Ditumelo tša majammogo dingwalong: bohlatse go tšwa pading ya OK Matsepe, <i>Lešitaphiri</i> Interfaith in literature: evidence from OK Matsepe’s novel, Lešitaphiri

Abstract

Le ge bontši bja batho bo bona tumelo bjalo ka searoganyi sa ditšhaba, Oliver Kgadime Matsepe yena o e bona bjalo ka sefala se bohlokwa seo ka sona setšhaba se ka phedišanago ka khutšo. Go ya ka Matsepe, ditumelo di nepiša fela kwano. Ditumelo di ka ba bagwera bao ba sepedišanago tsela ye tee. Matsepe o bonagatša bohlokwa bja kwano ya tumelo ya setšo sa Seaforika le ya Sekeresete mo go padisetšo ya gagwe ya boraro, Lešitaphiri. Mo sengwalong se, go šomišwa tikologo ya segologolo (fa go nyarela tumelo ya setšo sa Seaforika) go rarolla melato ka tirišo ya tumelo ya Sekeresete. Taodišwaneng ye go yo sekasekwa ka mokgwa woo modumedi wa tumelo ya setšo sa Seaforika, kgoši Taudi, a kgakganago le modumedi wa tumelo ya Sekeresete, morwa wa gagwe Tšhwahledi. Morago ga dikgakgano tše, go yo sekasekwa tema yeo e kgathwago ke moanegi go kwantšha ditumelo tše pedi tšeo mafelelong ga kanegelo. Nyakišišo ye e šomiša mokgwanyakišišo wa boleng woo o ikadilego ka go diriša tshekaseko ya dingwalo go sekaseka tshedimošo. Dikutollo tša nyakišišo ye di bontšha gabotse gore ge batho ba ka šomiša ditumelo ka tshwanelo le kwano, gona lefase le ka buna tšwelopele. 

Though plenty of people seem to consider religion as the divider of nations, Oliver Kgadime Matsepe sees it as a uniting tool from which communities can harvest peace. According to Matsepe’s world view, religions are only capable of unity. Religions can move along one route. Matsepe reflects the importance of religious unity between African cultural religion and Christianity in his third traditional novel entitled Lešitaphiri (1963). In this text, a traditional milieu (reflecting African religion) is employed to resolve issues with the intervention of the Christian faith (religion). This article analyses how an African religion believer, Chief Taudi, clashes with a Christian believer, his son Tšhwahledi. After looking at these conflicts, the analysis further scrutinises the paramount role played by the narrator in uniting the two religions at the end of the narrative. The study uses a qualitative approach undergirded by the document analysis method to analyse the data. Findings from this study show that the world may enjoy a significant development if people rightfully and unitedly apply religions.