THE UGANDAN BOOK (TUB) Ep 3 - KINTU by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi.

Today, we dive into 👇🏿

'KINTU' BY JENNIFER NANSUBUGA MAKUMBI. 

Now, this isn't a book you will just quickly read while seated on a beach. 

You will need to slow down, because "KINTU" is like a detailed family history  that is spread out over hundreds of years of Ugandan history. 

We start way back, before the British even showed up, with a guy named Kintu. He does something… well, something that ends up affecting his family for generations. Like, a curse kind of thing hangs over them.

The book then jumps around in time, following different descendants of this first Kintu. You meet – farmers, politicians, city dwellers – all connected by this shared ancestry and the weird stuff that keeps happening in their lives...

...It’s like Makumbi is showing you how the past, way, way back, still messes with some of us in Uganda. 😊

She talks about traditions, about how families work (and sometimes don't), about the changes Uganda has gone through. Sometimes it's about big historical events, but a lot of the time it's just about people trying to live their lives, deal with their problems, and figure out who they are.

Makumbi is a sweet storyteller. 

But make sure you keep track of who's who - because there are various characters that pop up in different time periods. And you will sense the flow of how deep history runs and shapes everything in this country.

It's not always a happy book, there's some heavy stuff in there, that feels real. She tells a story that needed to be told about Uganda, about its people, and about the long shadow of the past.

So, where can you find "Kintu"? 

It's available in most Kampala bookstores.

But If you're an online person, check out Jumia or other online retailers that ship to Uganda, like Amazon  https://www.amazon.com/Kintu-Jennifer-Nansubuga-Makumbi/dp/1945492015  and  Mahiri Books https://mahiribooks.com/products/kintu 

Give "Kintu" a try. It's a beautifully written Ugandan story - that will give you something to think about.  

That's all for today.

Do you have a book you'd want to recommend to TUB , end us an email on sanyu@sanyudaily.ug

Be empowered. 

The Sanyu Daily Team.