Irony in the Madonna of Excelsior

730 Words3 Pages
“All these things flow from the sins of our mothers.” (Mda, Z. 2002:1). In 1971, the Excelsior case rocked South Africa. Nineteen black women and a few prominent white Afrikaners were caught contravening the Immorality Act, which forbid sexual relations between people of different races. Mda’s novel, The Madonna of Excelsior, is based upon this case. Niki, the main character, is one of the Excelsior nineteen and her daughter, Popi, is the result of her affair with a white farmer. “She knew that the priest must have been wondering why Popi was so different from other children. Why she was so light in complexion. Why her eyes were blue, and why she had flowing locks.” (2002:3). Father Frans Claerhout, the priest, is a real-life artist. The novel opens with Father Claerhout’s character using Niki in a painting and depicting her as the Madonna, along with her daughter, Popi. Niki poses for Father Claerhout because she has been left destitute by the immorality trials. “Although her visit to Thaba Nchu had not been a success, she was grateful that the priest had given her a few coins for her trouble.” (2002:3). The novel moves between the apartheid era and the post-apartheid era. Tjaart Cronje is Popi’s half-brother; the legitimate white son of Popi’s father. Tjaart, Popi and even Father Claerhout are all weighed down by the baggage of racism and oppression. Popi carries the biggest burden because her baggage manifests in her physical appearance. As a ‘coloured’ she does not fit in and ultimately cannot find her place in life. She is too black for the apartheid era and too white for the post-apartheid era. In every new chapter, Mda opens with colourful imagery, which highlights the irony evident throughout the novel. “The musician’s hat is an overripe tomato. Brown hair peeped under the brim.” (2002:5). “A red sun oozes out of the sky. It drips down on the
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