I seriously think this nonsense must be discouraged! Of course neo-colonialists
will always promote what is to their advantage!! Ms. Nyeko may not be
farsighted enough to see it, but it is a culture that we do not need. As simple
as that!
I do not care a dime how much money she got out of it; my position is, we do
not need that culture. And cannot, must not, be promoted!
Ocii
Peter-Rhaina Gwokto <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
'Taboo' story takes African prize
Jambula Tree was described as "witty and mischievous"
The Ugandan writer who won the Caine Prize for African Writing with a story
about lesbianism, often a taboo topic in Africa, says she is "very excited".
Monica Arac de Nyeko beat four other finalists to get the $20,000 (£10,000)
prize for her story Jambula Tree. It is about a relationship between young
girls in a country where homosexuality is illegal. "I'm not a lesbian but I
do think it's a difficult subject, like... writing about Uganda's history," she
said. She's taking on a theme that Africans have been in
denial about
Publisher Becky Ayebia Clarke
The Caine Prize, announced in Oxford on Monday night, is considered a major
award in African creative writing. Jambula Tree was described as "witty and
mischievous" by the judges. Her publisher Becky Ayebia Clarke said when she
first read the story she thought "how brave" Ms Arac de Nyeko was to take on
the subject. "In Africa these are not the kind of stories we're allowed to
tell. She's taking on a theme that Africans have been in denial about - a theme
about same-sex love." 'Walls' "The Jambula Tree is about the relationship
between two young girls in a very complex social setting in a community which
does not look kindly at that relationship," Ms Arac de Nyeko told the BBC's
Network Africa programme.
There are a lot of difficult things that I think we need to talk about and
not build walls of huge emotion
Monica Arac de Nyeko
"It's a combination of struggle and the power to dream and love," she said.
"There are a lot of difficult things that I think we need to talk about and not
build walls of huge emotion so that they're almost impassable." She said the
jambula tree signified various things in the story. "First of all the jambula
tree is where you have the neighbour who has been stealthily watching the two
girls - their relationship unfold - over a significant amount of time."
While, the small fruit from the tree represents breasts. "Jambula in this
story is also an image for breasts... they're teenagers so they could well be
mosquito bites, in this case jambulas." Praying The Caine Prize can be
given to an African writer who has been published on the continent or
elsewhere. The prize also includes a month as "writer in residence" at a US
university. During her acceptance speech, Ms Arac de Nyeko said the prize was
a "very exciting time for Ugandan fiction" and that she
would immediately call her sister. "I'll get on the phone and get my sister
to stop praying - because she's been on her knees probably for a very long
time," she said. Monica Arac de Nyeko was born in 1979 in northern Uganda -
the scene of one of the world's longest civil wars. The other writers on the
shortlist were:
Uwem Akpan (Nigeria) - My Parents' Bedroom
EC Osondu (Nigeria) - Jimmy Carter's Eyes
Henrietta Rose-Innes (South Africa) - Bad Places
Ada Udechukwu (Nigeria) - Night Bus
Last year, South Africa's Mary Watson was the seventh winner of the Caine
Prize.
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