Gedoneerd aan OBCZ-KdK

Song of Lawino: In thirteen "chapters" Lawino looks at the conflicts between her and her husband Ocol resulting from her standing by traditional customs and ways of thinking whereas Ocol, influenced by university, devotes himself to a westernized way of living. This starts with more domestic aspects and ends up with more abstract themes. Every chapter centers around one main subject, e. g. giving of names, feeding, illness and remedies, religion, politics. Okot succeed well in showing parallels and differences, posing thereby the question why the abandonment of one's own traditions should be a good thing in itself. This is especially impressive when it comes to religious beliefs.

Song of Ocol: This only contains nine chapters and Ocol wavers between the anger over his own descent, the feeling sorry for all those people who don't take his side on modernization, and disillusionment on the country's independence and the taking over by black politicians. He doesn't recognize anything in African history which would be worth remembering: "What proud poem can we write for the vanquished?"

It was really interesting to see Okot contrasting the more traditional way of life as preferred by Lawino (without clinging to it unquestioning) and the more westernized way of Ocol. To adapt another culture and to uproot all tradition could not work, I'm sure Okot was right on that. What I disliked a little bit, and this could well be a problem of the German translation I've read, was the stumbling rhythm of the verses. The translator said in his afterword that he tried to preserve this from the original. I don't think this was the best possible decision.

Dit boek lag bij een hotel in een boekenkast, zo'n hotel waar veel oudere mensen overwinteren (Golden Club in Cabanas). Met zo'n boekenkast waar heel veel omruil boeken lagen, allerlei talen.