Bessie Head (1937-1986) was a prominent South African writer born in Pietermaritzburg, whose tumultuous upbringing as an illegitimate child shaped her literary voice. In her novel 'When Rain Clouds Gather,' she explores themes of social marginalization, identity, and the search for personal freedom against the backdrop of apartheid and tribalism in Botswana. The work emphasizes the importance of agriculture and community resilience, portraying a struggle for hope and transformation amidst poverty and oppressive societal structures.

2.  Bessie Amelia Emery Head, known as
Bessie Head (6 July 1937 – 17 April
1986) was a South African writer of
great stature who was born in KZN's
Pietermaritzburg in the late 30s. She
was a coloured, illegitimate and
unwanted child who confronted
emotional torture and bruises and also
psychological violence right from the
beginning of her life. Her mother was
White, and came from an affluent and
luxurious background, who according to
the laws of the time contravened the
norm by involving herself in a romantic
relationship with a black poor man.
Due to that, she became an outcast in
the family, her pregnancy (that
produced Bessie Head) became a
disgrace to family. In the then
Apartheid South Africa union between
Whites and Blacks was a social taboo,
it was detestable according to the laws
of the time.

3.  Her writings uncovered the trauma
and torture of being an unwanted
child, a child lacking identity and
belongingness. She talks about the
search for a “self” and freedom ,
she wants freedom from all the
oppressive and hostile social
structures that marginalized and
disadvantaged the poor Blacks in
South Africa. In her works she
presents issues such social
marginalization, social exclusion and
social disadvantage. She
challenges social systems that
perpetuated processes such social
stratification and differentiation. The
structures that she challenges are
products of Apartheid policies,
policies that entrenched hostility
amongst different racial and ethnic
groups in South Africa. The policies
divided the population of the country
according to race and language.
 In her “When Rain Clouds Gather” she
highlights her different life experiences
that led to her move to another
country, Botswana. The decision to
move across the South African
boarders is a result of the search for
the ‘self-discovery’ , identity and
personal freedom. Her move away
from South Africa is symbolic in the
sense that it also refers to the move
away from autocracy to democracy
and human freedom. The title of her
novel on its own embodies the ideals
of hope, peace and tranquility as in the
African perspective, the formation of
clouds and the initiation of gathering is
a symbolic of hope that someday it
will rain, something significant will
happen and the lives of rural people
will change for the better, as rural
people depended on agriculture for
survival.


4.  Bessie Head’s When Rain Clouds
Gather was first published in 1969,
Inspired by her own traumatic life
experiences as an outcast in
Apartheid South African society and
as a refugee living at the
Bamangwato Development
Association Farm in Botswana.
 The poverty-striken village of
Golema Mmidi, in the heart of rural
Botswana, is a haven to the exiles
gathered there. When a political
refugee from South Africa joins
forces with an English agricultural
expert, the time-honoured
subsistence farming is challenged.

5. SOUTH AFRICAN BOARDERS BOTSWANA BOARDERS

8. COLONIALISM
The policy or practice of acquiring full or partial control over another
country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting, as well as looting it
resources economically, penetrating it culturally, converting it
religiously and expanding their influence politically over the colonies.
Therefore, Apartheid in South Africa was introduced to keep the local
people disfranchised and oppressed. For example, Makhaya Maseko
fled from South Africa because of political unrest (Apartheid).
THE COLONISATION / SCRAMBLE FOR AFRICA
The Scramble for Africa resulted in occupation and annexation of
African territory by European powers between the 1880s and the First
World War in 1914.
As a result of the heightened tension between European states in the
last quarter of the 19th century, the partitioning of Africa may be seen
as a way for the Europeans to eliminate the threat of a European-wide
war over Africa.

11. TRIBALISM
NOUN
the state or fact of being organized in a tribe or tribes.
derogatory
the behavior and attitudes that stem from strong loyalty to one's own tribe or social
group.
"a society motivated by cultural tribalism“
When considering the novel When Rain Clouds Gather , the theme of tribalism is a very
broad one. The plot is centred around the tribal society of Golema Mmidi and the trials
and tribulations of the protagonist, Makhaya. Throughout the novel we observe a
society that takes into consideration the roles of men and women, therefore, the plot is
centred around the notion that each gender should stick to its designated roles, and not
the other way.
Men in the village are determined by their masculine identity as they are seen as
providers for their rural families. Whilst, women are expected to stick to their traditional
roles of preparing food and taking care of their children and families. Although to some
extent this may seem as sexist. This has assisted in keeping the small villages
functioning for many a generations, and therefore can be seen as a part of tribal life
along with principles of egalitarianism and society for people living in Golema Mmidi.

12. In the novel, Paulina and Makhaya are two important characters. Both of them
have a tribalistic background, and we can understand some things about tribalism
through them.
Makhaya as a protagonist does not embody any tribalistic virtues, this can be seen
through his response to an elder, “”Tribalism is meat and drink to them.‟ „Oh
Papa,‟ he said. „I just want to step on free ground. I don't care about… anything.””
(pg. 4)
Quotes
“Look here, I'm no tribalist…”
“It's just a tribal name…”
On the other hand, Paulina was a tribal woman, she has lived in Botswana all her
life. She is a northerner, and they pride themselves in being inexplicable to the rest
of the country. She married a foreigner at the age of 18 who was also a tribalist.
Quotes
“I must see the body… it is our custom”
[Paulina] married, at the age of 18, a foreign man

13. Paramount Chief Sekoto is a tribal Chief who valued progress in his
village, he loved women, money and prosperity. He attended all the
funerals of the poor in the village, even accepted responsibility to bury
those who were too poor to bury themselves, and had built a school
here and a reservoir there.
Sub-Chief Matenge is an antagonist which is a younger brother of
Chief Sekoto, he was unpopular and hated by many because of his
treacherous ways. He was greedy, hated progress and imagined
enemies everywhere , even when there was none.

14. TRADITIONS IN COEXISTANCE WITH AGRICULTURE
Gilbert is an English scientist who tries to help the people of
Botswana, and specifically
GolemaMmidi, by introducing new crops, such as tobacco, and
new farming techniques, such as cooperatives. Although Gilbert
is trying to better the lives of the people in GolemaMmidi, he is
not
always regarded as the right path to follow, and so Gilbert
attempts to make a balance between his
new agricultural methods, and the traditional methods of the
people from GolemaMmidi.
Gilbert’s work is described as “harmonious”. This gives an
impression of Gilbert as the heart of the
clock, or the person who is required in order for everything to
work. Without Gilberts work in GolemaMmidi, Makhaya would
most probably not have stayed in GolemaMmidi

15. This novel is set during the era of Apartheid South Africa, in the late 1960’s. Golema Mmidi, the
place in which most of the story is based, is a village located on the Eastern part of Botswana. It is a
village with many inequalities. In the novel, the Paramount Chief is a large, rich man who owns a
sports car, lives in a mansion and feeds off of the meat and crops produced by the other, much
poorer villagers who are living off of the bare minimum, as well as the local chief, his brother
Matenge who is also extremely wealthy in comparison with the villagers.
It is clearly shown through out the novel just how dependent the people of GolemaMmidi are of
the land and their agricultural ways. This is shown in the ways that crops are grown all year round in
order to survive. The people are unable to provide enough crops to create a sufficient profit, and
can only provide enough to sustain themselves, mainly due to the difficult terrain and climate of
Botswana.
This extreme climate is well explained in the amount of rainfall which falls in GolemaMmidi. This is
only 550mm of rain every year, and is one of the main reasons why it is so hard to grow the main
crops in GolemaMmidi. This low rainfall also results in the need to graze the cattle over very large
areas. This is seen in the novel when Paulina’s son takes their cattle for very long walks in search of
food and water for the cattle.
The land and Agriculture is the villages lifeline, and without their numerous agricultural methods,
both traditional and new methods from Gilbert, the village of GolemaMmidi would not have a
direction or meaning to fulfill, and would therefore not survive.

16.  Use this summary as a broad and superficial overview of the
story.
 Interrogate and engage the text further. Read between and
along the line to unpack the text and draw sound (justifiable)
conclusions about the characters and associated events.
 This summary should be used as secondary support material.
 When 'the rain clouds gather', there will always be an illusion of
freedom and batter life ahead. There is light of at the end of the
tunnel, change and social transformation are possible. Today
South Africa is free and/or better because of people who risked
their lives and fought against the social ills with great
determination, patience, vigor, etc. ultimately cloud hanging over
South Africa got cleared. Literature (novels and other forms of
writing) was also used quite immensely to raise consciousness, to
mobilize, to educate, to influence, etc. South Africans. Literature
was (is) a tool for advancing social transformation agenda. “When
Rain Clouds Gather” is such a genre, it is a deeply political and
polemical piece of writing. To enjoy it you must know where you
come from.

17. Head, B. (1969). When Rain Clouds Gather. Botswana: EN.
Forbes, B. (2012). Botswana With Pride of Africa. Botswana: Maun.
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Cummins, M.R. (2011). Student Ideas On Tribalism WRCG.
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Innequalities in Golima mmidi
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