El enigma del pájaro azul

by Nii Ayikwei Parkes

Sonokrom, a village in the Ghanaian hinterland, has not changed for thousands of years. Here, the men and women speak the language of the forest, drink aphrodisiacs with their palm wine and walk alongside the spirits of their ancestors. The discovery of sinister remains; possibly human, definitely 'evil'; in a vanished man's hut brings the modern world into the village in the form of Kayo; a young forensic pathologist convinced that scientific logic can shatter even the most inexplicable of mysteries.





But as events in the village become more and more incomprehensible, Kayo and his sidekick, Constable Garba, find that Western logic and political bureaucracy are no longer equal to the task in hand. Strange boys wandering in the forest, ghostly music in the night and a flock of birds that come from far away to fill the desolate hut with discarded feathers take the newcomers into a world where, in the unknown, they discover a higher truth that leaves scientific explanations far behind.





Tail of the Bluebird is a story of the mystical heart of Africa, of the clash and clasp between old and new worlds. Lyrically beautiful, at once uncanny and heart-warmingly human, this is a story that tells us that at the heart of modern man there remains the capacity to know the unknowable.

Genres: Mystery, Africa, Ghana, Fiction, Crime, Fantasy, Contemporary

211 pages, Paperback

First published June 4, 2009

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

A classic whodunit detective novel set in Ghana, with a literary flavour, written by a poet, with a sharp and perceptive use of local dialect. It focuses on Kayo, a forensic scientist trained in Britain and who had worked for a British police force. He has returned to Ghana and is working for a company doing mundane forensic work for a private company and hoping for something better.
The girlfriend of a minister finds something that may be human remains in a village in the interior. There are wheels within wheels and Kayo is made an offer he can’t refuse by a corrupt police officer and finds himself investigating the circumstances with orders to get the right result.
There are two narrators; Kayo and a hunter from the village, Opanyin. Kayo even finds himself a sidekick, Constable Garba and in many ways this is a traditional whodunit looking at the tensions between science and superstition, tradition and modernity. The setting is away from modern metropolitan life and transplanted into Africa.
Kayo is not a traditional detective hero; he lives with his parents, is not alcoholic or a drug addict, respects his elders and treats women with respect and has no disturbing personal habits. Despite his forensic skills the mystery is not easily soluble and Kayo has to listen to traditional storytelling methods of solving the problem. There is mystery and a little magic realism. Traditional labels are twisted as in Parkes’ poetry; Kayo uses non-western wisdom and the poetic story of the hunter to solve the problem (although not perhaps in a traditional sense. In doing so he also exposes the role of domestic violence in traditional relationships; holding a light up to positive and negative in traditional wisdom. There is a good sense of humour running through the whole and the ending suitably blurred. There are glossaries around for some of the dialect words.
It’s a well told tale, written with a certain lyrical intensity and you can certainly tell Parkes is a poet. The tension lies between Kayo’s western forensic education and the traditional wisdom of the village and neither have all the answers.

[Stacia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this one. It's a criminal procedural type novel set in Ghana & does a great job of mixing modern-day police work & forensics w/ the older village traditions in Ghana. There is a mix of dialects so it takes a little bit of feeling to get into the cadence & rhythm of the storytelling (& there is apparently an online glossary available but I preferred to sink into the story & just go w/ the flow w/out stopping to look up the words), but it's really lovely once you find the rhythm.

I've made a concerted effort to read more African works over the last two-three years & I would rank this among some of the best I've read so far. Highly recommended. 4.5 stars.

[K.J. Charles]

This combines a state-of-the-nation read, a detective story, and a folk tale or fable. When a minister's girlfriend comes across a horrific lump of flesh in a remote Ghanaian village, the police are called in. They draft in a young Ghanaian who qualified in forensic pathology in Britain but unable to find a police post at home because of the lack of funding / his lack of connections. What follows is both a ?murder mystery involving forensics and deduction and a marvellous tale of traditions and beliefs from a village that has barely changed in centuries. It's beautifully interwoven, and beautifully written overall--the atmosphere of both the big city and the tiny village come across incredibly powerfully.

Very much not written to pander to the white European reader--lots of pidgin dialogue and Ghanaian words, which go untranslated, and the only words that are italicised as exotic are the English ones that have been imported into the African languages. Lovely touch. (I think I completely missed the relevance of the blue bird but that's what you get for coming from a place of ignorance.) Hugely atmospheric all the way and a fascinating read.

[Kitty · Rating 5 out of 5]

See oli küll suurepärane, eelkõige just keele ja tõlke poolest. Loo osas oli ta tegelikult ju krimka, aga õnneks mitte ülemäära kriminaalne, ja vahelduse mõttes oli tegu vaimselt terve uurijaga, kes oli muidu ka tore poiss. Huvitavaim osa muidugi oli see, kuidas autor oligi kirjutanud Ghana raamatu, mida ei olnud lääne lugeja jaoks kohandatud ja sätitud. Kuidas kviikeelsed sõnad olid tekstis esile toomata ja tõlkimata jäetud (taga on siiski sõnaraamat) ja kuidas tegemised edenesid hästi neil, kes ei olnud ära unustanud, kuidas ema neid kasvatanud oli. Tõlkija järelsõna oli veel eriti huvitav!

[Friederike Knabe · Rating 5 out of 5]

It feels good to read an entertaining story like this: Tail of the Blue Bird by Ghanaian writer, Nii Ayikwei Parkes. He is presenting us with an original murder mystery, an adventure story that moves beyond fact-based evidence with believable, well drawn characters. Despite its fantasy-like cover image, Nii Ayikwei Parkes's novel is firmly grounded in modern-day Ghanaian reality that incorporates urban as well as rural life and with it the need to bridge the different cultural, linguistic and spiritual traditions. The author brings all the different narrative strands convincingly together and does so in a lively and engaging way.

Most of the action takes place in a remote village two and a half hours drive from Accra, the capital. The young forensic expert, Kayo, has been dispatched to the village with his police sidelick, Garba, to investigate the foul smelling remains of what appears to be of human nature. The solving of the case has political ramification for him and the police inspector in Accra. Time is of the essence... but evidence cannot be obtained or verified without the cooperation of village elders... and their world operates on different parameters than city people would assume.

Nii Ayikwei Parkes pulls the reader very quickly into this different world; his characters, Kayo and Garba, and the central figures in the village are very well drawn; their personalities are endearing and affecting and at times surprising in their own ways. The author's depiction of the northern Ghana landscape is evocative... and you can easily imagine the presence and the power of the ancestors' spirits. Just one caution, the language, especially the dialogs take a bit of getting used to for most of us. My recommendation: just relax into it and the fast paced story; it will become easy after a while. While terms are not directly explained, the author finds an organic way to let you know what they mean in due course. And, last but not least, he is a great story teller that comes to the fore when he has the local hunter tell a story as part of solving the "crime"...

[Jerome Kuseh · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first thing that hit me with this book was how unapologetically Ghanaian it was. Nii fills the book with urban pidgin English and rural Twi as well as direct translations that will leave non-Ghanaians scratching their heads.

The best part of the book is not the scientific deductions of the protagonist, Kayo, or the greed and corruption of Inspector Donkor, but the spellbinding storytelling of the old hunter, Opanyin Poku.

The logic defying mystery seems to be a rebellious attempt by Nii to assert the complexity of the African tradition and rebut any attempts by Science or Acquired religion to explain the mysteries that lurk in it.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book and I'm afraid, in my excitement, I read it too fast. I recommend the book.

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mystery novel with supernatural overtones. The tension and harmony between modernity and tradition, ambition and righteousness. A coming of age and homecoming, and to my mind a powerful gesture of conciliation between what is worthwhile in the new and old, something postcolonial societies in particular struggle to achieve, I think.

[Pedro · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5

Kayo vuelve a Accra, Ghana, con su título de Médico Patólogo Forense, y es designado Director de un importante laboratorio privado. Pero quisiera dedicarse a la especialidad que estudió.

Por un capricho de la novia de un Ministro, se descubre un objeto orgánico irreconocible en la aldea al oriente de Accra, y Kayo termina siendo designado para investigar el hecho.

Es un camino sinuoso, en el que su conocimiento de las costumbres de las aldeas y el manejo del idioma twi, aprendidos de su madre, resulta tanto o más valioso que su formación científica.
A través de ello se gana la confianza de la población, y es capaz de entender las verdades que se ocultan detrás de los símbolos en las narraciones de los aldeanos.

Una verdad inverosímil, que no será aceptable por sus superiores, y que deberá convertirse en una mentira bien alimentada por los términos adecuados para ser aceptada como verdad.

Una novela bien elaborada, que requiere la paciencia que muestra Kayo, para seguir los circunloquios de la narración.

Nii Aykwei Parkes, nació en 1974 en Inglaterra, donde sus padres estaban estudiando, y se crió en Ghana, después de que volvieran. Actualmente es poeta y músico, y vive en Gran Bretaña; esta es su primera novela (de manera similar a Morabo Morojele).

[Skip · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young scientist and forensic expert, Kayo, is coerced into investigating some foul smelling, presumably human remains found in a small village far away from the Ghanaian capital of Accra when other policemen are baffled by the villagers' lack of cooperation. A newly-minted forensic investigator, a genteel and polite Ghanaian man educated in England, is forcibly coopted by the chief of police (who, obviously, has his own agenda in pursuing the case). Kayo and his assigned partner Garba use take a more traditional and respectful approach and gain the village's confidence, especially the great hunter and the medicine-man. The book's strength is the contrast between modern forensic science and traditional tribal values and storytelling, and the breakthroughs in the case are from both approaches. However, the pidgin of Ghana is hard to follow and shame on the publisher for using a website, rather than printing a glossary to help readers. Shameful.

[xiny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Se lleva tres estrellas y no cuatro por lo insípida que me ha parecido la introducción. Tiene un primer capítulo muy divertido en el que enfrenta las costumbres tradicionales con la adopción orgullosa (y un tanto ridícula a veces) del modo de vivir europeo por alguna gente de Ghana. El caso es que luego cambia de punto de vista y nos movemos para el resto del libro con el protagonista, un antropólogo forense ghanés que ha estudiado en Inglaterra, y que representa el equilibrio entre las dos partes que nos han presentado. No cae mal, pero resulta típico. Durante varios capítulos la novela pasa a ser una simple novela policiaca, y hay que llegar a la mitad del libro para que vuelva a introducirse en las tradiciones, el folklore, y la crítica a la adopción del colonialismo y la corrupción de los altos cargos. Si llega a mantener el ritmo del primer capítulo, habría sido genial.

[Eva Celeste · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel looked intriguing- set in Ghana, an exploration of the tension between modern Western scientific knowledge and traditional ways of knowing, viewed from the perspective of Kayo, a 20 something who has returned to his home town of Accra from studying forensic medicine in the UK. Kayo would like to work for the police, and use the tools of modern science to bring Ghana into the 21st century, but the police are corrupt and have no use for him at the outset of our story. He gets his opportunity when a sinister and confusing crime scene is discovered in a small village, where the residents still follow the traditional ways of their ancestors.

The story was interesting and kept me engaged, and some of the storytelling was delightful. I didn't mind when the characters broke into patois- usually I could figure out the general meaning based on the whole passage, and that was more satisfying than a word for word translation would have been. I enjoyed seeing the English words put into italics, emphasizing that English is the foreign language in this setting.

I guess there are two things that held me back from really enjoying this novel. One was the lack of women characters. Pretty much every woman mentioned in present day is either a grand/mother who cooks great food, or a younger woman who is really sexy and/or fertile, but not really anything more in terms of personality or defining characteristics/reasons to be interested in her. Lots of references such as how fun this one guy's wife would be to take to bed, or descriptions of breasts and body types (including a character whose hips undulated like the pendulum on a grandfather clock, apparently). Was this how Kayo viewed all women from a personal perspective? Is this just the role of women in Ghanian society? If so, wouldn't Kayo find that a striking contrast after years of training in forensic medicine in the UK, presumably near many women who were ostensibly his equals? Did the author just not have an interest in writing engaging female characters? Regardless, it began to feel a little like a boy's club in parts, with lots of winking, leering, sexual innuendo, etc, which sadly detracted from the story overall for me.

Additionally, I felt the author left too much unsettled for me at the end. We spend much of the book on tenterhooks, waiting to see how Kayo's relationship with the evil head of police will resolve, and in the end, I didn't feel like I got a satisfying answer to that. There's a cliffhanger at the end of one chapter, and then we're given some collateral information from the viewpoint of Opanyin Poku, the elderly hunter, but I wasn't clear on how that situation ultimately was resolved on a larger scale. What was Kayo doing with his life, how was he making a living, to what degree had he embraced traditional knowledge versus his scientific training, how had he gracefully settled the police situation? These were the central conflicts of the novel, and they weren't given enough resolution to satisfy me. Nonetheless, I would recommend this book. It was short, engaging, and definitely off the beaten path as far as popular literature goes.

[WortGestalt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eine großartige Variante eines Kriminalromans, eine Geschichte zwischen Moderne und Mythen in Ghana und ein Erzählstil so einnehmend und warm, dass man noch mehr und mehr von Nii Parkes lesen möchte.

[Elysia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bien ficelé, deux voix narratives très différentes et incroyables

[Buchdoktor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Schuld an dem Schlamassel in Großvater Opanyins Dorf war das Mädchen aus dem Nachbarort, das mit einem wichtigen Minister zusammenlebte. Hätte sie das eklige Ding nicht entdeckt, wäre nie die Polizei ins Dorf gekommen. Der junge Polizist aus Accra spricht Opanyin Poku als Dorfältesten auf Englisch an und lässt es an der üblichen Höflichkeit einem alten Jäger gegenüber mangeln. Seine Ermittlungsergebnisse fallen entsprechend mager aus. Da Inspektor Donkor eines Tages gern Polizeipräsident in der ghanaischen Hauptstadt werden möchte, gibt er sich mit den dürren Fakten nicht zufrieden. In charakteristisch afrikanisch-indirekter Weise presst Donkor den jungen Gerichtsmediziner Kayo zur Hilfstätigkeit für die Polizei. Kayo, der in England studiert hat, war bei seiner Bewerbung für den Polizeidienst an der korrupten ghanaischen Bürokratie gescheitert und musste bisher mit einem Job in einem privaten Labor vorliebnehmen. Kayo braucht Geld; denn er hat mit der Unterstützung seiner Eltern im Ausland studieren können. Nun muss er im Gegenzug seiner Schwester und seinem Bruder das Studium finanzieren.

Erster qualifizierter Gerichtsmediziner in Ghana zu sein, ist kein leichtes Brot, werden ungewöhnliche Todesfälle doch gern auf den Zufall oder Hexerei zurückgeführt. Kayo rückt in Opanyins Dorf mit einem Assistenten und modernster Ausrüstung an. Kayos Stärke ist seine Kenntnis der dörflichen Sitten und sein Respekt gegenüber Älteren. Um Kontakt zu Opanyi aufzunehmen, muss Kayo erst erklären, aus welchem Dorf seine Mutter stammt. So braucht er nur Geduld, um abzwarten, welche Geschichte ihm der alte Jäger über die Hütte mit dem merwürdigen Objekt und ihren verschwundenen Bewohner erzählen wird. Dass der verschwundene Kakaobauer Kwaku Ananse heisst, wie der aus der ghanaischen Mythologie beaknnte raffinierte Spinnenman, lässt Leser aufhorchen, die afrikanische Märchen kennen. Der Kriminalfall wird plötzlich zur Nebensache, das Geschichtenerzählen steht im Mittelpunkt. Dennoch kann Kayo am Ende Donkors besondere Wünsche befriedigen, der offensichtlich zuviel CSI gesehen hat.

Der ungewöhnliche Kriminalfall die "Spur des Bienenfressers" (diese Spur ist im Roman eine Vogelfeder) wird vor opulenter afrikanischer Kulisse mit der Kraft und der Weisheit des Geschichtenerzählers aufgeklärt. In ausufernden Mäandern erzählen abwechselnd der alte Jäger Opanyi und Kayo, der Gerichtsmediziner. In den Figuren der beiden Männer lässt Nii Parkes das traditionelle und das moderne Ghana einander gegenübertreten. Aus Opanyins Dorf sind die jungen Männer längst in die Stadt gezogen, selbst der Medizinmann findet keinen Nachfolger mehr. Mit seiner modernen Ausrüstung zur Tatortuntersuchung muss Kayo im Dorf selbst wie ein Mann mit magischen Fähigkeiten wirken. Neben der Aufklärung des eigenartigen Falls gelingt es Nii Parkes, die dörfliche Atmosphäre wie auch das Temperament der Stadt Accra zwischen Tradition und Moderne mit ihren Märkten und ihrem Verkehrschaos lebendig werden zu lassen.

[Alma Alma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the writing in this novel. It was more poetic than anything and that alone served enough purpose to appreciate it. I thought that in some parts it was fragmented and unclear. The beginning seemed to be too much of a ramble about the hunter when it was clear that the forensic scientist was the protagonist. The image of a woman following a blue-tailed bird was clearly intended to be stunning but it slightly irritated me because of the unexplained nature of the woman following the bird into a village and into a hut of decomposing matter. I loved the meticulousness of the protagonist's work and to find that the author is involved in a similar field of work was far from shocking. You could clearly discern the level of love for forensic work. another thing that was unclear to me or perhaps too coincidental was the connection between the bar maid and the deceased matter in the hut. although this criticism can be nullified by the argument that it was not coincidental but more a known fact by the villagers and kept from Kayo until he had gained their trust. My criticisms would be based on my pre-conception of what I believe to be necessary for a good plot but are outweighed by the lyricism of the novella which i thought was incredible. The entire novel felt like drifting inside a dim cloud. The entire novel I was wondering how they would explain the bundle of biomass in the hut and although it was not satisfying to learn how it fit into the story it was an appropriate answer. From the book, I would take a lesson on the poetry of fiction writing and the careful construction of resonating characters.
One of the many lines I underlined:
"Those who have lived know that darkness is only temporary;morning brings its own light"

[Katja · Rating 4 out of 5]

A detective novel set at the junctions between urban and rural, science and traditions, corruption and integrity. I enjoyed the book, but had to accept that I missed or didn't get a lot of the references or word plays as it does not cater at all to a Western audience (this is obviously not a criticism - I just would have loved a glossary, but fair enough!).

Besides that, stylistically there where some parts I found to be a little dull. Frases like: "He shrugged again as he eased into the car. As he did so, he spotted a ripe mango by his trailing left food and bent to pick it up. He smiled; it wasn't such a bad day after all." (p. 37)

But on the other hand, I also found a certain charme in it.

Favorite quote:
"Opanyin Poku pointed at Kayo. 'You explain deaths?'
'Yes'. Kayo's tone was defiant.
'Then tell me, why do people die?'
'Because they are old, or sick, or someone attacks them. I don't know.'
'Then you can't explain deaths.'
Opanyin, that is my job. It is part of what I do.'
'I am also a hunter. I kill beasts so I can eat, but I know that they don't die because I shoot them or trap them; that is how they die but that is not why they die.'" (p. 155)

[Alec · Rating 3 out of 5]

There seems to be a great idea behind this text, a fusion on several levels. The dramatic contrast in the social fabric of modern Kenya is reduplicated in the narrative, a detective story that aspires to incorporate, even reconcile the split by offering a double perspective, coexistence without contradiction.

Sadly, the execution reduces this ambition to a quirk. While it is not a bad story after all, even half a year later, having given it all some thought, I cannot figure out how it is supposed to work as a crime fiction novel (ostensibly, all told, it is one). And as such, it fails to impress. The characters (of which there are slightly more than one) are quite flat, and the story line bears such obvious marks of multiple editing that I had to go back to a previous page several times to see what I missed.

Still it reads well and manages to impress and makes me wish that there is a next installment and that it matures to be a success.

[Shatterlings · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an enjoyable Tail, with its mix of folk story and forensic science, the characters were charming and the dialogue was so full of life. I could read more of this quite happily.

[Keli · Rating 2 out of 5]

Synopsis- Sonokrom, a village in the Ghanaian hinterland, has not changed for thousands of years. Here, the men and women speak the language of the forest, drink aphrodisiacs with their palm wine and walk alongside the spirits of their ancestors. The discovery of sinister remains; possibly human, definitely 'evil'; in a vanished man's hut brings the modern world into the village in the form of Kayo; a young forensic pathologist convinced that scientific logic can shatter even the most inexplicable of mysteries.

But as events in the village become more and more incomprehensible, Kayo and his sidekick, Constable Garba, find that Western logic and political bureaucracy are no longer equal to the task in hand. Strange boys wandering in the forest, ghostly music in the night and a flock of birds that come from far away to fill the desolate hut with discarded feathers take the newcomers into a world where, in the unknown, they discover a higher truth that leaves scientific explanations far behind.

Tail of the Bluebird is a story of the mystical heart of Africa, of the clash and clasp between old and new worlds. Lyrically beautiful, at once uncanny and heart-warmingly human, this is a story that tells us that at the heart of modern man there remains the capacity to know the unknowable. 

Review- After the first few pages I realised that I'd already read this. Instead of thinking about the fact that I couldn't remember it and maybe there was a reason for that I carried on. 🤨🤨🤨🤨 This book is 176 pages. I should have finished it a couple days after I started, but here we are 6 weeks later. SIX WEEKS!!!
It wasn't terrible, just terribly slow. There was very little plot and even less action. A guy is forced to figure out a possible murder in rural Ghana. That's pretty much it. Sadly, I'm left wondering what the hell he actually figured out? I get the story but am I supposed to believe what the hunter is saying? For real? Onyame's Benjamin Button Curse?!!! Uh-huh I don't think so.
The best parts about this book are the cultural aspects. They're fairly interesting. But they are not enough to add an extra star. This book is practically the definition of meh.

Rating - Two 😕 stars. ⭐⭐

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Devoured the book, couldn't put it down.
⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Really liked it, consumed within days
⭐⭐⭐ - Enjoyed a fair bit, better than average
⭐⭐ - Meh
⭐ - Absolute drivel

[Mariann · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://www.hyperebaaktiivne.ee/2025/...

Nii Ayikwei Parkes "Sinise linnu saladus" pajatab müstilise loo, kus põrkuvad Ghana traditsiooniline maaelu ning suurlinna võimumängud. Hankisin raamatu, kuna kirjanik on selle aasta HeadRead festivali külaline.

Juuli 2004, Sonokrom, Ghana. Rahulik päev kolkakülas. Peatub auto, naine sirutab jalgu, tõmbab ninaga, piilub ühte hütti ja hakkab karjuma kurjusest. See on ministri tüdruksõber, mistõttu ilge lihatomp peab saama seletuse. Politsei tuleb kohale ja leiab võimalikud inimsäilmed, kuid juhtumi lahendamiseks vaja on eksperti. Valik langeb Kayole. Mees on käinud Inglismaal arstiteadust ning kriminalistikat õppimas, kuid tema katse Ghana politsei ridadesse astuda nurjus, niisiis peab ta erafirmas analüüside tegemisega piirduma.

"Sinise linnu saladus" püüab lugejat krimiloo elementidega: on müsteerium ja on kriminalist, kes oskab sündmuspaika analüüsida nagu CSI-s. Kohalike külaelanike huvi juhtumi vastu on leige ning mindki haaras enam kõik ümbritsev, eriti külaelu ja politsei korruptsioon. Mõlemad pakkusid üllatusi ja kultuurišokki, aga ma pikemalt ei tahaks ühelgi situatsioonil peatuda, et sinu lugemiselamus oleks võimsam. Krimi jäi kõigest päästikuks, huvitekitajaks. Pealegi on seegi müsteeriumi osa, kas üldse sündis midagi kriminaalset.

Avastseeni maalib kohalik jahimees, osav jutuvestja, kelle kõnepruuk ja katkematu loba ropsuga Ghana külakesse viivad. Ise valid, kas lased end võõrkeelsete sõnade laviinil kaasa kanda või ajad raamatu lõpust tõlget taga. Esiti ehmatas säärane stiil ära, nii et ohkasin kergendusest, kui järgmises peatükis Kayo harjumuspärasem kõnemaneer üle võttis. Sisseelamine pealinnaellu läks märksa sujuvamalt. Kui aga hiljem järg taas jahimehele anti, langesin tema lugude lummusesse. Iseäranis nautisin kõnekäände! Isegi kotkas pole kõike näinud. Ärge unustage, et ahv sõi ammu enne seda, kui maaharija sündis.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had expected this book to be a regular crime novel, but it was so much more. The whimsical narrative voice and the stories within stories, the ambiguity and the fact that I absolutely loved one of the narrators, Karo, meant that this book really has wormed its way into my brain and into my heart.

It tells the story of a little village of 12 families in the hinterlands of Ghana, and a man, fresh out of university and serving with the police force in the UK who wants to try and change how the Ghanaian police force use forensics. Karo was such a brilliant narrator, with a strong moral compass as well as a highly intelligent brain. I only could've wished to have had more of his internal dialogue.

The actual mystery was really intriguing, and the solving of it even more so. It's built up in Ghanaian culture and storytelling, and it was just something I really loved.

I'm glad this was on my Masters list, as I'm worried it would've slipped by me otherwise. I have never seen it advertised before, which seems a great shame, as it's such a brilliant read. If you're umm'ing and aah'ing whether to pick this book up, please do.

[Kerstin Herbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Die Lesung im Weltempfänger-Salon machte mich neugierig auf dieses Buch. Daher „subbte“ es dann auch nicht lange. Leider hielt das Buch dann aber doch ganz, was ich erwartet hatte. Dass es kein klassischer Kriminalroman ist, war mir klar. Aber vor allem vom Aufbau des Buchs wurde während der Lesung ein vollkommen falscher Eindruck vermittelt. Auch das Ende fand ich etwas schwach.
Pluspunkte sammelt das Buch aber für die gute Darstellung der Verhältnisse im heutigen Ghana: der Unterschied zwischen Stadt- und Landbevölkerung, die Korruption und Willkür der Staatsmacht sind gut gezeichnet.

Worum geht es?

In Sonokrom, irgendwo im ghanaischen Hinterland, werden nach dem Verschwinden eines Dorfbewohners menschliche Überreste gefunden. Eigentlich würde das Dorf die Angelegenheit gerne selbst regeln, aber ausgerechnet die Geliebte des Ministers machte den Fund. Deshalb wimmelt es in Sonokrom bald von Polizisten. Da diese aber nicht so richtig weiterkommt, wird Kayo – in Großbritannien ausgebildeter Forensiker – hinzugezogen. Er soll mit den westlichen Methoden der Wissenschaft nach der Wahrheit suchen und einen Bericht zum Tathergang mit handfesten Beweisen liefern. Aber die Dorfbewohner selbst haben einen ganz eigenen, sehr viel mystischeren Erklärungsansatz.

Warum habe ich es gelesen?

Die Lesung von Nii Ayikwei Parkes im Weltempfänger-Salon, über die ich >>hier<< bereits berichtete, machte mich neugierig auf dieses Buch. Mich interessierte vor allem die gleichberechtigte Gegenüberstellung von westlicher Wissenschaft und Logik (verkörpert durch Forensiker Kayo) und afrikanischer Mythologie (verkörpert durch die Dorfbewohner). Dass es kein Kriminalroman im klassischen Sinne sein würde, ahnte ich bereits. Dennoch erwartete ich eine intelligente und spannende Auseinandersetzung mit den beiden unterschiedlichen Denkweisen und den feinsinnigen, schelmischen Humor, den ich bereits während der Lesung von Nii Parkes aufblitzen sah.

Wie war mein erster Eindruck?

„Die Spur des Bienenfressers“ ist aus zwei unterschiedlichen Perspektiven geschrieben. Im ersten Kapitel erzählt einer der Dorfbewohner, wie die Polizei nach Sonokrom kam. Seine Teile sind in der Ich-Perspektive geschrieben. Hier wird sehr schnell deutlich, dass in Sonokrom die Uhren anders schlagen. Man lebt von und mit der Natur. Besonders schön fand ich, das Erstaunen des Dorfbewohners über die wissenschaftlichen Geräte, mit denen die Polizei den Tatort untersucht. In den Augen der Dorfbewohner wird dies zu teuflischem Zauberwerk. Herrlich!

Im zweiten Kapitel lernt der Leser dann Kayo kennen. Er lebt Accra und führt ein vollkommen anderes Leben. Auch die Erzählperspektive wechselt nun zu einem auktorialen Erzähler. Hierdurch wird der Kontrast zwischen beiden Protagonisten auf subtile Art und Weise verstärkt.

Wie fand ich die Sprache?

Die Kapitel aus der Sicht des Dorfbewohners fand ich schwierig zu lesen. Er schweift leicht ab und erzählt langwierig und umständlich mit vielen Einschüben. Die anderen Kapitel, in denen es um Kayo geht, fand ich leichter zu lesen. Sie sind wesentlich strukturierter erzählt. Besonders gut gefiel mir der leicht sarkastische, fein ironische Unterton, der an einigen Stellen durch eine Überzeichnung der beschriebenen Situationen und Personen entsteht. Nii Parkes beweist hier den feinsinnigen, schelmischen Humor, den ich auch schon auf der Lesung bemerkte. Mir machte das sehr viel Spaß.

Schön fand ich auch, dass es auch bei „Die Spur des Bienenfressers“ einen Anhang mit Worterklärungen gibt, in dem hauptsächlich ghanaische Speisen und Gerichte erläutert werden.

Wie fand ich die Charaktere?

Nii Parkes entwirft fein gezeichnete, fein ausdifferenzierte Charaktere. Er gibt ihnen jeweils eine individuelle Vergangenheit, die weit über die eigentliche Handlung hinaus geht, und entwickelt hieraus ganz eigene Handlungsmotive. Hierdurch kann man sich gut in die Figuren hineinversetzen.

Auch dass einige ganz bewusst etwas überzeichnet sind, hatte für mich seinen Reiz, denn es ist wohldosiert und so gekannt angebracht, dass es nicht albern wirkt. Vielmehr ist hierin eine sehr feinsinnige Form von Gesellschaftskritik zuerkennen.

Wie fand ich den Schluss?

Über den Schluss war ich etwas enttäuscht. Leider führt Nii Parkes nicht beide Lösungsansätze konsequent zu Ende. So führt am Schluss nur eine der beiden Denkweisen zu einer Lösung des Falls. Mir hätte es besser gefallen, wenn auch am Ende zwei verschiedene Erklärungen nebeneinander gestanden hätten.

Wie fand ich das Buch insgesamt?

BenenfresserAuch wenn auf dem Cover „Kriminalroman“ steht, passt „Die Spur des Bienenfressers“ nicht so ganz in dieses Genre. Im Mittelpunkt steht nicht die Frage „Wer ist der Mörder?“. Kayo widmet sich vielmehr der Frage, ob überhaupt etwas gestorben ist (und wenn ja, was). Viel Zeit verwendet Nii Parkes auch darauf, wie Kayo eigentlich dazu kommt, für die Polizei zu arbeiten.
Dass der Kriminalfall hier jedoch nur den Rahmen der Erzählung bilden würde, hatte ich erwartet. Vielmehr zeigt Nii Parkes in „Die Spur des Bienenfressers“, dass nicht nur unsere westliche wissenschaftliche Denkweise geeignet ist, um die Welt zu erklären. Gleichzeitig zeigt er die großen Unterschiede zwischen der ghanaischen Stadt- und Landbevölkerung auf. Gepaart mit seinem feinsinnigen, schelmenhaften Humor ist das Ergebnis eine höchst unterhaltsame und lesenswerte Lektüre.

Ich hätte mir jedoch mehr Kapitel aus der Sicht der Dorfbevölkerung gewünscht. Ich hatte erwartet, dass im ständigen Wechsel aus beiden Perspektiven erzählt wird. Leider kommt die Dorfbevölkerung jedoch nur ganz zu Beginn und dann erst wieder am Ende zu Wort. Der wesentlich umfangreicher Mittelteil jedoch handelt ausschließlich von Kayo, was ich etwas schade fand. Auch das Ende hätte ich mir ambivalenter gewünscht.

[Siim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked how Parkes chose to stick to the languages and dialects he knew instead of trying to translate words that he had difficulty translating into English. It gave the book more flare. Although made understanding it more difficult. Luckily some of the editions have translations in the back or you can find them online.

The book started strong and ended strong for me. I got distracted or disinterested in the middle possibly because I had struggled to keep up with the foreign names.

In any case I liked the intersection of the real and the magical. Quite cool.

[Babsi Balboa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hab ich wirklich das gleiche Buch gelesen, dass in den anderen Rezensionen als „mystisch-poetischer Krimi“ und im Klappentext sogar als „bahnbrechend“ bezeichnet wurde? Ich habe da meine Zweifel…

Es gab gar nicht wirklich einen Fall? Und auch nicht so eine richtige Ermittlung? Und am Ende war’s dann allen irgendwie egal?

Naja, 3 Sterne für die Kurzweiligkeit und die durchaus interessanten Einblicke in die Kultur Ghanas.

[Valérie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super « polar ». Je mets des guillemets car je ne suis pas sure que ce soit un polar à proprement parler. Plutôt une fresque ou mieux encore un conte moderne sur une enquête au Ghana. Une enquête certes policière mais aussi sociale, civilisationnelle. Les personnages ne sont pas des caricatures et mêmes plutôt bien définis.
Une création de langue assez extraordinaire. Poésie et conte. Bravo au traducteur formidable.
Une réussite que je recommande.
Contente d’avoir fini l’année sur ce livre !

[Acadia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one. It’s classic crime novel with a clever and likable detective, set in Ghana in the early 2000s. There is an interesting cast of characters and the central mystery is riveting. One major theme is the tension between the old ways and the new. Absolutely does not pass the Bechdel test.

[Paula Cebollada Rica · Rating 3 out of 5]

M'ha agradat com l'autor fusiona la modernitat de la ciència forense amb les tradicions rurals de Ghana. L'estructura del fil és com una matrioixca: història dins d'una història, dins d'una història (a vegades m'ha semblat molt forçat).

[Aqilaa · Rating 5 out of 5]

picked this up from a 2nd hand charity book sale by chance, ended up making me fall head over heels for the whodunnit genre. really cool story and unlike anything else i've read

[M M · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not translated fiction, although really it could be, as it has lengths of conversation in the pidgin of Ghana with little more than context to help the reader to decipher it. But it is a lovely tale of the clash between modernity and traditional values, and somewhat mystical in its acceptance that science and technology do not always have the answer when the age-old magics are at play in the world. So what happens in the book? Well, the girlfriend of a high-level politician finds a misshapen body in a hut in a little village she is visiting, and is so horrified by it that the politician demands a thorough investigation. Nobody can tell if the body is human or animal, much less if there is even a crime to investigate, but the policemen sent in are baffled by the villagers' lack of cooperation. A newly-minted forensic investigator, a genteel and polite Ghanaian man educated in England, is forcibly coopted by the chief of police (who, obviously, has his own agenda in pursuing the case). Once in the village, his innate courtesy admits him into the village's confidence: both the great hunter and the medicine-man take him under his wing. He soon recognises that there is hidden evil in the minds of men even in this bucolic setting, and the consequences of that evil are not readily explained by his rationality and science. An endearing book.

[Moushumi Ghosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I discovered this book on the British Council library bookshelf I knew I HAD to read it. But I didn't know what to expect. It's a joyride alright. Part literature, part whodunit, part mystery- this book defies genres.

Kayo (Kwadwo Odemttan) is a Ghanian Forensics Expert returned from the UK but forced to work in a lab run by the greedy Mr.Acquah in Accra. But when a minister's girlfriend finds a weird 'thing' that is red and moving in a hut in the village Sonokrom, the proverbial hell breaks lose.

Inspector J Donkar is asked to solve this case by the minister and sees it as an opportunity to move up the ladder. Kayo is his trump card. By means both friendly and threatening Kayo is persuaded to work on this case. He is given an assistant Garba and they get to work.

This being interior Ghana the investigation is not straightforward or even rational (by western standards). Kayo needs his forensic kit and loads of courage and a fearlessness to solve this case.

I loved the idea that the real mystery started out being about the case but became so much more than that. It's a fast paced novel so I finished reading it quickly as well. Nii Ayikwei Parkes balances the book between literature and the police procedural very well. Read because you like African writing.