The Translations Book Club takes its first trip to Rwanda in March with French-Rwandan author Scholastique Mukasonga’s Kibogo (trans.: Mark Polizzotti).
In four beautifully woven parts, Mukasonga spins a marvellous recounting of the clash between ancient Rwandan beliefs and the missionaries determined to replace them with European Christianity.
When a rogue priest is defrocked for fusing the gospels with the martyrdom of Kibogo, a fierce clash of cults ensues. Swirling with the heady smell of wet earth and flashes of acerbic humour, Mukasonga brings to life the vital mythologies that imbue the Rwandan spirit. In doing so, she gives us a tale of disarming simplicity and profound universal truth.
Kibogo’s story is reserved for the evening’s end, when women sit around a fire drinking honeyed brew, when just a few are able to stave off sleep. With heads nodding, drifting into the mist of a dream, one faithful storyteller will weave the old legends of the hillside, stories which church missionaries have done everything in their power to expunge.
Come and join the conversation! The event link below will be activated from 9am on Wednesday 14 February and spaces will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. New members are most welcome but spaces are limited. Feel free to send us an email if you have any questions.