Rescued from a demolition. It's not packed with excitement, but is an easy read.

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Sent to Bookcrosser Aldawen in Germany. :)

Thank you so much for sending this book on the long, long way, it arrived today!

Ntanya returns to his home village to reconcile with his dying father. His grandmother who cared for Ntanya and his brothers and sisters after the mother's death is happy to see him back, so do the children. Ntanya roams through the village to meet old friends and thus he shows up with James who was better in school and is now working for the government despite of the controversies his work causes with the village elders. He visits a pub with his friend Mugia where he meets Teresa for the first time. The girl is supposed to be the mistress of an old man hiding his past in rumours. Teresa and Ntanya soon fell in love with each other but as long as Ntanya's father lies in his hut nothing could be done. The father isn't liked by most of the villagers and Ntanya doesn't want to fuel their reservations further. But that turns out to be especially difficult when the rainy season starts.

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Although this seems to be a story of family and homecoming the novel is highly political, at least if you look at it in the context of its publication date in the late 1960s. The first decade of independence is coming to an end and there's widespread disillusionment about the results and developments since decolonization. This is pointed here, e. g. when Teresa says that all children are now born as "government officials".

Especially in Tanzania there was an post-colonial ideology in place which emphasized (real or supposed) African traditions of family and community, something Palangyo critizes explicitely, e. g. when it comes to the confrontation on working the fields after the father's death. Obviously, Palangyo dislikes sticking to the passive mourning at the expense of working for the family's livelihood. Another example is Ntanya's reaction to his family, his frequent retreats into his own thoughts and feelings when he's not even recognizing what's going on around him thinking about the emptiness of his life. His behaviour had an oppressive touch more than once, and I'm not sure Teresa will be able to change it permanently.

Compared to other novels from African countries I've read this was typical regarding the setting on the one hand, but on the other hand the construction was unusual. This made it especially interesting for me because it paints a different picture than those I came across before. And I also think that some knowledge about the late 1960s in Tanzania is helpful for understanding the context.

Many thanks for the book.

Torgin has written so much about the novel, that I wil lwrite only a few sentences.
'For me this book was easier to read, because it has a linear structure not a circular. I liked the story that was told.
I didn't know the historical facts which Torgin mentioned in his last sentences and have now a better understanding for some parts of the novel.

The book is travellling to book-a-billy.

The book arrived save and sound at my house today - thanks a lot!

A quick read. This book differs a bit from African literature I have read so far, although it also taught me something about life in an African country.

Das Buch reist mit meiner Länderbox herum.

Thank you for this book, book-a-billy!

Congratulations on finding this book! I'd be thrilled if you took the time to let me know what you will be doing with this book once you've read it by making a journal entry.
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Thanks, and Happy Crossing!

Viele erholsame Stunden und Spaß beim Lesen!

Du hast übrigens nicht nur ein Buch, sondern eine ganze Gemeinschaft von Leserinnen und Lesern gefunden, die Bücher lieben und sie mit anderen teilen.

bookcrossing - Bücher finden, lesen, weitergeben ist ein wunderbares Hobby - mach auch mit!

On the bookshelf in the foyer, just past the restaurant