Th eHa nd soft h eBl a ck s "c ou l dbeas t o r yb yLui sBe r n ar d oHo nwa na .Th es t o r yf o l l o wst h e t al k erasheas kst ot al l ydi ffer entf ol k st oc l ar i f yt heex pl anat i onwh yt hehandsofbl ac kf ol k s ar eauni tl i ght ert hant her emai nderoft hei rbodi es .i ni t i al hes peak st ohi st eac her ,WHO t el l s hi mt hatt hei rhandsar eauni tl i ght erasar es ul tofhumansonc ec r awl edont hebo t t om l i k ef our l egl i k eani mal s ,depar t ur et hei rpal msune xpos edt ot hes uns hi ne.Ne xt ,t het al k ers peak st o3 s pi r i t ual men,Fat herChr i s t i ano,SeñorAnt unes ,andSeñorFr i as ,WHO off erhi m wi t ht o t al l y di ffer ents pi r i t ual e xpl anat i ons .Thet al k ert hens ay st hatheonc es c anabookt hate xpl ai nedt he dev el opmentbec aus et heout c omeofs l av eschoos i ngc ot t oni nVi r gi ni a.Fi nal l y , t het al k er s peak sal ongwi t hhi smo mo t her ,WHO t el l shi mt hatGodc r eat edbl ac kf ol k swhi l enotl i ght er h an ds ,ho we v ero nc eh es a wh owe v ert h eywe r ea s sa ul t e db yr a c e,h el i g ht e ne dt h ei rp al ms . Themot hers ay st hathedi dt hi st oi ndi c at et hatwher easbl ac kf ol k sl ook edt ot al l ydi ffer ent ,t hei r wo r kf o rGo dwa se v ena sn ec e ss ar yan dv a l u abl e .Hi smo mo t h erc r i e sa ndl e av e sh i mt omi r r o ro n h erwo r d s .
SUMMARY "The Hands of the Blacks" is a short sh ort story by Luis Bernardo Honwana. The story follows the narrator as he asks dierent !eo!le to e!lain the reason why the hands of black !eo!le are li#hter than the rest of their bodies. b odies. $irst $irst he s!eaks to his teacher% who tells hi& that their hands are li#hter because hu&ans once crawled on the #round like four le##ed ani&als% lea'in# their !al&s une!osed to the li#ht. (et% the narrator s!eaks to three reli#ious &en% $ather )hristiano% Se*or Antunes% and Se*or $rias% who !ro'ide hi& with dierent reli#ious e!lanations. The narrator then says that he once read a book that e!lained the !heno&enon as the outco&e of sla'es !ickin# cotton in +ir#inia. $inally% $inally% the narrator s!eaks with his &other% who tells hi& that ,od created black !eo!le without li#hter hands% but once he saw how they were &istreated by white !eo!le% he li#htened their !al&s. The &other says that he did this to show that while black !eo!le looked dierent% their work for ,od was -ust as i&!ortant and 'aluable. His &other cries and lea'es hi& to reect on her words.
Luís Bernardo Honwana was born Luís Augusto Bernardo Manuel in Lourenço Marques (presentday Maputo Maputo), ), Mozambique His parents, !a"l Bernardo Manuel (Honwana) and #aly $eremias #%a&a, belonged to t%e !onga !onga people people 'rom Moamba, a town about m nort%west o' Maputo *n +. %e be&ame a militant wit% /!0L*M1 /!0L*M1,, a 'ront t%at %ad t%e ob2e&ti3e to liberate Mozambique 'rom 4ortuguese &olonial rule 5ue to %is politi&al a&ti3ities %e was arrested by t%e &olonial aut%orities and was in&ar&erated 'or t%ree years He studied law in 4ortugal 4ortugal and and wored 'or some time as a 2ournalist He was appointed dire&tor o' 4resident6s o''i&e under 7amora Ma&%el Ma&%el Later in +8+, %e be&ame 7e&retary o' 7tate 'or &ulture He ser3ed on t%e 09e&uti3e Board o' :#07;1 o' :#07;1 'rom 'rom +8< to ++ and was &%airman o' :#07;16s *ntergo3ernmental ;ommittee 'or t%e =orld 5e&ade 'or ;ulture and 5e3elopment *n +, %e was
appointed dire&tor o' t%e newly opened :#07;1 o''i&e in 7out% A'ri&a 7in&e %e retired 'rom t%e organization in >??>, %e %as been a&ti3e in resear&% in t%e arts, %istory and et%no-linguisti&s @+
The Hands of the Blacks Id on ’ tr e me mb erno wh owweg oto nt ot h es ub j e ct ,b uto ned ay ,T ea c he rs ai dt h att h ep al msof t heBl ac k s’ handswer emuc hl i ght ert hant her es toft hei rbodi es .Thi si sbec aus eonl yaf ew c ent ur i esago,t he ywal k e dar oundwi t ht hem l i k ewi l dani mal s ,s ot hei rpal mswer en ’ te xpos ed t ot hes un,whi c hmadet her es toft hei rbodi esdar k er .It houghtoft hi swhenFat herChr i s t i ano t ol dusaf t erc at ec hi s mt hatwewer eabs ol ut el yhopel es s ,andt hatev e nt hep y gmi eswer ebe t t er t hanus ,andhewentbac kt ot hi st hi ngaboutt hei rhandsbei ngl i ght er ,ands ai di twasl i k et hat bec aus et he yal way swentaboutwi t ht hei rhandsf ol dedt oge t her ,pr a yi ngi ns ec r e t .It hought t hi swassof unn y ,t hi st hi ngoft heBl ac ks ’ handsbei ngl i ght er ,t haty ous houl dj us ts eemenow.I donotl e tgoofan yone,whoev ert he yar e,unt i l t he yt el l mewhyt he yt hi nkt hatt hepal msoft he Bl ac k s’ handsar el i ght er .DoñaDor es ,f ori ns t anc e,t ol dmet hatGodmadeBl ac k s ’handsl i ght er s ot he ywoul dnotdi r t yt hef oodt he ymadef ort hei rmas t er s ,oran yt hi ngel s et he ywer eor der ed t od ot h ath adt ob ek e ptc l e an .
Se ño rAn t u ne s ,t h eCo c aCo l ama n,wh oo n l yc o me st o
t hev i l l ageno w andag ai nwhenal l t heCok esi nt hec ant i nasha v ebeens ol d,s ai di twasal o tof bal oney .Ofc our s e,Idonotk nowi fi twasr eal l ysuc h,butheas sur edme,i twas .Af t ert hatI s ai d,“ Al l r i ght ,i twasbal oney , ”andt henhet ol dmewhathek newaboutt hi st hi ngoft heBl ac ks ’ hands .I twasl i k et hi s :“ Longago,man yy ear sago,Godt heFat her ,J es usChr i s t ,t heVi r gi n Mar y , St .Pe t er ,man yo t hers ai nt s ,al l t heangel st hatwer ei nHea v en,ands omeoft hepeopl e wh oh addi e da ndgo net oHe av e n—t h eya l l h adame et i n ga ndde c i d edt oc r e at et h eBl a c k s .Do y o uk no wh o w?Th e ygo th ol dofs o mec l a ya ndpr e s s e di ti n t os omes ec o n dh an dmo l d san d bak edt hec l a yo fc r eat ur es ,whi c ht he yt ookf r om t hehea v enl yki l ns .Bec aus et he ywer ei na h ur r ya ndt h er ewa snor o om n e x tt ot h efi r e ,t h e yh un gt h em i nt h ec h i mn ey s .Smo k e ,s mo k e, s mo k e —a ndt h er ey o uh a v et h em,b l a c ka sc o a l s .An dn o w,d oy o uwa ntt ok no wwh yt h ei r handss t a y edwhi t e?Wel l ,di dn ’ tt he yha v et ohol donwhi l et hei rc l a ybak ed?”
Whenhe
t o l dmet h i s ,Se ño rAn t u ne san dt h eo t h erme nwh owe r ear o un du swe r ev er yp l e as e da ndt h ey al l bur s toutl aughi ng.Thatv er ys ameda y ,SeñorFr i ast ol dmet hate v er y t hi ngihadhear df r om t hem t her ehadbeenj us tonebi gpac kofl i es .Real l yandt r ul y , whathek ne w aboutt heBl ac k s ’ h an dswa sr i g ht —t h atGo dfi n i s h edme na ndt o l dt h em t oba t h ei nal ak ei nHe av e n.Af t e r bat hi ng,t hepeopl ewer eni c eandwhi t e.TheBl ac k s ,wel l .The ywer emadev er year l yi n
t hemor ni ngandatt hi shour ,t hewat eri nt hel ak ewasv er yc ol d,s ot he yonl ywett hepal msof t hei rhandsandt hes ol esoft hei rf eetbef or ed r es s i nga ndc o mi ngt ot hewor l d.
Buti r ead
i nabookt hathappenedt oment i ont hes t or y , t hatt heBl ac k sha vehandsl i ght erl i k et hi s bec aus et heyspentt hei rl i v esbentov er ,gat her i ngt hewhi t ec ot t onofVi r gi ni aandi dontk now wher eel s e.Ofc our s e,DoñaEs t ef ani adi dnotagr eewheni t ol dhert hi s .Ac cor di ngt oher ,i ti s o nl yb ec a us et h ei rh and sb ec ameb l e ac h edwi t ha l l t h atwa s hi n g.
Wel l ,i d on o tk no wwh at
t ot hi nkaboutal l t hi sbutt het r ut hi st hathowev erc al l ous edandc r ac k edt he yma ybe,Bl ac k handsar eal way sl i ght ert hant her es tofhi m.Andt hat ’ st hat !
Mymot heri st heo nl yone
whomus tber i ghtaboutt hi sques t i onofaBl ac k’ shandsbei ngl i ght ert hant her es tofhi sbody . Ont heda yt hatwewer et al k i ngabouti t ,i wast el l i ngherwhati al r eadyk newaboutt he ques t i on,ands hec oul dno ts t opl aughi ng.Wheni wast al k i ng,s hedi dno tt el l meatonc ewhat s het houghtaboutal l t hi sands heonl yt al k edwhens hewassur et hati woul dn’ tgett i r edof bo t her i ngherab outi t .Ande v ent hen,s hewasc r y i ngandc l ut c hi ngher s el far oundt hes t omac h l i k es o me on ewh oh adl a ug he ds omu c ht h ati twa squ i t eun be ar a bl e .Wh ats h es a i dwa smo r e o rl e s st h i s :
“ Go dma deBl a c k sb ec a us et h e yh adt ob e.Th eyh adt ob e,mys o n.He
t h ou gh tt h eyr e al l yha dt ob e.Af t e r wa r d s ,Her e gr e t t e dh av i n gma det h em b ec au s eo t h erme n l a ug he da tt h em a ndt o oka wa yt h ei rh ome san dp utt h em t os er v ea ss l a v e san dn otmu c h b et t e r .Bu tb ec a us eHec o ul d n’ tma k et h em a l l wh i t e ,f o rt h os ewh ower eu se dt os e ei n gt h em bl ac kwoul dc ompl ai n,Hemadei ts ot hatt hepal msoft hei rhandswoul dbee x ac t l yl i k et he p al mso ft h eh an dso fo t h erme n.An dd oy o uk n owwh yt h atwa s ?Wel l ,l i s t en :i twa st os h ow t h atwh atme nd oi son l yt h ewor kofme n. . .t h atwh atme nd oi sdo neb yha nd st h ata r et h e s a me —h an dso fp eo pl e .Ho w,i ft he yha dan ys en s e,wo ul dk no wt h atb ef or ean y t h i ngel s et h ey a r eme n .Hemu s th a v ebe ent h i n k i n go ft h i swh enHema det h eh an dso ft h os eme nwh ot h an k Godt he yar eno tbl ac k ! ” Af t ert el l i ngmeal l t hi s ,mymot herk i s sedmyhands .Asir anofft ot hey ar dt opl aybal l ,i t hought t h ati h adne v e rs e enap er s o nc r ys omu c ha smymo t h erd i dt h en .
