BOOK REVIEW – HERE COMES THE GAY KING

By Dimakatso David Mokwena.

Peace is a 36-year-old gay prince and an heir to the Maake throne, living with his boyfriend Thomas in Tshwane. Peace has an 18-year-old son, Lethabo, who was born when he was 18 years old. His love life has been going well, up until when his family instructs him to inherit his late brother’s wife, Mma Mogale, after her mourning period. 

Peace, who hails from the village of Bokgaga, Ga-Maake outside Tzaneen in Limpopo, tries to preserve peace in his family and reluctantly agrees to marry Mma Mogale. His refusal to marry her threatens to cause major frictions in the Maake clan. Yet Peace is clear to his family that neither he nor Mma Mogale will enjoy any conjugal right, given Peace’s sexual identity. The motivating reason for Peace to agree to bride inheritance is that before he was born, his ancestors chose him to become a future chief of his village, to lead his people into an unchartered territory. 

Peace’s mother and uncle desperately want Peace to become heterosexual by casting a magic spell on him. However, Peace’s spiritual guides protect him from any harm which seeks to change him to become something he is not. There are magic wands and lightning bolts in the superstitious family to turn Peace straight, albeit unsuccessfully so. 

Peace agreeing to marry Mma Mogale becomes a source of major conflict between him and Thomas. Peace wants Thomas to understand his marriage to Mma Mogale is nothing but for window dressing purposes to complete his future chieftaincy image. Thomas does not understand why Peace cannot stand up to his family, who just won’t simply accept their future chief is gay. The conflict leads to Peace and Thomas cheating on each other. Unbeknown to them, they are cheating on each other with the same gay man named Awethu. Awethu is set out to play the lovebirds, and the couple had raunchy sexual encounters with him. They confess to each other about their raunchy sexcapades with Awethu.

Peace and Mma Mogale’s wedding day arrives. The glamorous day of the decade leaves nothing to chance, as opulence is the order of the day. Thomas intends to stop the wedding but does not get an opportunity to do so, and storms out of the wedding venue. Peace sees Thomas fleeing. In a split second, Peace leaves Mma Mogale at the altar and runs after Thomas. Peace confesses his undying love for him and says he chooses him over everyone and everything. 

The following day, Mma Mogale takes her life in the wee hours of the morning to end her shame. After a nudge from the reigning Queen, Peace rises to the occasion showing what he is made of as the young leader in him begins to emerge. In addition, the tragedy prompts Peace to become a decisive leader he is meant to be- ordering his family around and demanding they respect Mma Mogale’s last wishes as he sees her death as a sacrifice to end the family’s toxic patriarchy. Yet only Peace’s ancestors can cement his place as the village chief, and showcase the powers they have bestowed on him. Consequently, a reluctant Peace must find ways to embrace his destiny that the family and the village may not recognise as traditional.