264 BOOK REVIEWSAfrican Ngangas Herbalists Association of Africa. These associations issuetheir own medical certificates and diplomas and badges. All this is designedto protect themselves against extinction and to retain public confidence.Chavunduka also shows how through the cash economy, traditional healingis being transformed form a healing service into a profit-making enterprise.Chavunduka's book is generally interesting and represents, in a veryschematic way, a modest beginning in an important and fascinating field ofstudy. It goes beyond the typical descriptive method of some anthropologists.We can conclude from this study that the traditional healer is still holdingsway and that his services often meet felt needs, and that he has a bigrole to play in the treatment of millions of patients in Rhodesia or perhapsthroughout Black Africa.It is, however, necessary to enter a word of caution. The analysispresented in the book is mainly based upon research in one township, High-field, which is in no sense representative of the whole of Rhodesia. Howfar it is possible to draw generalized conclusions from this analysis is,therefore, a moot point. Also, the book is, unfortunately, padded out withnumerous and long quotations from text books which could have beenreduced to a minimum and only referred to in a paraphrased manner.University of Rhodesia J. C. KUMBIRAIA Shona Urban Court By G. Chavunduka. Gwelo, Mambo Press, OccasionalPaper, Socio-Economic Series No. 14, 1979, 70pp., ZR$2,25.In this brief survey Professor Chavunduka sets out to trace the history,function, the proceedings and the type of cases brought before the MakoniCourt in St Mary's Township near Salisbury. The Court is the traditionaldare, though modified, in an urban setting. It was instituted at the requestof Mr Makoni and the residents of St Mary's Township. It was initiallyestablished on a local basis in 1962 but soon attracted litigants from all overSalisbury's townships.The court primarily solves social problems that, the residents consider,the District Commissioners cannot satisfactorily arbitrate; such cases includedisputes between husbands and wives, disputes between neighbours, betweenboys and their girl friends, and adultery. Difficult cases are referred to theD.C.; these include divorce, and disputes over custody of children. Someother cases are referred to the chief as they demand a ritual settlement;incest is one of such cases.The author observed a number of innovations at this court such asthe taking of the oath to God, and the keeping of records of court proceed-ings. A most peculiar innovation is that a man who gives any woman *o*a*money in return for sexual favours is guilty of promoting prostitution.If the reader is looking for a systematic analysis of this research,he will be disappointed. There is an absence of a coherent thematic develop-ment. The case material itself is hastily treated and the book is reduced toa superficial description of a variety of themes not directly related to thecourt or the research. Digressions occupy almost 70 per cent of the text. Forexample, in Chapter-2 the author deals at great length with witchcraft andsocial functions, bringing in irrelevant quotations that have nothing to doBOOK REVIEWS 265with his topic. In Chapter 4 the author wanders off from the mapoto (illegal)marriage to the function and advantages of polygamy, advantages of mono-gamy over polygamy and forms of polygamy among Christians Š noneof which directly relate to the topic at issue.The author overstresses that children are regarded as an importantsource of labour, social and political support. This may be true but heforgets that the overwhelming desire for children is that when parents dieit is only through their children and grandchildren that they are believedto express their ego. They cannot come back to demand anything unlessthere is someone to demand it from. They cannot be honoured unless thereis someone to honour them. To leave no issue means complete oblivion.Although the book, in my opinion, has a limited appeal, it will be usefulto researchers working on similar themes and to Europeans wanting to knowsomething about Shona customs and the changes that are taking place in anurban setting, but outside these groups few, in my opinion, will find it ofmuch value.University of Rhodesia J. C. KUMBIRAICI,L