Abstract

ABSTRACT This article explores the polysemy and ambivalence of “home” in Niq Mhlongo’s Way Back Home, identifying “home” as a place of belonging and origin, as well as a repository of history. It begins by situating the novel in a post-apartheid context, identifying the allegorical potential of its main characters. The article primarily focusses on the material and spiritual journeys of Kimathi, the novel’s protagonist, while also giving consideration to the journey of his victim, Senami (alias Lady Comrade Mkabayi). Informed by Homi Bhabha’s conception of the unhomely, this article argues that the loss of home constitutes a trauma of displacement for Kimathi and considers whether his return home suggests the possibility of closure for both him and South Africa as a nation. Finally, it observes how Way Back Home invokes Njabulo Ndebele’s assertion that South Africans are “yet to return home” to justice and the ideals of democracy.

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