Reading Animals in the Malawian Novel in Chichewa: Ezra Chadza's Kokha Mchepera was Kalulu

This paper explores the dramatization of 

animals and human-animal relationships 

in Ezra Chadza's novel Chichewa, Kokha 

Mchepera was Kalulu. This novel tells a 

horror story that dramatizes how humans 

and animals interact in their struggle for 

survival and superiority. The book also 

deals with problem-solving mechanisms 

that require shrewdness in an adverse 

environment. Chad's novel, Kokha 

Mchepera was Kalulu, informs an 

environmental ethic of human trusteeship 

rather than advocating ecophobia. The 

findings of this paper reveal that despite 

the smallness of means, as epitomized by 

the novel's protagonist, human greatness 

is measured by astounding results. Those 

animals significantly impact human lives, 

and drawing parallels with animals 

inspires courage and shrewdness among 

humans. Although the human attitude 

towards animals is tinged with 

complexities depending on particularised 

animal attributes, zootherapy benefits 

humans. Animals and their various body 

parts are used for therapeutic purposes for 

human ailments and diseases. Some of 

the chemicals from animals are believed 

to be toxic, crocodile’s bile, for example. 

The ubiquity of animals in Kokha 

Mchepera Kalulu informs the imagery of 

forests, trees, fertile land, grass, wild 

fruits, mushrooms, mountains, rivers, 

pools, and lakes that suggest the 

relevance of an ecocritical perspective.