Great African Reads discussion

The voting has ended, and it was a clear win for Kintu by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi. Would anybody like to lead the discussion of this book?

Yaas!

Was that just general excitement, or can I sign you up as discussion lead Belinda? ;)

Wow! I missed a vote and still am a winner given the outcome. Heading to find a copy now.

Awaiting my copy from library queue.

Anetq wrote: "Was that just general excitement, or can I sign you up as discussion lead Belinda? ;)"

lool! wow, I didn't realize what you were asking, I was just excited that we're reading a book from home; I can't take the lead; but I can promise to actively participate. I really hope you enjoy the book.

Great. I bought my book two weeks ago while in Europe as it is impossible to get here in Niger.

Here is an article relating to Kintu.

African writers are rarely thought to speak to the universal—in the philosophical sense rather than the platitudinous one.” On Kintu and our preconceptions about the African novel. | The New York Review of Books

http://www.nybooks.com/daily/2017/09/...

I'm about halfway through the book now. Twins seemed to hold a lot of significance in Baganda culture so I thought I'd read up on it a bit, and found this interesting:

http://www.monitor.co.ug/Magazines/Li...

Amiya wrote: "I'm about halfway through the book now. Twins seemed to hold a lot of significance in Baganda culture so I thought I'd read up on it a bit, and found this interesting:

http://www.monitor.co.ug/Ma..."

Thanks for sharing - interesting!

Just finished the book. What a saga! Would love to discuss it more, once everyone's finished.

Beverly wrote: "Amiya wrote: "I'm about halfway through the book now. Twins seemed to hold a lot of significance in Baganda culture so I thought I'd read up on it a bit, and found this interesting:

http://www.mo..."

You're welcome, Beverley. And thanks for sharing that excellent NYBooks review. I was saving it till after I'd completed the book (usually do that with most reviews, so I can compare my views with the reviewer's) and Namwali Serpell's piece offered some interesting perspectives.

Just started reading yesterday and only 100 pages far, but I really love the book! The precolonial part is beautifully written, with so much respect. Can't wait to read on.

Just finished and I really loved this novel!

Here is my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I really liked it too, Wim. I love (and admire the writer for!) a well constructed and narrated epic, and despite my interest waning a little bit around the middle of the book, I'd give it 4/5.

For me, the first section with Kintu Kidda was the most riveting. And although I knew it was going to be an multi-generational saga, I got so lost in Kintu's story that the section's end was, well, quite a shocker for me when it shouldn't have been, lol.

Also, I ultimately liked how everyone and everything came together in the end. When the book first started veering into the spirit/otherworldly direction, I wasn't sure how I felt about it, but by the end it made sense for me, given the central theme of the book and how the story began.

I would've really appreciated a family tree at the beginning or end of the book, though! Some of the family branches got difficult to keep track of.

Amiya wrote: "I would've really appreciated a family tree at the beginning or end of the book, though! Some of the family branches got difficult to keep track of."

Yes, a family tree and a small map of Uganda/Buganda kingdom would have been a useful reference to keep track of the different branches, story lines and places.

Happy coincidence, I found this book from a random library search before a short trip to Uganda. Glad to see it made it to the Tour! I'm about halfway done (hope to finish it on the plane ride home). Will share thoughts and a review. I've been MIA for the last year but I miss you guys! <3

Welcome! A few of us are going to read this book starting in January 2021, keeping the group discussion of the book in one place on this thread.

Carolien & George P, to make the reading more manageable, shall we break it into 6 pieces, one for each section of the book? Would that work out to a section every two weeks? We'd probably read through February, but I'm fine with that.

Posting a link to a podcast about Kintu from 2018.

No firm decision on how fast to read yet, but I think we're likely to give it at least two months so no one has to push through.

Ardene wrote: "No firm decision on how fast to read yet, but I think we're likely to give it at least two months so no one has to push through."

I know you posted on Dec 11th a plan on reading Kintu for 2021 of the first two books by Jan 8th. So is it now just the first "book"? I checked and the first two "books" are actually 40% of the novel, or 176 pages. The first "book" is 105 pages, so I think that is plenty.
I have gotten a bit of a start, at 35 pages. I have five library accounts and was able to get the Ebook for Kindle from Denver.
I couldn't get the link for the podcast to work.

George P wrote The first "book" is 105 pages, so I think that is plenty.

I agree. I am on page 28 myself, so I think 100 pages will be doable. I'd rather take my time and pay attention than rush through.

I'll check on the podcast & see what I can figure out.

I'm almost finished with book one now. I like it, esp reading of all the tribal customs, myths and politics.
I found this review in Financial Times from 2018, haven't read it all yet:
https://www.ft.com/content/fd5f1fa6-0...

I finished the first book (Kintu) last night and is really enjoying it thus far. Like George says, I like the information on the tribal myths and customs. Thanks for the review, George.

I had a look at whether the NY Times had reviewed Kintu and the only reference to Kintu I found was two tiny articles on the appointment of Michael Kintu as Prime Minister of Buganda in 1955, so Kintu as a name is very real.

This is a really good article on Kintu (including the corrrect pronunciation - I have been using the hard SA K to date)
https://lithub.com/in-kintu-a-look-at...

I'm about halfway through and it is reading much easier than I anticipated. This is the third of these intergenerational African books that I have read in the past six months (the others were The Old Drift and Homegoing) and I really enjoy the format. Does anybody have any recommendations for other African books with similar structures?

I'm not sure if A Girl Is a Body of Water by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi is as intergenerational as the books you mentioned. It does not cover centuries but it features at least different generations of women...

I also like this format, though I find it can be exhausting, too, as it's so much to take in on a historical and emotional scale! Segu follows the same intergenerational storyline format-- it's very good. Tells the history of Mali.

Based on Kintu, I'm definitely planning on reading A Girl is a Body of Water. it just seems to be pretty unavailable in South Africa at the moment. Segu goes on the list, thanks Tinea.

Hi all,

I've caught up through the first section/book of Kintu.

Hiding my comments behind a spoiler screen in case anyone hasn't read through the first book yet.

(view spoiler)[I was uncomfortable with Kintu's avoidance of telling the village about the death of Kalema. While I have to admit I've used this strategy myself with small things, this was a huge thing not to tell, particularly when all the men who traveled with Kintu know of it. Kintu's accidental killling of Kalema becomes a shameful secret when he doesn't tell his family, the young man's father, Ntwire, or the village about it.

I liked learning about the family politics, and wonder about the relationship between Nnakato & Babiyere – I would like to see the family dynamics from their points of view. I also enjoyed reading about Baale's wedding preparations, especially the night he spends with the married men of his village.

I was surprised (and pleased) when Babiyere discovered that Zaya was pregnant with Baale's child. And a bit puzzled – she's going to keep her sister's only biological son's child hidden from his family. Is this to keep him/her safe, or for something she plans down the road? Especially after the description of Kayabaggu's mother's machinations. (hide spoiler)]

I'm enjoying the novel, and looking forward to what happens next.

Need another two weeks for book 2?

George P, re the podcast if you're still interested -

The podcast I was trying to link to is the May 22, 2018 cast of the Sankofa podcast. Their main web page is thesankofabookclub.com.

Click the “hamburger button,” select podcasts, select 2018, and locate the May 22/Kintu episode. You can also go into your podcast app and subscribe, then download the podcast to listen.

I must have missed the original post about the speed at which we were going to discuss Kintu as I am on Book 5 at this point. Will join in with the discussion as we go along. An amusing bit - having had and used my kindle for about 4 years I have only just found out how to get back to the first page of the book - necessitated by my confusion about the characters and their relatedness. I actually finally sat down and read the kindle instructions so Kintu has already has a positive impact.

Ardene wrote: "George P, re the podcast if you're still interested -

The podcast I was trying to link to is the May 22, 2018 cast of the Sankofa podcast. Their main web page is thesankofabookclub.com.

Click th..."

I'd be curious whether anyone else who tries to access this has the same difficulty I'm having. It went along fine until about 6 and a half minutes in when it suddenly stopped - just as they were getting around to discussing the book.

Ricki, well, at least you now have a new skill :-)

Sorry the podcast isn't working. I listened to it through my podcast app. Not sure what toreccomend.

I'm finding this much easier to read than expected, so I am also tracking ahead of schedule. Will comments as I go along. I'm really interested in how this will conclude in the final book.

Have just finished reading Kintu. I can understand it’s importance in being a book written for Ugandans and when I read the last book it all made much more sense to me. I don’t really have any spoilers I want to add but noticed that Ardene managed to hide any spoilers on her post. Really a useful tool and I wondered where to learn how to do this.
The book gave me the incentive to look up various tribal connections, meaning of twins and also just general info on the origin places of certain ethnic groups within the area discussed as well as their ‘stories’/ beliefs, traditions. So glad to have the internet as the effort wasn’t onerous.

Ricki wrote: "Have just finished reading Kintu. I can understand it’s importance in being a book written for Ugandans and when I read the last book it all made much more sense to me. I don’t really have any spoi..."

re: spoilers it's a simple HTML-tag (write spoiler in code brackets before, and /spoiler in code brackets after) - see how in the help text "some html is ok" above the box you write in :)

Anetq wrote: "Ricki wrote: "Have just finished reading Kintu. I can understand it’s importance in being a book written for Ugandans and when I read the last book it all made much more sense to me. I don’t really..."

Thank you.

She was interviewed twice in South Africa and makes some interesting points in both articles:

https://johannesburgreviewofbooks.com...

https://johannesburgreviewofbooks.com...

I finished this and really enjoyed it. My review is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I've just finished book 2, about Suubi, so at 40% of the book, and I'll read some more today. Book three is shorter, so maybe I can finish that by tomorrow night.
Does anyone understand Kizza's reference to Suubi as Suubi Nnakato, not Nnakintu "though it is also our name"? Has to do with her being a twin.

I've just finished Book 2 and am also confused by Kizza. Who she is, what her relation to Suubi is. Guess I'll have to wait till it comes together at the end.

I expect to finish Book 4 tonight or tomorrow, which is 70% point. I am enjoying it. These multi-generation family novels like this are rather like collections of short stories with a connected theme. I have read others with similar structure but I think never spread over so long a time. I have also read The Old Drift that Carolien mentioned.
Ricki said " when I read the last book it all made much more sense to me", and so I look forward to a more pulling-together conclusion.
I think there are others who are still in the middle of the book, so I am not in a rush to finish. I have 2 more weeks on my library loan and will probably use most of that.

Took me a while to finish, but here are my comments. Thanks for reading along the 2nd time through.

Kintu is the story of the extended clan descended from Kintu Kidda. Per Wikipedia, Kintu is a mythologial figure of the Buganda people and is the father of humans. I can give an overarching description of the arc of the story, but it is more than the sum of its parts.

The first section of the book, set in the mid 18th century, tells the story of Kintu, his family, and the actions that result in a curse being laid on his family and descendants. The next four sections tell the story of one descendant each (and their branch of the family) at the turn of the 20th and 21st century, and the sixth and final section tells the story of the extended family coming together in 2004 to try and remove the curse. Not everything is tied up neatly by the end, but much healing does take place.

This is a rich story that I think will reward re-reading. In addition to the literal story, the family stands in for the people of Uganda and gives us a glimpse of a variety of viewpoints and traditions that dwell together. This is also, in my mind, primarily the story of the male descendants. I am curious about what it would look like if told from a female perspective. It's also a story about the interplay of tradition and modernity. And I'm sure other readers will find other threads/themes they want to follow.

I agree that this is worth a re-read, Ardene. I would like to read it again as it has so much detail. A Girl Is a Body of Water, her new book, is from a female perspective as far as I understand.

This book took a long time to write and I think it comes through in the quality of the writing and the historical details. I'm very glad I managed to read it.

Ardene wrote: "Took me a while to finish, but here are my comments. Thanks for reading along the 2nd time through.

Kintu is the story of the extended clan descended from Kintu Kidda. Per Wikipedia, Kintu is a my..."

Thanks a lot for your thoughts!! I would also be interested in the female perspective and A Girl Is a Body of Water is on my TBR!

Yes, I have Girl is a body of water on my TBR as well, but I'm not sure when I'll get to it.

Next up on my fiction in Africa series is The theory of flight by Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu. I've also ordered a copy of A fistful of shells which I'm sure will keep me occupied.