TOTO LE HEROS

The POWER OF ONE tells about PK, a South African lad of English parents who is orphaned and sent to an Afrikaans boarding school in the 1930’s. Because of his ancestry, PK is pushed into a corner as Afrikaaner teenagers urinate on his head. PK’s black nanny calls in a witch doctor, who puts a spirit of courage on PK. Eventually, PK’s grandfather places PK in the care of Doc, a talented musician. Doc informs PK that “all the answers to questions you could ever have are in nature.” As a German, Doc is sequestered in prison during WWII. So PK visits Doc in prison, where Doc gives PK music lessons and introduces him to Geel Piet, a black man who trains PK as a boxer. Piet calls PK “the Rainmaker,” suggesting that he is the mythic white hero who will save South Africa. The story continues as PK attends college and pursues his goal of abolishing racism.

THE POWER OF ONE attempts to portray a person who changes the world by using the power of his conscience. However, the lack of victory in South Africa seems to disprove this notion. Also, this revisionist history has many credibility gaps, aside from being racist and a subtle vehicle for pantheistic monism.