The book describes a time when English and American crowds lined up to witness troupes of ferocious Zulus performing wild war dances, fuelling an obsession with the larger than life warriors. Mda creates searing images of bawdy dances, groaning and the simulation of sexual activity by roaring Zulus wearing animal skins from the waist down and eliciting “blushes and shy giggles” from the ladies in the audience, with “stone-faced” reactions from the men. The story begins in the rolling green hills of Natal during the Anglo-Zulu War, when a huge Zulu army, equipped with just traditional weapons, defeats the mighty British army at the Battle of Isandlwana.
Mda introduces Mpiyezintombi, named so because his father thought he was so handsome women were sure to fight over him. Mpi is a warrior in the court of King Cetshwayo, but when he falls in love with one of the king’s wives, “the plump yellow-coloured Nomalanga”, and their forbidden affair is discovered, he is forced to flee. So begins his journey, which leads him to sleeping rough on the streets of Cape Town.
When Mpi meets the Great Farini, he is convinced to board a ship to London to seek his fortune as a vaudeville performer. The well-known, true 19th and early 20th-century character will eventually lead Mpi to be a part of the legendary PT Barnum’s Greatest Show on Earth – a circus show of freaks and jaw-dropping acts. And soon, Mpi is performing in front of crowds of up to 12 000 people across America.
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