WHEN RAIN CLOUDS GATHER BY BESSIE HEAD SUMMARY

WHEN RAIN CLOUDS GATHER BY BESSIE HEAD

SUMMARY, SYNOPSIS, CRITICAL EVALUATION AND DERIVED QUESTIONS

When Rain Clouds Gather is Bessie Head’s first novel. Like much of her other writing, including the short stories she was known for, the novel deals with the effects of apartheid in South Africa. Bessie Head’s writing was actually one of the first ways that many outsiders became aware of the troubling political system of apartheid. The trials and tribulations of her characters while dealing with the segregationist political system, under which blacks were systematically abused, can be seen throughout her works, including in When Rain Clouds Gather.

In the novel, the main protagonist, Makhaya Maseko, flees from the racially charged environment in South Africa to neighboring Botswana, where the story itself takes place. He was involved in a bomb plot back in South Africa, and as the political system is particularly violent towards blacks, he must flee for his life. In Botswana, he befriends Dinorego, and after a time, decides to stay in the village of Golema Mmidi. Makhaya is introduced to a British agriculturalist named Gilbert who is also staying in the village. Dinorego speaks highly of Gilbert, saying that the man is his son and a giving person.

Makhaya also learns that Gilbert has been working on a cattle cooperative for the past three years. Though the villagers are excited about the possibilities of the project, which would make them more independent, Chief Matenge is not happy with Gilbert’s work. In fact, Matenge, who is portrayed as spoiled and authoritarian, has been sent to the village specifically by his brother Sekoto to ensure that Gilbert does not cause too much trouble with his cooperative plans. From all accounts, Matenge and Gilbert are at war over the cooperative and its potential success.