A MOUTH FULL OF SALT by Reem Gaafar

 PAWA'S BOOK OF THE WEEK (Week 44, Fourth Edition)

A MOUTH FULL OF SALT by Reem Gaafar, a writer, physician and film maker from Sudan is set in a small farming village in North Sudan which was woken up one morning to the news that a little boy had drowned.

 Soon after, the animals die of a mysterious illness and the date gardens catch fire and burn to the ground. The villagers whisper of a sorceress who dwells at the foot of the mountains. 

Meanwhile in Khartoum, a single mother makes her way in a world that wants to keep girls and women back. As civil war swells, the political intrudes into the personal and her position in the capital becomes untenable. She must return to the village.

A MOUTH FULL OF SALT uncovers a country on the brink of seismic change as its women decide for themselves which traditions are fit for purpose – and which prophecies it’s time to rewrite.

The book which won the 2023 Island Prize is available on Amazon.com

SONGS OF A WAR BOY by Deng Thiak Adut

 PAWA'S BOOK OF THE WEEK (Week 43, Fourth Edition)

SONGS OF A WAR BOY is the true story of Deng Thiak Adut from Southern Sudan.

Deng Adut's family were farmers in South Sudan when a brutal civil war altered his life forever. At six years old, his mother was told she had to give him up to fight.

 At the age most children are starting school, Deng was conscripted into the Sudan People's Liberation Army. He began a harsh, relentless military training that saw this young boy trained to use an AK-47 and sent into battle. He lost the right to be a child. He lost the right to learn.

This is an inspiring story of a man who has overcome deadly adversity to become a lawyer and committed worker for the disenfranchised, helping refugees.

It is an important reminder of the power of compassion and the benefit to us all when we open our doors and our hearts to fleeing war, persecution and trauma.

SONGS OF A WAR BOY is available on Amazon. Com

SPLIT MILK by Kopano Matlwa

 PAWA'S BOOK OF THE WEEK (Week 42, Fourth Edition)

SPLIT MILK by Kopano Matlwa from South Africa is the story of two passionate people who share a shameful past and a tenuous present.

Decades after a childhood love affair earns upright school principal Mohumagadi and disgraced preacher Father Bill expulsion from their communities, the two characters are brought back together under the most unlikely of circumstances.

Mohumagadi, headmistress of the elite Sekolo sa Ditlhora school for talented black children, takes in Father Bill as a teacher much to the dismay of her students and faculty.

 Thus begins a battle of wills and wits for the hearts and minds of the students living in the shadow of revolution and change.

 SPLIT MILK which focussed on the ‘Born Free’ generation, and addressed issues of race, class and colonisation is available on Amazon.com

THE LAST NOMAD: COMING OF AGE IN THE SOMALI DESERT by Shugri Said Salh

 PAWA'S BOOK OF THE WEEK ( Week 41, Fourth Edition)

At once dramatic and witty, THE LAST NOMAD: COMING OF AGE IN THE SOMALI DESERT by Shugri Said Salh from Somalia tells the story of tradition, change and hope.

When Salh was six years old, she was sent to live with her nomadic grandmother in the desert, away from the city of Mogadishu.

The desert held many risks, from drought and hunger to the threat of predators, but it also held beauty, innovation, and centuries of tradition. 

Shugri grew to love the freedom of roaming with her goats and the feeling of community in learning the courtship rituals, cooking songs, and poems of her people.

 Ultimately, the family was forced to flee as refugees in the face of a civil war to the United States. 

There, Shugri would again find herself a nomad in a strange land, learning to navigate everything from escalators to homeless shelters to, ultimately, marriage, parenthood, and nursing school.

The book is available on Amazon.com

FRAGILE RIGHTS by Frederick Bobor James

 PAWA'S BOOK OF THE WEEK ( Week 40, Fourth Edition)

FRAGILE RIGHTS by Frederick Bobor James from Sierra Leone is a Play on the values and challenges of family life.

In the book, Frederick James depicted Njabu as a devoted wife and mother who regularly  drives through the evening rush-hour traffic jam to pick up her two daughters from the neighbour's house, take them home, and cook for her husband.

 Each day, Tom looks forward to coming home to a freshly cooked meal prepared by Njabu and sharing folk stories with their daughters. 

And then one day Njabu runs into a college mate who is now a household name. Their reunion lasts only a few minutes, but things begin to change.

 Can Tom cope with Njabu's new interest? How do they resolve the growing resentment, betrayal and ultimate infidelity? 

A powerfully insightful play, FRAGILE RIGHTS creates a strong emotional connection to everyday life that lasts long after the play ends.

The book is available on Amazon.com

ECHOES FROM THE OASIS by Rosie Tirant- Longhurst, aka A.R. Tirant

 PAWA'S BOOK OF THE WEEK (Week 39, Fourth Edition)

ECHOES FROM THE OASIS by Rosie Tirant- Longhurst, aka A.R. Tirant from Seychelles was set in the early 1900s on the island of Mahe in the Seychelles when women were confined to specific roles and expectations, as well as customs and traditions. 

However, 16- year old Anna, being passionate, nature-loving and rebellious, wanted more out of life. She had different desires and bigger dreams.

 The book tells the emotional and dramatic story of Anna’s younger years. Forbidden love brought joy and meaning to her life, but it was quickly followed by a dreadful smallpox epidemic that brought tragedy to Mahe’s Victoria hospital where Anna worked. 

Meanwhile in the background, the threatening atmosphere of a dark and closely guarded secret – witchcraft practices – has the islanders of this close-knit Catholic community shivering in fear.

ECHOES FROM THE OASIS is available on Amazon.com

Singing Away the Hunger - PAWA'S Book Of The Week ( Week 48)

 

SINGING AWAY THE HUNGER - PAWA'S BOOK OF THE WEEK ( WEEK 48)

 

SINGING AWAY THE HUNGER: The Autobiography Of An African Woman is an autobiography by a Lesotho woman, Mpho 'M'atsepo Nthunya, edited by K. Limakatso Kendall.

 

In loosely connected episodes, including stories passed to her from her mother, Nthunya describes the difficult life facing many Lesotho women, who must deal with a choice between the dangers, hardships, and degrading working conditions of city life as an indigenous African under apartheid, and the challenges of traditional rural life.

 

In the Lesotho of her time, women often faced child mortality, forced marriage, domestic abuse and single parenthood. Illness and starvation are constant threats, and these are compounded by what Nthunya describes as the destructive force of jealousy in impoverished communities.

 

The cultural conflict between city and rural life, and between Western and traditional culture, are a major theme of the book.

 

The book is available on Amazon.com