Thomas Mofolo

Thomas Mofolo Mokopu ( born December 22, 1876 in Khojane at Mafeteng in Basutoland, now Lesotho, † September 8, 1948 in Teyateyaneng in Basutoland ) was an African writer.

Life

Thomas Mofolo was born as the second son of Christian married couple Abiner Mofolo and Aleta Mputi. He belonged to the people of the Basotho. Mofolo attended the elementary school of the Missionary Society " Société des Mission Evangélique de Paris ", a forerunner of today's Lesotho Evangelical Church, in the south Qomoqomong Basutolands. He attended school in the same missionary society Masitise the Senqu. Mofolo was confirmed on 26 August 1894. He then began a career in the printing and publishing of the Missionary Society in Moriah. In 1896 he entered the teacher training college of Moriah, where he 1898 teaching certificate earned. Then he returned to the publisher. Because of the Second Boer War he made in 1900 as a carpenter at the Leloaleng Technical School of Missionary Society to, then work from 1901 as a teacher, first in the northern Cape in Maseru. During this time Mofolos began work as a writer. He led three marriages, from which emerged three daughters and three sons. 1908 was in addition to various smaller fonts before a first version of Chaka, but only in 1926 was released. The book was written in Mofolos native language Sesotho, the publisher did not want to publish but. There followed a time of crisis. On March 23, 1910 Mofolo gave up his activity in Moriah, moved to Zambia in the local copper mining area and then to the Witwatersrand in South Africa. From 1912 he hired for a mining company working in Basutoland, an activity that continued until 1928. 1916 Mofolo started his own business and founded a flour mill in Teyateyaneng, which he sold in 1928. He was also active politically at this time, criticized the excesses of the chief rule and became a member of the Basutoland Progressive Association. After 1928 leased and managed Mofolo different farms with limited success and eventually opened a boarding house in Matatiele. In 1940 he returned to Teyateyaneng. In 1941 he suffered a stroke, the consequences of which he could overcome only partially. On September 8, 1948 Thomas Mofolo died.

Works (selection)

• Chaka Zulu ( Manesseplatz library of world literature, ISBN 3-7175-1748-1 ); Biography was first published in 1926 in Sesotho
• Pitseng ( German: In pot or Pitseng ( place name in Basutoland, now Lesotho) ), Bildungsroman
• Moeti oa bochabela ( German: The Ostpilger ), Roman

A more detailed discussion of the Chaka can be found in the above-mentioned Manesseplatz edition, pp. 316 ff, where can be found starting on page 299 also a biography of Thomas Mofolo.

Services

With his works Mofolo took on historical events. Yet his novel Chaka Chaka Zulu chief stands out over the ( 1787-1828 ). This refers to the importance of the man Chaka himself as to the intensity of Mofolos language and the conflict between natural religion and Christianity shown. In all his works of this conflict is in the foreground. In Chaka, the reader is confronted with a brutality and irrationality African- animistic exercise of power that is displaced in Europe partially. Mofolo faced in his novels Africa with the Christian ethics of responsibility and takes them consistently used as a benchmark.

The book Chaka considered the most important piece of prose that has ever been written in Sesotho. The library of the National University of Lesotho is therefore called the author in honor of Thomas Mofolo Library ( German: Thomas Mofolo Library).

The Township Mofolo in Soweto in South Africa was named after Thomas Mofolo.

The produced since 1986, successful television series Shaka Zulu is not based on the book by Thomas Mofolo.

• Author
• African Literature
• Literature ( 20th century)
• Novel, epic
• Lesother
• Born 1876
• Died in 1948
• Man