Ashleigh Steenhuisen
The Theory of Flight
By Simphiwe Gloria Ndlovu
Notes:
® Author is more interested in layers of truth and how to truth is interwoven by the
different characters - crea;ng meaningful intersec;ons.
® Story told by different perspec;ves through different characters – show a diversity of
race, class, gender, ethnicity, sexual orienta;on, physical abili;es and age.
® Book is giving voice to people whose voices are not oCen heard – infringed on
society, marginalized.
® Book is about finding truth for ourselves – as Genie does for herself (HIV posi;ve,
rape and genocide).
® Truth is dependent on the witnesses to events, and who does or who doesn’t, record
these events.
® Issues that the book raises: race, xenophobia, poli;cs, torture, faith, land ownership,
rape, gender, HIV, genocide, homosexuality, bisexual Vida, albinism, ugly hunchback
Valen;ne.
Balanced out with redemp;on, freedom, sunflowers and hope, interconnec;on of
stories and lives.
® Themes: interconnec;vity, selPood (iden;ty), love, loss, family, community,
belonging, freedom, crea;vity imagina;on.
® Book 1 looks at the past – personal and poli;cal histories (past tense), 1 sec;on in
present tense.
Book 2 explores legacy of those histories – present history (what is currently
happening) of characters previously met (present tense)
® Genre: Magical realism: elements that are fantas;cal (supernatural phenomena) but
set in realis;c seQng (real characters) suggests idea of possibili;es.
® Allegorical: story that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning (usually moral
or poli;cal)
® Theory: belief in something (can be hypothe;cal) – theory doesn’t always have proof
® Novel works through symbols
Introduc8on video to Theory of Flight
® Title: freedom we have in trajectory (path) through life and flight in terms of the
imagina;on – being able to imagine things that don’t seem possible. Title comes
from name of an artwork created by Vida.
Cover art:
® Airplane - Golide Gumede shot down the Vickers Viscount on 3 September 1978
® Two hands – reference to race but also to Golide Gumede’s albinism
® Golden egg – represents Genie (she is like a magical creature/ ‘’genie”), depicts value.
® Sunflowers – hope, remain firmly rooted.
® Suitcase – belongs to Genie, puts all her precious items in it, migrate like birds and
pack possessions in.
® Trolley – Vida uses trolley to save Genie but also to pack his possessions in.
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, Ashleigh Steenhuisen
Characters:
Imogen ‘Genie’ Zulu Nyoni:
® Born during civil war, survivor of genocide
® HIV posi;ve (pg. 143) “Absolutely unfazed by the devasta;ng news of being HIV
posi;ve.”
® Born out of a golden egg (represents innocence, value etc.)
® Golide and Elizabeth are her birthparents – later goes to live with the Masuku’s
® Never called the Masuku’s mom or dad
® On her 18th birthday, she leC the Masuku’s to go to Jesus, with only the belongings in
which she entered the house with. (Pg. 147)
® Started being in;mate with Vida (Pg. 176)
® Genie’s sickness: “It ate away at her body. It stole the light from her eyes. It made
murky the luminescence of her skin” (Pg. 181)
® Later diagnosed with cervical cancer
® Had Vida’s suit dry cleaned, and shoes shined for her funeral
® Goes to the Intensive Care Unit at Mater Dei hospital (pg. 197)
® Genie to Esme (about her parents), “My parents did not die. They flew away.” (pg.
225)
® Thought to have been stealing accessories from a store when she was a teenager
however, she was innocent.
® Reported to have died in 1987 (age 9) and kidnapped in 1988 in The Organiza;ons
records.
® A body was found on Beauford farm and estate that was thought to be Genie’s
Baines Tikiti
® Genie’s grandfather
® Changed his name from “Bafana Ndlelaphi”
® Tiki; – ;cket, his love for travel and admira;on from explorers.
® Travelling salesman, wanderlust
® Loved airplanes.
® Died in the Indian Ocean
Prudence Ngoma
® Genie’s grandmother
® Clever “shrewd” – did not give into Baines’s sales tac;cs, she is not needy and is
independent pg. 17.
Golide Gumede
® Genie’s father
® Albino
® Also had an interest in airplanes and travels – went to Soviet Union to study
aeronau;cal engineering.
® Natural born leader, confident
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