Welcome to our Hillbrow by Phaswane Mpe is a second person narration
that talks to the protagonist of the story Refentse who is already deceased.
The novel deals with Xenophobia, poverty, AIDS and crime taken place in
Johannesburg, South Africa. Mpe’s narrative point of view is mixed with the
characters points of view in a very unique way. He does a good job of using
different perspectives to make everything connect particularly by using his
point of view. He explains in his novel , why Refentse commited suicide, there
where actions that led to it. For instance Refentse is in love with Lerato and
one day he comes home to find his friend Sammy who his been friends with for a
long while having sex with Lerato the girl he really adores. The sight of this
scene drove him to commit suicide by
jumping off a building, one can argue he had a mental break down which led to
him jumping. Reminds me a little bit about Romeo and Juliet but back to the novel.
The lack of knowledge portrays the series of
problems that the people of Tiragalong faced. The repetition of the phrase
"Welcome to our Hillbrow" emphasizes the daily troubles that the
people of Hillbrow go through. To them, it is nothing new, like HIV, AIDS,
suicides and violence that cuts short
the promise of young people’s lives. Mpe is bringing us into the life style and
tributes of the people of South Africa , from his descriptive ways he sets the
scene and makes us the reader feel like we are involved in the story and life’s
of the people. The author's reference to heaven in my opinion pays respect to the falling citizens who have been affected by the crisis and issues going on signifying the loss of life due to the killings and suicide rates of the people.
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