80BOOK REVIEWSThe Korsten lasketmakers: A Study of the Masowe Apostles . , . By CM,Dillon-Malone, S.J. Manchester, Manchester Univ. Press for The Institute forAfrican Studies, Univ. of Zambia, 1978, xi, 169pp.» £7.50.This brief study, based upon the author's Fordham University doctorate of 1976, isprimarily concerned with religious beliefs and structure, but is limited by itsreliance GO a single grouping for its evidence in a movement that is bothgeographically widespread through southern and eastern African and rent byinternal divisions. However, like Jules-Rosette's study of the Vapostori (AfricanApostles, 1975) it usefully helps fill some of the gaps left by Daneel's concentrationon the more southern parts of Shorn country. The book is particularly welcome inits use of archival material for the early years of Johane Masowe but the history ofthe sect's return to Southern Rhodesia in 1962 is patchy; it can, however, besupplemented by reference to D. Munjeri's article (inNADA (1978), XI, (v), 497-509).R.S.R.Jack Grant's Story By G.C. Grant Guildford, Lutterwortfa Press, 1980, x,198pp., £5.95.This autobiography of 'Jack* Grant was edited by Cecil Northcott, and has aforeword by Alan Patoe and an epilogue by Garfield ToddŠa distinguished trio ofwitnesses to Grant's lifelong involvement in missionary work and thereby, becauselie lived in South Africa and Rhodesia, political activity. As the descendant of awealthy West Indian family and as a great cricketer he was an unlikely candidatefor prohibited-immigrant status in RhodesiaŠas indeed was Ms wife, the daughterof Sir Fraser Russell, a Chief Justice of Southern Rhodesia.In Zimbabwe today Jack Grant is remembered for Ms fund-raising activitiesfor Christian Care, which supported detainees and their families, and Ms help toCold Comfort Farm and numerous university students.R.S.R.Zimbabwe's Inheritance. Edited by C, Sioneman, Salisbury, The College Presswith Macmillan, 1981, xii, 234 pp., bibl., index, ZS8.95.This book has a busy editor who contributes to four of the ten chapters. The aim ofthe book Is to describe key aspects of Zimbabwe's Inheritance, these beingorganized into two areas, socio-political and economic, each taking broadly equalshares, The authors, however, attempt to piwlde more than a presentation of thestate of the State for Independence in 1980; there is also a helpful and detailedanalysis of historical de¥•lopment and, although it is the professed aim of the editorto avoid prescriptions or recommendations for the future, few of the authors canresist their own radical solutions to Inherent problems. All this is, I think, quiteinteresting for the reader and places this took as a collection of Independenceessays by authors concerned for the future of Zimbabwe.There is throughout the book a thematic approach which blends together thechapters which might otherwise have been quite disparate. The theme is one ofBlack pGYertj and growing inequality as measured against the wealth, income andstatus of the White settlers. The theme Is essentially political and moreBOOK REVIEWS81convincingly portrayed as such In the socio-political chapters than by the economicportrayals. However, the theme is an effective blending device to provide aconsistent and persuasive background for both the student and the policy maker. Asthe Minister of Education writes in the Preface dated March 1981:It is the sad truth that African countries are often worse off afterindependence because of the crael and ruthless exploitation of neo-colonialism. Corruption and self-enrichment replace the search forfreedom and truth; the masses continue to suffer as before.It is the professed wish of our go¥emment to avoid the temptationsand pitfalls that await us. One of the most important ways in which wecan avoid these changes is through 'conscientisation', through politicisa-tion, and also through accurate knowledge of our inheritance inagriculture, industry, education, health and infrastructure (p.xiii).It seems correct to suggest that Zimbabwe is a sound, mature and diYersifiedmodem economy in the industrial, commercial and financial sectors despite (a) thecosts of economic sanctions following U.D.I, and (b) the nationalist war. ButZimbabwe's inheritance is also the community of its peoples, the overwhelmingmajority of whom have suffered the ravages of war, particularly in the rural sector,and the overwhelming majority of whom are Black and have suffered discriminationby wealth, income and status through measures enacted by successive Whitegovernments.Zimbabwe's problem on independence was how to maintain the modemsector at a growth rate sufficient to finance both the rehabilitation of its peoples andthe more radical measures required to correct the lop-sided' nature of past policies,Stoneman and most of Ms authors emphasize the 'lop-sided* inheritance to a degreewhere the book as a whole fails to grasp the complex nature of the difficulties whichwill surely arise. There is no foundation for the view that capitalism (of eitherdomestic or foreign origin) is identified mostly by corruption and self-enrichmentand socialism with freedom and truth. Popularizing such an approach is in itselfengineering a major temptation and pitfall, The Government's own economicstatements (Growth with Equity; An Economic Policy Statement [Cmd. R./. 4.19811 and the Annual Economic Review of Zimbabwe[Cmd. R.Z.I 1, 19811)appear to recognize the significance of the dual nature of the nation's backgroundand the need for a bi-partisan approach to ideology.NeYeitfaeiess, In spite of the almost rhythmic pounding of the themethroughout the book, there are many interesting and informative essays withvaluable insights provided by the individual authors. In Lionel Cliffe's essay onZimbabwe's Political Inheritance we see the often assumed homogeneous Whitecolonial population broken down into the colonialists supported by foreign capitalliving alongside settler farmers and White workers divided across a range ofclasses, These distinctions may be fine but can be significant when analysing theWhite liberal increments and attitudes towards U.D.I. Cliffe's perception of tribalri¥alry stretches credulity in its claim that the antagonism between the Shona andMdebele has been intoduced by leaders who were opportunistic and divorced fromthe straggle.The social and economic aspects of the African community are painted in byCoenraad Brand who considers racial, religious, ethnic and regional petspectiYes in82BOOK REVIEWSan absorbing 'Anatomy of an Unequal Society'. The interdependence of the ruraland urban sectors is carefully described and Brand notes the paradox of a continuinglegacy of inequality yet a close organic interdependence between the two sectors.The message might be that dualism should be seen as a more complex phenomenonthan some commentators and policy-makers allow.In the 'Reproduction of Inequality: Taxation and the Social order', LaurenceHarris shows the tax system in Rhodesia as similar in structure to those in the moreadvanced Western nations and goes on the conclude that as the new Zimbabwe hascompletely different economic aims and its government has a different under-standing of what the underlying economic and social structure is, the tax systemconstructed by the old regime has to be radically altered (p. 94), Harris uses the'principle of self-financing' to explain 'apartheid in public finance* (p. 77) andargues that there was a lack of distributional equity in Rhodesia. However valid thisconclusion might be, the analysis would be more complete if accompanied by amore complete picture of public finance which might show the enormous difficultyof providing 'satisfactory' benefits out of a low and limited tax base.The chapters written specifically on the economy are really less thanconvincing to anyone seeking direction as well as information. This section, which isheavily 'Stonemanned' is obsessed by the pre-eminence of capital through itsforeign ownership, its profitability and its exploitation of labour. The tone isarrogantly socialist and totally polemical. Without private capital, foreign anddomestic, there would now be no diversified modem sector and without privatecapital G.D.P, per head would not be half its existing level, the tax-take would beminimal and the problems of poverty would be so much more acute that only themultilateral-aid institutions would be able to afford publications and economicplanning.The essay on Foreign Trade by Rob Davies, however, deserves salvage, ifonly because the overseas sector is more distanced from central government. Theanalysis here is objectively related to the inherited structure of external relations.During U.D.I, the direction of trade diversified away from dependence upon theUnited Kingdom but at the same time dependence upon South Africa wasintensified for both trade and transport. The pattern of trade had been distorted byimport substitution, by the reduction of tobacco exports and by the import controlsimposed by the government to ration and direct scarce foreign exchange. Davies,although recognizing the linkages between trade and domestic production andemployment and noting that there might be some effective protection formanufacturing, argues that the fundamental causes of inequality and the focus forredistributional policies must lie elsewhere. Davies does not regard the foreigntrade sector as central to the economy and asserts this view quite controversiallywhen suggesting that the importance which is attached to the balance of paymentsin developed as well as underdeveloped countries is misplaced.All in all the book is of considerable value as a broad background toZimbabwe's political economy and society. In addition there is an extensivebibliography and index provided at the end. Some readers may find that too manyof the contributions suffer from quite simple, explicit and identical assumptionsabout the causes and cures of poverty and inequality in Zimbabwe. For example,the editor writing in the introduction (p. 6) says that Zimbabwe's problems 'can betackled more directly, attacking exploitation at source by beginning to build aBOOK REVIEWS83society based on co-operative rather than competitive principles'. However, toparaphrase George Bernard Shaw, 'if you have a dirty face better to wash It cleanthan cut off its head!5Birmingham PolytechnicD.I. RAMSAYOld Age; A Study of Aging In Zimbabwe. By J. Hampson. Gweru, MamboPress, Occasional Paper Socio-Economic Series 6, 1982, 96 pp., ZS2.25.The Economics of Old Age Subsistence In Rhodesia, By D.G. Clarke. Gwelo,Mambo Press, Occasional Paper Socio-Economic Series 10,1977, 71 pp., Z$l .30.African Aged in Town. By O,23 pp., Z$1.00.Muchena. Salisbury, School of Social Work, 1978,Clarke's book deals with the effects of colonial economics on the social structuresof the Shona and Ndebele peoples and the breakdown of much of the functional'social security' measures for the old which were built into a society based on theextended family. He outlines measures which were considered or implementedduring the colonial era for social security and rightly points to their inadequacy. Heindicates various measures for the improvement in the quality of life for the agedand identifies specially vulnerable groups as being women, foreign workers whohave made their homes in Zimbabwe, and the landless unemployed. These last twogroups, of course, overlap to a large extent. It is useful to read Clarke's booktogether with Fr Hampsoe's and with Muchena's work. These two are vividimpressionist studies using case histories as illustrations of the problems encounteredby the old in the city, and also by their relatives, as often the aged must share ahome which provides inadequate space, with two succeeding generations. Thisobviously gives rise to tensions within the household as the elders are conscious oftheir loss of independence and all members of the household are painfully awarethat the resources which must be shared are extremely limited.The plight of the rural aged poor has not as yet been ascertained but onesuspects that it has deteriorated and is a problem which needs attention particularlyin the resettlement areas. One suspects, too, that Hampson's quotation (p. 15) ofthe idyllic picture of an honoured old age holding 'promise of a generous supply offood, drink and clothing; of a warm house to sleep in; of time to sun oneself, with thestrain of decision and labour left to others; of the company of visitors; of thesatisfaction of watching one's herd and offspring multiply' if kinship and otherobligations had been well fulfilled, isŠand was alwaysŠa Garden of Eden myth;and that the reality usually fell very short of the dream.The universality and timelesness of the problems of old age do not make themany less urgent at any particular time and place, and Fr Hampson's timely andexcellent small book is a reminder to us that we must not lose sight of the problem ofthe aged poor in the social and economic demands of a rapidly growing populationwhere resources for social security measures are limited.University of ZimbabweJOAN MAY