Monday, August 17, 2015

Abyssinian Chronicles

Originally published in 1998 in Amsterdam as Abessijnse Knonieken, this book is about life in Uganda from the late ’60s to the late ’80s with emphasis on the religious and sociopolitical developments. Told in an all-knowing first-person narrative, it is an account of developments around Mugezi, an Ugandan boy, from birth in a village, to myths and beliefs of villagers, to growing up with the grandmother in the village, then in a strict Catholic family in Kampala, school life in the city and sexual exploits, life in the seminary, the impact of political upheavals from Obote to Idi Amin and back to Obote and guerrilla fighting, to life in university and then as a teacher, to the sometimes suspect role of relief agencies, and finally to life in Amsterdam living among Ugandans in the “Ghetto” and then among whites.

Very interesting, and reveals how similar to Nigeria Uganda is in terms of common colonial past, control of the economy by foreigners, North-South ethnic divide, religion (Islam, Catholics, Protestants, local practices), cultural practices and beliefs (witch doctors and their followers), civil war. Particularly interesting was how Mugezi could easily buy for himself a British passport with birth certificate to match, and how in Amsterdam girls sold their bodies in glass cage displays.


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