Zziwa Zinabala
I often fail to understand why our stories cannot penetrate international markets but then, I recall that perhaps the world is constructed into castes. Case in point is this nice novel called “We are all Birds of Uganda”. A novel about a search for meaning, culture-escape, racism and politics.
This is a book that addresses the distress which the Indians faced during their expulsion from Uganda. The story is set at an indecisive Indian son – Sameer to whom the father has great hopes of inheriting his estate and continuing the family legacy. However, the son decides to wire himself up and define his own destiny: defying the whims of his father’s nagging and the construct of the Asian system – not mixing their blood. This propels Sameer back in Uganda where his family legacy begins. A legacy of business and innovation. On the way, finds love from a Ugandan woman called Maryam, a “haram” in their culture and community. Can you imagine Sameer’s mother spitting on hearing that his beloved son wants to marry an African woman? How it propelled the father not appearing for the wedding because his in-laws are black.
This is the first Indian authoress I have read in my entire reading life. Due to curiosity of the title. I honestly thought the book was about birds. I read the book slowly, for 5 days – 350 pages. With concentration to detail to understand how Indians have managed to keep their businesses running even after the death of the pioneer. The book teaches about family, loyalty, sacrifice and debts to pay.
I have read many books but if you have read this book you will agree with me that this is a book that has the most throbbing (or grotesque) honest opinions presented by the authoress. She navigates the impossibility and creates an attentive audience, never before. How many Indians have married Africans? Why don’t they mix with us? If you truly wish to undertake this discourse or debate, I am ready to wage an avalanche of thoughts on my opinions and perhaps, they could be viewed as detrimental or quite irritating to one’s eyes. However, let us have the hot soup while it is still boiling. Maybe we shall find a few answers on the way.
1. On different accounts while flipping pages, I got to note that Africans are viewed as the ‘other race’ that is purported as uncivil or messed up. The authoress navigates a new style in the writing – usage of letters as a purpose to inform. The authoress uses this style to bring out the history of Asians and their relationship with black. In one of the letters, the writer of these letters – the grandfather to Sameer believes that Amin can’t handle the situation without them. True, after the expulsion of the Asians, the prophecy comes to pass, things become messy. Later, Obote II pleads with the Asians to come back to Uganda. In my opinion, perhaps, the temporary expulsion of Indians offered an oasis for Ugandans to teach themselves to stand up again and see how to take care of their mess. When shall we ever be able to stand on our own two feet and take care of our mess without relying on help from other “superior” races? This book offers the logical concerns till date we have failed to navigate.
2. When you begin reading philosophies you begin to appreciate the importance of the complexity of life and an animal called a human being. How we view ourselves and create territories and boundaries. Creating rules that were not in existence. This in return makes an upbeat seed of hatred for one another. In relation to diversity, perhaps this very book explores such concerns. Do we truly understand the beauty in diversity?
This is my first time reading an Indian writer and I am impressed by how brilliant someone can write a Ugandan story perfectly well – with correct dialect. This is a very important point to note that we are yet into a wave of African stories. We are a virgin territory. Too much to write about and most importantly, our cultures and stories are rich. Hafsa Zayyan, left her comfort zone of London, visited Ugandan and wrote a wonderful story that won her an award and a deal with Penguin. A new story mixed with different cultures. Something new, the English had not seen before.
In my opinion, this is the right time, Ugandan authors thought critically on how to exploit such opportunities. Some, to rethink how to rewrite their stories. The West is seeing gold in our content and they are trying to blend and write a good story with an attachment to our cultures and language, but we are failing to twist our necks and see. Grapevine is that the future is “African” we have everything someone is looking for. Though Africans don’t see opportunities in such things. This very book exploits this lacuna. Mr. Shah explains to Sameer that Uganda is a country of opportunities if you identify a gap. Later, Sameer sees this gap and begins making natural juice on which by the third month of trial, it was a best seller. Leading to future contracts. This brings out the logical understanding that the “karias” as was the term used by Indians to imply black, we don’t see opportunities.
In a nutshell as you all read this review and you are a writer. Stop writing like an American. Begin writing like a typical Ugandan. This book talks about “Uglish” , a fusion of direct translation and English. It is a simple remedy and a thoughtful process. It would be quite hurtful seeing our stories being narrated by someone who may not understand them better, and they sell to us our content. Perhaps, we should learn to own and think outside the bracket. The world is changing and the future is African but we ourselves are not ready for change. We are still a colonial discipline.
Anyways, I visited Aristoc yesterday to buy another Indian author who wrote about “Kololo Hill” and the copies were done. Tried purchasing a copy today at Mahiri books and copies were “sold out”. Who buys these books? Ugandans or Indians or both? Why do we have quite less of our (local) content sold and read?
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