Go Tell the Sun

by Wame Molefhe

WAME MOLEFHE's stories have a gentle, unassuming yet intimate and captivating feel to them. Set in Botswana, the stories trace the lives of characters whose paths cross and re-cross each others', some times in and through love, at other times through tragedy. And through them the author brings to bear a woman's perspective on the societal mores in which sexual abuse, homophobia and AIDS, among others, flourish and spread. The social content and views are never proclaimed as a loud agenda; instead, it forms a 'natural' backdrop to the lives of the characters, something that may raise a wry comment or thought in one character, while eliciting a mere shrug from another. Molefhe's voice is, to some extent, a world-weary voice, weary of all she has seen of society's failures, but never without the gentleness often absent and much needed in broken societies, and never without the hope and redemption that can be found in love and the imagination.

Genres: Botswana, Short Stories, Africa, African Literature

130 pages

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Simona · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of short stories are set in modern Botswana, in urban environment of the capital Gaborone. All stories are personal, intimate, sad stories about love, abuse, AIDS, family ... through women's perspective and they are placed in a wider social context without moralizing and criticism. The language is purified, very clear, without any sentimentality, which works almost cold, but still, stories are emotional and full of hidden pain.

[Sihle 🪻🌸🌷🌼🌝 · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.2🌸 This is a warm, relatable collection of stories that feel close to home for its familiarity and the way it reflects everyday life.

[Zoe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful, crisp writing which was weighed down sometimes with very tough material. Yes, important stuff - like sexism and rape and stigmatism which needs to be heard - but it became a bit heavy towards the end. But a great voice.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Snapshots of life in Botswana, sensitively written from a woman's viewpoint, exposing the many social challenges common in this up and coming African nation.

[Kearoma Mosata · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wame Molefhe is AMAZING. I have been following her work for a while now. Go Tell The Sun is stunning and i fell in love with the characters.

[Renée Peereboom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zware onderwerpen, maar wat een fijne schrijfstijl. Originele vondsten die me raakten, en de opzet van de verhalen kon ik ook waarderen. Ik vind het bij korte verhalen vaak moeilijk dat ik steeds weer moet switchen en opnieuw moet inkomen, maar om de een of andere reden had ik dat hier niet. Ik zat er direct weer in, zelfs al gebruikte de auteur per verhaal vaak dezelfde namen.
En de verhalen die het meest raakten waren misschien juist wel het kortst.

[Che]

A Warm calm read