essays into the story,(mystery) in the latest of the Tebogo series.

Strangely enough within the last few years Omoseye Bolaji has seemed to re-discover a somewhat rich vein of creative form, especially as regards churning out new adventures of Tebogo Mokoena the detective. In 2008 he published the celebrated Tebogo and the Haka which inter alia adumbrates the intriguing dramatic performance of the Haka by the New Zealand Rugby squad.

Tebogo and the epithalamion (2009) and Tebogo and the pantophagist (2010) soon followed by the author. Both works are rather different from the others as there is really no blood-shed or violence. The stories are more like “fun-filled fiction” despite the twists and turns. Tebogo himself becomes more cerebral and conciliatory. Ever more articles have been published on the exploits of the Free State based sleuth in recent times.

The year 2012 opened on a good note for Bolaji, and especially followers of the Tebogo Mystery series. The eighth book in the series came out, titled Tebogo and the Bacchae. This new adventure is NOT written in the first person like the preceding six books in the series were. No doubt as time goes on, the literary commentators and reviewers will have more to say about this new work.

But some years ago by the time Bolaji published People of The Townships (2003) the reading public had come to expect the invariable startling conclusion to his books, and he did not disappoint. People of the Townships attracted the Community Publishing Project grant from Cape Town. The book, and its denouement, reminds one in particular of the skill employed in Agatha Christie’s mystery books. But we must also note the social commentary, "moral" exhortations, in the work.

As for Bolaji’s short stories, You never know with women (2002) and The Quack of Qwaqwa (2003) are too slim for any analysis even in an article of this nature. In his book, The Guillotine (10 short stories by Bolaji) most of the stories grip us, none more so than The narrow escape.

But Bolaji has not written and published fiction only. In Fillets of Plaice (1999) Bolaji gives us glimpses into the world of journalism essentially. In Thoughts on Free State Writing (2002) - his own contribution to literary essays - we see how well-read Bolaji himself is, with a somewhat comprehensive taste. The Story of Collins Mokhoto (2000) is biographical, but NOT as regards Bolaji himself.

It was only in My life and literature (2007) that Omoseye Bolaji comes closest to writing an autobiography; but still it is far from the real thing. The work mainly celebrates two major awards the author garnered that same year: A lifetime Achievement Award, and the Chancellor’s Medal from the University of the Free State. The book however has some interesting analysis of books.

A year earlier (2006) had seen the publication of Bolaji’s only play, The subtle transgressor. The drama also has a startling finale and has been put on stage a number of times. The Sesotho translation of the play by Pule Lechesa was also very successful.

Snippets (1998, 2002, 2004, 2006 editions) contains Bolaji’s poems, and if they are not as simple as we would want them to be, perhaps it is no surprise that he is hardly regarded as a popular poet. Meanwhile Omoseye has added two more works of poetry – Reverie (2006) and Poems from Mauritius (2007). The literary allusions in Reverie probably make it an important work; whilst Poems from Mauritius might be perceived as self-indulgent.

In 2005 Bolaji published My Opinion, a collection of some of his popular columns in Free State News - "Opinion" Some years later (2010) he wrote another regular international column “Letter from South Africa” which will be issued out in book form in 2011.

*Originally published in MAFUBE NEWS, Feb 2005 edition. Updated in April 2010

WORKS BY OMOSEYE BOLAJI


Fiction

Impossible Love (2000)
Tebogo Investigates (2000)
The ghostly adversary (2001)
Tebogo’s spot of bother (2001)
People of the Townships (2003)
Tebogo Fails (2003)
Ask Tebogo (2004)
Tebogo and the haka (2008)
Tebogo and the epithalamion (2009)
Tebogo and the pantophagist (2010)
Tebogo and the Bacchae (2012)


Short stories

They Never Say When (1994)
The Guillotine (2001)
The quack of Qwaqwa (2003)

Poetry

Snippets (1998)
Reverie (2006)
Poems from Mauritius (2007)
Collected Poems (2013) - Mbali Press. Sponsored by NAC of South Africa

Literary essays/criticism

Thoughts on Free State Writing (2002)
Molebogeng Alitta Mokhuoa (2004)
Miscellaneous Writings (2011)
Cognoscenti (2016)
Sorry You've Been Troubled (forthcoming)

Biographies

The story of Collins Mokhotho (2000)
Gilbert Modise: the man and the myth (2001)
My life and literature (2007)

Drama

The subtle transgressor (2006)


General

Eagles at USA 94 (1994)
The golden pen of Eselby (1994)
Fillets of Plaice (2000)
My Opinion (2005)
It Couldn't Matter Less (2013)
KUNLE APANTAKU (2013)
Windmills of the Dames (2014)
Far Up! Far Out! Far More! (2014)

Supplementary

Omoseye Bolaji: Catalyst... By Pule Lebuso. 2001.
Omoseye Bolaji: Perspectives on his literary work. By Flaxman Qoopane. 2003
Omoseye Bolaji: Channelling one s thoughts onto paper. By Charmaine Kolwane. 2005
Omoseye Bolaji... On awards, authors, literature. By Pule Lechesa. 2007
Omoseye Bolaji: Further perspectives. By Julia Mooi. 2009
OMOSEYE BOLAJI. By Hector Kunene. 2010
Interviews with effervescent Writers. Edited by Christine Mautjana. 2012. (pages 20 –39)
OMOSEYE BOLAJI: A voyage around his literary work. By Ishmael Mzwandile Soqaga. 2012
BOLAJI IN HIS POMP. By Pule Lechesa. 2013

A review of Omoseye Bolaji's TEBOGO FAILS

By Peter Moroe


Because of the ever-expanding growth of Free State black literature, it has not always been easy to keep abreast with all the recent trends in the writing available, or even the introductory parts of it. I was delighted to read the book, get hold of the book, Perspectives on Free State Black Writing (Omnibus)(1). Here there are many essays on our local black literature with notes.

Because I seemed to have an affinity with Omoseye Bolaji’s exciting brand of fiction, I read the essays touching on his work carefully. Then when I re-read them after reading his work of fiction Tebogo Fails (2), I realized only too well the importance of one of the essays in Perspectives on FS black writing titled "Vendetta in Bolaji’s writing"(3)

Those who have not read the book Tebogo fails might prefer not to read this essay which somewhat gives the game away. Yet this book of Bolaji once again reinforces the belief that there is a lot of "vendetta" in Bolaji’s writing.

The book, Tebogo Fails starts - and ends - with some romantic undertones which for the purpose of this review I prefer to discount; wishing to get to the heart of the mystery itself. Which simply involves two murders in a certain neighbourhood in Botshabelo. A girl; ,or very young lady (around 14) is raped and murdered and soon after a gentleman (Sizwe) is brutally knifed to death too. Who could have killed them? This is what sleuth Tebogo Mokoena has to find out (4)

The murders are somewhat interlinked though we don’t know for a long time. But a pivotal figure or character is "Bareng" who seems to have suffered most from these murders. Firstly, his own younger sister, Jane, is the murdered girl; then the killed Sizwe is - was - his best friend. From all indications Bareng is a fine character and one sympathises with his losses.

The following passage is taken from Tebogo Fails: "You see, Tebs (Tebogo) Bareng is well known as the complete gentleman in this area. A bit boring perhaps, but honest, decent person… recently two people very close to Bareng have been murdered: Bareng was probably Sizwe’s best friend, and just a few weeks ago, Bareng’s younger sister, Jane was killed, her body left in a field..."

(Pages 10 and 11)

Let us look again at this passage: " (Bareng is talking here about his sister):

"I’m afraid I am a bit emotional where my little sister is concerned. She was an angel. Very responsible. By 7, 8 she was cooking fine food for the family…a delightful soul; well brought up. Rapists! Child molesters! They should all be punished... did you read the book, The Ghostly Adversary?" He did not wait for my reply. "Just deserts for rapists," he concluded (Page 16)

The interesting thing about this passage is not - as some think - that the author, Bolaji - took the chance to "plug" a book of his, The Ghostly Adversary. No, the main thing is the recurrent idea of revenge, vendetta, that the author re-inforces here. It is clear that Bolaji believes in "just deserts" in this wise.

By the time we get to the end of the book, Tebogo Fails we realize that it is Bareng himself who killed his "good friend" Sizwe! Why? Some excerpts from the book here as Tebogo investigates:

Bareng talking: "Tebogo, I could not believe what I was hearing (after Sizwe had confessed to killing his sister). The bastard. Thinking about the outrageous way my sister had died I made up my mind that Sizwe must not get away with this... I did what had to be done. I got in front of him and plunged the knife into his chest. Wiped my fingerprints off it. The bastard deserved to die!"
(Page 52)

But what we should note is that the narrator ("Tebogo" - as the book is written in the first person)) and of course Bolaji himself, is only too anxious for Bareng to get away with his ruthless murder. As Tebogo first muses, then says:

"I certainly would not expose him; rather I’d claim I had failed to unravel the mystery. Lets forget about what we discussed (Bareng’s confession) today, eh?"
(Page 52)

The point here is that Bareng plunges the knife into his friend after he realizes he killed his sister. It is a clear case of revenge or vendetta which our Tebogo - and of course Bolaji - fully supports. Tebogo would rather tell the whole world that he had "failed" to discover the secret behind these Botshabelo murders, than have Bareng arrested or impugned...

NOTES

1. Perspectives on Free State Black Writing (Omnibus edition) By MA Mokhuoa. 2003
2. Tebogo Fails By Omoseye Bolaji. Drufoma 2003. Republished 2005 and 2008
3. "Vendetta in Bolaji’s fiction" By D. Xangaza. Published in "Perspectives on Free State Black Writing"
4. Bolaji has now published seven books on the investigator Tebogo Mokoena - in order of publication, the four books are: Tebogo Investigates (2000), Tebogo’s spot of bother (2001), Tebogo Fails (2003),Ask Tebogo (2004), Tebogo and the Haka (2008), Tebogo and the epithalamion (2009), and Tebogo and the pantophagist (2010)

* First published in The growth of Free State Black Writing Journal (2005). Slightly edited and brought up to date here