The Heart Of Redness

In its different forms, water runs through the pages of The Heart of Redness. The villagers view water as both a powerful and destructive force. Qukezwa is raised to fear the sea: “Her mother, NoEngland, always warned her never to go to the sea alone or with other children” (121). As a result, Qukezwa had not learned to swim: 

Once, when she was a student at Qolorha-by-Sea Secondary School, she nearly drowned. She went to the sea with a friend without her mother’s permission. She took off her school uniform and tried to swim in her panties. She became stuck between two rocks, and couldn’t move an inch. Waves came, buried her, receded, only to come back again. She thought she was going to die (121). 

Her friend ran back to the village for help and Qukezwa was saved: “Since her mother’s death she has learned how to swim, and has become quite an expert at harvesting the sea. Now she swims with a vengeance and is not scared of the most vicious storms” (121). The water represents the need to adapt to changing circumstances. Just like the Qukezwa of the Middle Generations started harvesting shellfish to survive, this Qukezwa has mastered the elements. At the end of the book, Qukezwa tries to get Heitsi to come into the water with her: 

Oh, this Heitsi! He is afraid of the sea. How will he survive without the sea? How will he carry out the business of saving his people? Qukezwa grabs him by the hand and drags him into the water. He is screaming and kicking wildly. Wild waves come and cover them for a while, then rush back again. Qukezwa laughs excitedly. Heitsi screams even louder, pulling away from her grip, ‘No, Mama! No! This boy does not belong in the sea! This boy belongs in the man village!’ (277).

Survival depends on adaptability, and just like water changes due to its circumstances, Heitsi will have to be open to change in order to lead “his people” (277) into the future.

Just as the prophesies hold a special meaning for the Believers, the Majola snake holds an important place for the amaMpondomise clan. When this type of snake is found curled up in his bed, he stops it from being killed:

‘This snake is my totem.’ Camagu is beside himself with excitement. He has never been visited by Majola, the brown mole snake that is the totem of his clan. He has heard in stories how the snake visits every newborn child; how it sometimes pays a visit to chosen members of the clan to give them good fortune. He is the chosen one today (98). 

But like “redness,” there are different reactions to Camagu’s belief in Majola. The men who work for the hotel speak highly of Camagu:

[They] talk of Camagu in great awe. They did not expect a man with such great education, a man who has lived in the lands of the white people for thirty years, to have such respect for the customs of his people. He is indeed a man worthy of their respect (98-99). 

Xoliswa Ximiya, however, is not impressed. When Camagu disappoints her, she says, “What can we say about a man who believes in a snake?” (161). While the snake is something to be revered by Camagu, it is something to be feared by the maid who uncovered it in his bed. Even Qukezwa, who values tradition, likens Camagu’s “girlfriend,” Xoliswa Ximiya, to a snake.