There has been a murder in the Kenyan village of Ilmorog. Four suspects are placed in detention: headmaster Munira, teacher and political activist Karega, spirited barmaid Wanja and storekeeper Abdulla. But there are no easy solutions to the crime in a place already filled with fear and intimidation. As the murder is investigated, it becomes clear how the lives of suspects and victims are inextricably linked to the fortunes of their village, and to the crisis of modern Kenya itself. Petals of Bloodwas published in 1977 to huge controversy, leading to Ngugi's imprisonment for his portrayal of a... continue
"A tragicomic family saga set in a small Ethiopian town following the 1974 socialist revolution, told from the perspective of the youngest daughter of a large, formerly land-owning family, who contends with bullies, poverty, and a dictatorship with humor and a refusal to be silenced"--
Desire Mensah, a disgraced schoolteacher in her thirties, sees moving to sleepy little Cape Coast, Ghana, as her chance to get away from a shameful secret not buried deeply enough. And maybe, just maybe, she will find the love she craves and the husband her mother craves for her. But in Cape Coast, the past isn’t dead. It isn’t even past. That’s the kind of thing Wolfgang “Wolf” Ofori would say. Everyone says the eleven-year-old is a genius—eccentric though he is—and is bound to win Wonderkids, a quiz competition ordinarily for high school students. Wolf and Desire form a strange friendship, e... continue
Luanda, 1975. À la veille de l’Indépendance, Ludovica, agoraphobe et terrorisée par l’évolution des événements, se retranche dans son appartement en construisant un mur qui en dissimule la porte et la met à l’abri du reste du monde. Ayant transformé sa terrasse en potager elle va vivre là presque trente ans, coupée de tout, avec son chien Fantôme et un cadavre. Ludo a vraiment existé et mené la vie que raconte le roman. En entrelaçant cette histoire avec les aventures tumultueuses des autres personnages, voisins ou entraperçus dans la rue, tous plus ou moins impliqués dans le marasme de la gue... continue