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Kintu
Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2017
Winner of the Windham-Campbell Prize
Winner of the Commonwealth Short Story Prize
"A soaring and sublime epic. One of those great stories that was just waiting to be told."�Marlon James, Man Booker Prize-winning author of A Brief History of Seven Killings
First published in Kenya in 2014 to critical and popular acclaim, Kintu is a modern classic, a multilayered narrative that reimagines the history of Uganda through the cursed bloodline of the Kintu clan. Divided into six sections, the novel begins in 1750, when Kintu Kidda sets out for the capital to pledge allegiance to the new leader of the Buganda Kingdom. Along the way, he unleashes a curse that will plague his family for generations. In an ambitious tale of a clan and a nation, Makumbi weaves together the stories of Kintu’s descendants as they seek to break from the burden of their shared past and reconcile the inheritance of tradition and the modern world that is their future.
Winner of the Windham-Campbell Prize
Winner of the Commonwealth Short Story Prize
"A soaring and sublime epic. One of those great stories that was just waiting to be told."�Marlon James, Man Booker Prize-winning author of A Brief History of Seven Killings
First published in Kenya in 2014 to critical and popular acclaim, Kintu is a modern classic, a multilayered narrative that reimagines the history of Uganda through the cursed bloodline of the Kintu clan. Divided into six sections, the novel begins in 1750, when Kintu Kidda sets out for the capital to pledge allegiance to the new leader of the Buganda Kingdom. Along the way, he unleashes a curse that will plague his family for generations. In an ambitious tale of a clan and a nation, Makumbi weaves together the stories of Kintu’s descendants as they seek to break from the burden of their shared past and reconcile the inheritance of tradition and the modern world that is their future.
421 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2014
439 people are currently reading
14.5k people want to read
About the author
Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi
5books867followersJennifer Nansubuga Makumbi, a Ugandan novelist and short story writer, has a PhD from Lancaster University. She is a lecturer in Creative Writing at Lancaster University and lives in Manchester with her husband Damian and son Jordan.
Her first novel, Kintu, won the Kwani Manuscript Prize in 2013 and was longlisted for the 2014 Etisalat Prize for Literature. Her story Let's Tell This Story Properly won the 2014 Commonwealth Short Story Prize. In 2018 she was awarded a Windham-Campbell Prize in the fiction category. In 2021, her novel The First Woman won the Jhalak Prize.
Makumbi's writing is largely based on oral traditions. She realised that oral traditions were so broad and would be able to frame all her writing regardless of subject, form or genre. She has said she "noticed that using oral forms which were normally perceived as trite and 'tired' brought, ironically, a certain depth to a piece that I could not explain."
Her first novel, Kintu, won the Kwani Manuscript Prize in 2013 and was longlisted for the 2014 Etisalat Prize for Literature. Her story Let's Tell This Story Properly won the 2014 Commonwealth Short Story Prize. In 2018 she was awarded a Windham-Campbell Prize in the fiction category. In 2021, her novel The First Woman won the Jhalak Prize.
Makumbi's writing is largely based on oral traditions. She realised that oral traditions were so broad and would be able to frame all her writing regardless of subject, form or genre. She has said she "noticed that using oral forms which were normally perceived as trite and 'tired' brought, ironically, a certain depth to a piece that I could not explain."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 646 reviews
January 29, 2018
Kintu opens with unbridled authority and mercilessness. In just a few pages a man has been hunted down by an angry mob in Uganda. He is then brained with a concrete slab; his woman is left in widowhood and has the hard task of dealing with her man's debt. Blood flows easily, and quickly, when your family's steps are haunted by a curse that spans generations.
I found this such an effective piece of storytelling, the idea that the history of our ancestors never full leaves us and has the potential to one day assert itself in our present age. Two hundred and fifty years prior to the incident with the concrete slab, a freak accident lead to a fa`ther murdering his own son; it was an accident he never forgave himself for. It set off a chain of events that would shape his life thereafter and ultimately see him torn from the remainder of his family. He is cursed and leaves his village in solitude. Once a respectable man, Kintu Kidda is ruined. His actions have ramifications for all his descendants, for those that been scattered across the globe over the years. Breaking Kintu's curse will finally bring them all together in the conclusion of this hugely dramatic story.
In his novel Things Fall Apart Chinua Achebe demonstrated that Africa does not possess a silent culture. African language is formal, developed and intelligent. Here Makumbi plays around with language and storytelling; she writes in English, as Achebe once did, but she also inserts Ugandan words into her prose. Such a narrative technique makes the story distinctively her own, and it's completely unafraid to shout out its voice to the rest of the world like Achebe's writing. Words are, indeed, powerful tools and they have been used here to full effect.
The novel is divided into six separate (yet intricately interconnected) books. I found this very intriguing, hearing about the curse from different perspectives and seeing how it affected people differently across history. Traditional African culture relied on an oral accounting of history, and as such truth can often become distorted and easily turned into myth. Each generation adds a little bit more or takes a little bit away from the original facts. By the end it has become something else, though it is still pervaded by the original ideas as shown here with the original saga of Kintu Kidda.
Despite the time that has elapsed, the original truth of the events in the story can never be changed: they did happen once and they will always exist in the shadows of life. In doing so Makumbi demonstrates how the colonial history of Africa will never fully stop asserting itself in the present. It will never go away, and it's important that it doesn't so humanity can learn from its mistakes and understand exactly what it once did to a people that were essentially their neighbours from across the sea. This novel is, certainly, a worthy study for those interested in postcolonial theory and global literature.
Kintu is a difficult novel to read, and as such it requires a reader who is willing to be patient and put time into appreciating it. Keeping track of all the characters is also difficult, I recommend taking brief notes whist reading and perhaps even researching some of the terminology. As such I would only recommend this to readers who enjoy complex modern novels such as NW by Zadie Smith.
I found this such an effective piece of storytelling, the idea that the history of our ancestors never full leaves us and has the potential to one day assert itself in our present age. Two hundred and fifty years prior to the incident with the concrete slab, a freak accident lead to a fa`ther murdering his own son; it was an accident he never forgave himself for. It set off a chain of events that would shape his life thereafter and ultimately see him torn from the remainder of his family. He is cursed and leaves his village in solitude. Once a respectable man, Kintu Kidda is ruined. His actions have ramifications for all his descendants, for those that been scattered across the globe over the years. Breaking Kintu's curse will finally bring them all together in the conclusion of this hugely dramatic story.
In his novel Things Fall Apart Chinua Achebe demonstrated that Africa does not possess a silent culture. African language is formal, developed and intelligent. Here Makumbi plays around with language and storytelling; she writes in English, as Achebe once did, but she also inserts Ugandan words into her prose. Such a narrative technique makes the story distinctively her own, and it's completely unafraid to shout out its voice to the rest of the world like Achebe's writing. Words are, indeed, powerful tools and they have been used here to full effect.
The novel is divided into six separate (yet intricately interconnected) books. I found this very intriguing, hearing about the curse from different perspectives and seeing how it affected people differently across history. Traditional African culture relied on an oral accounting of history, and as such truth can often become distorted and easily turned into myth. Each generation adds a little bit more or takes a little bit away from the original facts. By the end it has become something else, though it is still pervaded by the original ideas as shown here with the original saga of Kintu Kidda.
Despite the time that has elapsed, the original truth of the events in the story can never be changed: they did happen once and they will always exist in the shadows of life. In doing so Makumbi demonstrates how the colonial history of Africa will never fully stop asserting itself in the present. It will never go away, and it's important that it doesn't so humanity can learn from its mistakes and understand exactly what it once did to a people that were essentially their neighbours from across the sea. This novel is, certainly, a worthy study for those interested in postcolonial theory and global literature.
Kintu is a difficult novel to read, and as such it requires a reader who is willing to be patient and put time into appreciating it. Keeping track of all the characters is also difficult, I recommend taking brief notes whist reading and perhaps even researching some of the terminology. As such I would only recommend this to readers who enjoy complex modern novels such as NW by Zadie Smith.
August 25, 2020
This is Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi's debut novel. Kintu is a Ugandan novel that tells the story of Kintu's lineage and the curse that inflicts them. The novel is like a story inside a story inside of another story. We learn about the generations while becoming acquainted with Ugandan culture. Each character is crafted realistically and the points of magical realism are introduced at just the right moments in the story. Makumbi doesn't forget to make us laugh despite the seriousness throughout the story. If anything you will be totally engrossed in the story from its tragic opening. Don't get put off by the large cast of characters because you'll get used to them and their names. There's a family tree and a list of characters for each book. There are 5 books in the novel. I highly recommend this book because the level of realism, culture, humor, and seriousness is done to perfection. You won't forget Kintu and you'll probably want to re-read it very soon.
December 4, 2018
Kintu is a complex yet compelling read.
Kintu takes place in the Buganda kingdom (today's Uganda). Kintu Kidda, the leader (Ppookino) of the Buddu Province, travels with a group of men to swear loyalty to the new king (kabaka) of the entire Buganda kingdom in 1750. He is a wise governor and has his own share of worries at home because of his multiple wives. He accidentally kills his adopted son, Kalema, in this journey and this affect his family and also sparks a curse that befall his descendants. The book jumps forward in time and spans across the centuries (to present day) and is filled with back stories.
What to expect?
- Loved the contrast in living habits, social structure, religious beliefs and politics over the generations written beautifully.
- Twins, premature deaths, killings, dreams add a surreal twist to the story.
- The infiltration of Christianity into the beliefs of the tribal men
- My first book set in Uganda so it was fascinating to read about a family saga that spans generations.
- Culturally very rich. The book is not 'westernized' for the audience; so I could really feel the authenticity of the storytelling (even though being non-African, I struggled with the names). There is no mention of the colonialism but we see the changes that it has brought forth.
-shows how actions of our ancestors haunt their descendants; whether this is true or a superstition is upto the reader.
- Another interesting aspect was the focus on how men are affected adversely in a patricarchal society. Kintu's period has the custom of taking multiple wives and having children by them but the pressure on men to sexually gratify all their wives is immense.
- tradition vs modern values; doesn't praise either of them. This gives the feel of an impartial narration to the story
What didn't work
- I was invested in the book. But after the middle section, my interest lessened and I kept postponing the read. It seemed more of personal stories of the family members in whom I did not feel very invested in and less of the historical background. This made me feel a little bored. The story picks up again later.
- Keeping track of the family branches was something I struggled with throughout the novel since I am not familiar with African names. This isn't a fault of the novel of course, but my inexperience with the books and culture of the region. Most characters have more than one name and there are also characters whose names constantly change; so I felt a little lost. If you are not familiar with the names, I'd recommend keeping notes and drawing your own branches as you read so as to be on the right track. There is a family tree at the beginning of the novel but you are better off making your own one.
Read it when you have the time to give your full attention to the novel.
--
| | |
Kintu takes place in the Buganda kingdom (today's Uganda). Kintu Kidda, the leader (Ppookino) of the Buddu Province, travels with a group of men to swear loyalty to the new king (kabaka) of the entire Buganda kingdom in 1750. He is a wise governor and has his own share of worries at home because of his multiple wives. He accidentally kills his adopted son, Kalema, in this journey and this affect his family and also sparks a curse that befall his descendants. The book jumps forward in time and spans across the centuries (to present day) and is filled with back stories.
What to expect?
- Loved the contrast in living habits, social structure, religious beliefs and politics over the generations written beautifully.
- Twins, premature deaths, killings, dreams add a surreal twist to the story.
- The infiltration of Christianity into the beliefs of the tribal men
- My first book set in Uganda so it was fascinating to read about a family saga that spans generations.
- Culturally very rich. The book is not 'westernized' for the audience; so I could really feel the authenticity of the storytelling (even though being non-African, I struggled with the names). There is no mention of the colonialism but we see the changes that it has brought forth.
-shows how actions of our ancestors haunt their descendants; whether this is true or a superstition is upto the reader.
- Another interesting aspect was the focus on how men are affected adversely in a patricarchal society. Kintu's period has the custom of taking multiple wives and having children by them but the pressure on men to sexually gratify all their wives is immense.
- tradition vs modern values; doesn't praise either of them. This gives the feel of an impartial narration to the story
What didn't work
- I was invested in the book. But after the middle section, my interest lessened and I kept postponing the read. It seemed more of personal stories of the family members in whom I did not feel very invested in and less of the historical background. This made me feel a little bored. The story picks up again later.
- Keeping track of the family branches was something I struggled with throughout the novel since I am not familiar with African names. This isn't a fault of the novel of course, but my inexperience with the books and culture of the region. Most characters have more than one name and there are also characters whose names constantly change; so I felt a little lost. If you are not familiar with the names, I'd recommend keeping notes and drawing your own branches as you read so as to be on the right track. There is a family tree at the beginning of the novel but you are better off making your own one.
Read it when you have the time to give your full attention to the novel.
--
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February 18, 2020
I read this book in preparation for a book group discussion at Five Leaves later this month, and it is the first Ugandan book I have read. On the whole I found it quite enjoyable, though I must admit I struggled a little with its central premise.
The book is divided into long chapters. The first starts in 1750, and tells the story of Kintu, the prince in charge of Buddu, a large province in the south of Buganda (this appears to contradict Wikipedia's article on Buddu, which says it was the last province captured by Buganda and that this happened late in the 18th century, but since the book is largely about oral history and the way that affects modern Africa, we'll leave that debate to better informed historians). Two of Kintu's wives are twins, his favourite Nnakato and her sister Babirye, who bore him four more sets of twins before Nnakato's only son and Kintu's heir was born. The heir wants his own twin, and they adopt a Tutsi boy, who dies after Kintu punishes him while they are travelling to the Bugandan capital, a long, arduous and hazardous walk. Kintu's treatment of this boy makes him the subject of a curse of ill luck for him and his descendants - the heir dies on his wedding day, Nnakato hangs herself and Kintu goes mad and disappears without trace.
All but the last remaining chapters follow descendants of Kintu in modern Uganda, where they cover a wide spectrum of society. They are brought together at the end of the book for a gathering at the site of Kintu's village where they attempt to exorcise the curse.
The book explores many aspects of African history, notably the notorious colonial boundaries that disregarded the interests of the inhabitants, and the long shadows cast by both Idi Amin's regime and his predecessor (and successor) Milton Obote, and more recently the effect of AIDS. Despite the many deaths, and often bloodthirsty nature of the story, this is never a difficult read, though to a European eye the many similar names can be a little confusing.
I am looking forward to the discussion.
The book is divided into long chapters. The first starts in 1750, and tells the story of Kintu, the prince in charge of Buddu, a large province in the south of Buganda (this appears to contradict Wikipedia's article on Buddu, which says it was the last province captured by Buganda and that this happened late in the 18th century, but since the book is largely about oral history and the way that affects modern Africa, we'll leave that debate to better informed historians). Two of Kintu's wives are twins, his favourite Nnakato and her sister Babirye, who bore him four more sets of twins before Nnakato's only son and Kintu's heir was born. The heir wants his own twin, and they adopt a Tutsi boy, who dies after Kintu punishes him while they are travelling to the Bugandan capital, a long, arduous and hazardous walk. Kintu's treatment of this boy makes him the subject of a curse of ill luck for him and his descendants - the heir dies on his wedding day, Nnakato hangs herself and Kintu goes mad and disappears without trace.
All but the last remaining chapters follow descendants of Kintu in modern Uganda, where they cover a wide spectrum of society. They are brought together at the end of the book for a gathering at the site of Kintu's village where they attempt to exorcise the curse.
The book explores many aspects of African history, notably the notorious colonial boundaries that disregarded the interests of the inhabitants, and the long shadows cast by both Idi Amin's regime and his predecessor (and successor) Milton Obote, and more recently the effect of AIDS. Despite the many deaths, and often bloodthirsty nature of the story, this is never a difficult read, though to a European eye the many similar names can be a little confusing.
I am looking forward to the discussion.
Read
May 17, 2017Ohhhhhhhh, my friends, get ready for this one. It’s a Commonwealth Prize-winning story about the Kintu Kidda’s clan in Uganda and the centuries-long history of the family’s “cursed bloodline,� starting in 1750. Makumbi breaks the book up into six parts and details the lives of Kintu’s descendants and what it means to live in the shadow of the curse a they try to carve out their own futures. What a fantastic read!
Backlist bump: I Do Not Come to You by Chance by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani (Another amazing Commonwealth Prize winner.)
Tune in to our weekly podcast dedicated to all things new books, All The Books:
Backlist bump: I Do Not Come to You by Chance by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani (Another amazing Commonwealth Prize winner.)
Tune in to our weekly podcast dedicated to all things new books, All The Books:
January 24, 2021
I had been meaning to read this book for a long time. It's a book that was known and discussed about in Nairobi literary circles sometime before it was published, it deservedly won the Kwani? Manuscript project in 2013 and was published the following year to great acclaim. Yet year after year, with some shame and guilt, I never read it. even attended the literary crossroads program which happened in mid-year 2017 hosted by the Goethe Institut in Nairobi, I was in the audience and enjoyed listening to her speak. She was courteous enough not to spoil parts of the book, and she was funny and beautiful. Yet I still didn't read the book until I felt I should do away with the guilt I had carried for years by beginning this year reading it.
This book is vast and rich. It begins in pre-colonial Buganda in 1750, and follows the life of Kintu Kidda and his descendants. Kintu heads Buddu province, a tactful and fair leader, and has his own family and marital problems he tries to deal with as best as he knows how. When a foreigner called Ntwire and his son arrive in his province, he is kind to them and raises the child as his own and all goes well until a fatal mistake is made and a curse is placed on Kintu and his lineage.
There were several very funny passages and I think this must be the funniest book I've read in a while. Certain times reading this I would literally burst with guffaws. The writer manages to present life with its complications, both the unforgiving and redeeming bits of life, in these fictional life stories. Each year that I went without reading this book was a year I denied myself such a wonderful literary offering.
This book is vast and rich. It begins in pre-colonial Buganda in 1750, and follows the life of Kintu Kidda and his descendants. Kintu heads Buddu province, a tactful and fair leader, and has his own family and marital problems he tries to deal with as best as he knows how. When a foreigner called Ntwire and his son arrive in his province, he is kind to them and raises the child as his own and all goes well until a fatal mistake is made and a curse is placed on Kintu and his lineage.
There were several very funny passages and I think this must be the funniest book I've read in a while. Certain times reading this I would literally burst with guffaws. The writer manages to present life with its complications, both the unforgiving and redeeming bits of life, in these fictional life stories. Each year that I went without reading this book was a year I denied myself such a wonderful literary offering.
May 23, 2019
Magnificent. Epic. Flawless. I do not drop those adjectives lightly. They have been earned in this masterpiece novel that spans several generations of the Kintu clan, from the origins of the curse laid upon the clan to the present-day descendants. And on this generational journey, Makumbi brings to life the culture of Uganda.
First, I have to say thanks to a fellow ŷ reader whose forays into contemporary African literature have always left me inspired to explore more than just the classics from that continent. Her brilliant review of Kintu is way more convincing than mine is. Thank you, Claire, for reviewing this book back in 2018 and in so doing, enticing me to read it. This is what GR is all about :)
The novel is Magnificent because it made me care for each of the characters in the first five parts. Their stories, their understanding and interpretations of their own history and clan politics, their stark differences and similarities, and the gorgeous settings that depict the different periods and surroundings. The novel shed light on the Ugandan clan-based system that I knew nothing of, and it juxtaposed, oh so very well, the present post-colonial with the pre-colonial, showing how deep culture can be, and despite all modernity and resistance to tradition, who we really are is always traced back to our ancestors. And whether we know it or not, whether we like it or not, their legacy lives in us.
The novel is Epic because it is only around 440 pages depending on the edition you get, but it feels like 1000+ pages � and I mean this in the most positive sense. The attention to detail, to history, to anthropology, to tradition� they all shine through each of the character’s stories. As a reader, I was totally immersed in the setting and journey of the different members of the clan. I enjoyed it so much that I never cared a great deal about the final sixth part, where most of the clan members come together to discover the curse of their past. I have never been so endowed with awe at a writer making me care about each present moment rather than the overall outcome. It was why I took breaks from the book to really savor it and let it all sink in.
The novel is Flawless. Yes, I rarely ever say this about contemporary fiction. But damn, this lady can write. Beautiful, clear, simple sentences that resonated directly with me and conveyed concisely the emotion they needed to convey. Stripped from flowery prose, metaphors, banter, excess� we are left with sentences that matter. This might also be the reason why it is epic yet only 440 pages. Thank you, Makumbi! The novel is also technically brilliant. I mean to pull off the intertwining timelines of the different generations and of the different clan members and referring from one to the other in-text, so flawlessly, is an amazing feat of writing and precision. Makumbi has complete control of her story, the timeline, and her characters. Truly, a flawless novel.
The best contemporary African novel I have read in a while. A highly recommended read.
First, I have to say thanks to a fellow ŷ reader whose forays into contemporary African literature have always left me inspired to explore more than just the classics from that continent. Her brilliant review of Kintu is way more convincing than mine is. Thank you, Claire, for reviewing this book back in 2018 and in so doing, enticing me to read it. This is what GR is all about :)
The novel is Magnificent because it made me care for each of the characters in the first five parts. Their stories, their understanding and interpretations of their own history and clan politics, their stark differences and similarities, and the gorgeous settings that depict the different periods and surroundings. The novel shed light on the Ugandan clan-based system that I knew nothing of, and it juxtaposed, oh so very well, the present post-colonial with the pre-colonial, showing how deep culture can be, and despite all modernity and resistance to tradition, who we really are is always traced back to our ancestors. And whether we know it or not, whether we like it or not, their legacy lives in us.
The novel is Epic because it is only around 440 pages depending on the edition you get, but it feels like 1000+ pages � and I mean this in the most positive sense. The attention to detail, to history, to anthropology, to tradition� they all shine through each of the character’s stories. As a reader, I was totally immersed in the setting and journey of the different members of the clan. I enjoyed it so much that I never cared a great deal about the final sixth part, where most of the clan members come together to discover the curse of their past. I have never been so endowed with awe at a writer making me care about each present moment rather than the overall outcome. It was why I took breaks from the book to really savor it and let it all sink in.
The novel is Flawless. Yes, I rarely ever say this about contemporary fiction. But damn, this lady can write. Beautiful, clear, simple sentences that resonated directly with me and conveyed concisely the emotion they needed to convey. Stripped from flowery prose, metaphors, banter, excess� we are left with sentences that matter. This might also be the reason why it is epic yet only 440 pages. Thank you, Makumbi! The novel is also technically brilliant. I mean to pull off the intertwining timelines of the different generations and of the different clan members and referring from one to the other in-text, so flawlessly, is an amazing feat of writing and precision. Makumbi has complete control of her story, the timeline, and her characters. Truly, a flawless novel.
The woman considered herself Kamu’s wife because she had moved in with him two years earlier and he had not once thrown her out. Every night after work he came home to her, brought shopping, ate her cooking. He was always ravenous. When she visited her parents, Kamu gave her money so she did not go empty-handed. That was more than many certified wives got. Besides, she had not heard rumors of another woman. Maybe Kamu banged some girl once in a while but at least he did not flaunt it in her face. The only glitch in her quest to become Kamu’s full wife was that he still wore a condom with her. With his seed locked away, she had not grown roots deep enough to secure her against future storms. A child was far more secure than waddling down the aisle with a wedding ring and piece of paper. Nonetheless, she would bide her time: condoms have been known to rip. Besides, sex with a condom is like sucking sweet in its wrapper; Kamu would one day give it up.
The best contemporary African novel I have read in a while. A highly recommended read.
February 14, 2019
1750 Buddu Province, Buganda
Kintu is the name of a clan, the original clan elder Kintu Kidda fell in love with Nnakato, an identical twin (the younger) and her family refuse to allow him to marry her unless he married her sister Babirye first. He refused. They resisted. He relented.
Babirye gave him four sets of twins while Nnakato was unable to conceive. When the twins, raised as if they belonged to Nnakto were adults, Nnakato finally gave birth to a son Baale. They adopted a baby boy Kalema, from Ntwire a widower who was passing through their lands, who decided to stay in gratitude to Kintu and Nnakto for raising his son in their family.
When tragedy occurs, Kintu tries to conceal it, Ntwire suspects something and places a curse on Kintu and his family and future descendants.
The novel is structured into Book One to Book Six, the first five books focus on different strands of the Kintu clan, the first book being the original story of Kintu Kidda and his family in the 1750's, the latter stories set in modern times; colonial interlopers have left their imprint, however this is not their story nor a story of their influence, except to note the impact on the kingdom.
Each beginning of the six parts/books however narrates a little of the story of a man named Kamu Kintu, who had been removed from his home and was on his way for questioning by the local counsellors, when targeted by a mob of angry villagers and killed. We don't find out who he is or how he is connected to the families we encounter, until Book Six, where the threads that tie the clan together reconnect.
Throughout each family and over the years, certain aspects replicate throughout the families, the presence of twins, premature death, as if the curse that was muttered so long ago continues to reverberate through each generation. Some of them are aware of the curse, they remember the story told by their grandmothers, others haven't been told the truth of their origins, in the hope that ignorance might absolve them.
Some are haunted by ghosts of the past, thinking themselves not of sound mind, particularly when aspects of their childhood have been hidden from them, some have prophetic dreams, some have had university educations in foreign lands and try to sever their connections to the old ways, though continue to be haunted by omens and symbols, making it difficult to ignore what they feel within themselves, that their mind wishes to reject. Some turn to God and the Awakened, looking for salvation in newly acquired religions.
It's brilliant. We traverse through the lives of these families, witness their growth, development, sadness's and joys, weaving threads of their connections together, that will eventually intersect and come to be understood and embraced by all as the clan is brought together to try and resolve the burden of the long held curse that may have cast its long shadow over this clan for so many generations.
One of the things that’s particularly unique about the novel, is the contrast of the historical era, 1750’s with the modern era, the historical part shows the unique way of life before the arrival of Europeans, in all its richness and detail, how they live, the power structures, the preparation for the long journey to acknowledge a new leader, the protocols they must adhere to, the landscapes they traverse. An article in The Guardian notes twin historical omissions and concludes that the novel is the better for it:
Makumbi mostly avoids describing both the colonial period, which so often seems the obligation of the historical African novel, and Idi Amin’s reign, which seems the obligation of the Ugandan novel. Kintu is better for not retreading this worn ground.
It reminded me of the world recreated by the Guadeloupean-French-African writer, Maryse Condé, in her epic historical novel Segu, another African masterpiece, set in the 1700’s in the kingdom of Segu.
I hope the success of Kintu encourages other young writer’s from within the vast storytelling traditions of the many African countries to continue to tell their stories and that international publishers continue to make them available to the wider reading public, who are indeed interested in these lives, cultures, histories and belief systems of old that continue to resonate in the modern-day, despite political policies and power regimes that seem to want to change them.
Highly Recommended.
Kintu is the name of a clan, the original clan elder Kintu Kidda fell in love with Nnakato, an identical twin (the younger) and her family refuse to allow him to marry her unless he married her sister Babirye first. He refused. They resisted. He relented.
Kintu's mind lingered on the primal conflict that led to a soul splitting into twins. No matter how he looked at it, life was tragic. If the soul is at conflict even at this remotest level of existence, what chance do communities have? This made the Ganda custom of marrying female identical twins to the same man preposterous. It goes against their very nature, Kintu thought. Twins split because they cannot be one, why keep them as such in life? Besides, identical men did not marry the same woman.
Babirye gave him four sets of twins while Nnakato was unable to conceive. When the twins, raised as if they belonged to Nnakto were adults, Nnakato finally gave birth to a son Baale. They adopted a baby boy Kalema, from Ntwire a widower who was passing through their lands, who decided to stay in gratitude to Kintu and Nnakto for raising his son in their family.
When tragedy occurs, Kintu tries to conceal it, Ntwire suspects something and places a curse on Kintu and his family and future descendants.
The novel is structured into Book One to Book Six, the first five books focus on different strands of the Kintu clan, the first book being the original story of Kintu Kidda and his family in the 1750's, the latter stories set in modern times; colonial interlopers have left their imprint, however this is not their story nor a story of their influence, except to note the impact on the kingdom.
After independence, Uganda - a European artefact - was still forming as a country rather than a kingdom in the minds of ordinary Gandas. They were lulled by the fact that Kabuku Mutees II was made president of the new Uganda. Nonetheless, most of them felt that 'Uganda' should remain a kingdom for the Ganda under their kubuka so that things would go back to the way they were before Europeans came. Uganda was a patchwork of fifty or so tribes. The Ganda did not want it. The union of tribes brought no apparent advantage to them apart from a deluge of immigrants from wherever, coming to Kampala to take their land. Meanwhile, the other fifty or so tribes looked on flabbergasted as the British drew borders and told them that they were now Ugandans. Their histories, cultures and identities were overwritten by the mispronounced name of an insufferably haughty tribe propped above them. But to the Ganda, the reality of Uganda as opposed to Buganda only sank in when, after independence, Obote overran the kabaka's lubiri with tanks, exiling Muteesa and banning all kingdoms. The desecration of their kingdom by foreigners paralysed the Ganda for decades.
Each beginning of the six parts/books however narrates a little of the story of a man named Kamu Kintu, who had been removed from his home and was on his way for questioning by the local counsellors, when targeted by a mob of angry villagers and killed. We don't find out who he is or how he is connected to the families we encounter, until Book Six, where the threads that tie the clan together reconnect.
Throughout each family and over the years, certain aspects replicate throughout the families, the presence of twins, premature death, as if the curse that was muttered so long ago continues to reverberate through each generation. Some of them are aware of the curse, they remember the story told by their grandmothers, others haven't been told the truth of their origins, in the hope that ignorance might absolve them.
Her grandmother's story had intruded on her again. All day at work, the story, like an incessant song, had kept coming and going. Now that she was on her way home, Suubi gave in and her grandmother's voice flooded her mind.
Some are haunted by ghosts of the past, thinking themselves not of sound mind, particularly when aspects of their childhood have been hidden from them, some have prophetic dreams, some have had university educations in foreign lands and try to sever their connections to the old ways, though continue to be haunted by omens and symbols, making it difficult to ignore what they feel within themselves, that their mind wishes to reject. Some turn to God and the Awakened, looking for salvation in newly acquired religions.
It's brilliant. We traverse through the lives of these families, witness their growth, development, sadness's and joys, weaving threads of their connections together, that will eventually intersect and come to be understood and embraced by all as the clan is brought together to try and resolve the burden of the long held curse that may have cast its long shadow over this clan for so many generations.
One of the things that’s particularly unique about the novel, is the contrast of the historical era, 1750’s with the modern era, the historical part shows the unique way of life before the arrival of Europeans, in all its richness and detail, how they live, the power structures, the preparation for the long journey to acknowledge a new leader, the protocols they must adhere to, the landscapes they traverse. An article in The Guardian notes twin historical omissions and concludes that the novel is the better for it:
Makumbi mostly avoids describing both the colonial period, which so often seems the obligation of the historical African novel, and Idi Amin’s reign, which seems the obligation of the Ugandan novel. Kintu is better for not retreading this worn ground.
It reminded me of the world recreated by the Guadeloupean-French-African writer, Maryse Condé, in her epic historical novel Segu, another African masterpiece, set in the 1700’s in the kingdom of Segu.
I hope the success of Kintu encourages other young writer’s from within the vast storytelling traditions of the many African countries to continue to tell their stories and that international publishers continue to make them available to the wider reading public, who are indeed interested in these lives, cultures, histories and belief systems of old that continue to resonate in the modern-day, despite political policies and power regimes that seem to want to change them.
Highly Recommended.
August 15, 2018
En 1750 Kintu Kidda, el jefe de uno de los reinos de Buganda y patriarca del clan Kintu, desencadena una maldición que arrastrará a todos sus descendientes.
En 2004, ellos tratarán de reunir a todo el clan para acabar con años de infortunios.
Ese es el argumento base de Kintu, pero la novela es mucho, mucho, muchísimo más.
Dividida en 6 secciones en las que en cada una acompañamos a un descendiente distinto, poco a poco y a través de ellos vamos viendo cómo esa maldición es la excusa perfecta para contar la historia de Uganda, las enfermedades mentales, las injusticias…Y para celebrar la riqueza de ese país de por sí.
La experiencia lectora que he tenido con este libro ha sido sublime, muy enriquecedora. El estilo sencillo, que imita la tradición oral de la autora permite seguir la historia muy bien, aunque requiere que el lector tome una parte activa (si quiere) para entender algunas palabras en Luganda.
La voz de esta historia ha sido tan única y me ha dejado tan impresionada que no pienso perderle la pista a Makumbi.
En 2004, ellos tratarán de reunir a todo el clan para acabar con años de infortunios.
Ese es el argumento base de Kintu, pero la novela es mucho, mucho, muchísimo más.
Dividida en 6 secciones en las que en cada una acompañamos a un descendiente distinto, poco a poco y a través de ellos vamos viendo cómo esa maldición es la excusa perfecta para contar la historia de Uganda, las enfermedades mentales, las injusticias…Y para celebrar la riqueza de ese país de por sí.
La experiencia lectora que he tenido con este libro ha sido sublime, muy enriquecedora. El estilo sencillo, que imita la tradición oral de la autora permite seguir la historia muy bien, aunque requiere que el lector tome una parte activa (si quiere) para entender algunas palabras en Luganda.
La voz de esta historia ha sido tan única y me ha dejado tan impresionada que no pienso perderle la pista a Makumbi.
February 1, 2018
The novel “Kintu� by debut novelist Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi has been frequently compared to Yaa Gyasi’s hugely popular because of its structure as an African family epic. However, “HdzǾԲ� begins in the Gold Coast of West Africa (now Ghana) and “Kintu� takes place in the Buganda kingdom (today known as the Republic of Uganda). Makumbi’s ambitious tale begins in 1750 when Kintu Kidda, the leader (Ppookino) of the Buddu Province, travels with a group of men to swear loyalty to the new king (kabaka) of the entire Buganda kingdom. Kintu demonstrates what a savvy politician he is making alliances and also balancing his time between his many wives that he’s taken for political reasons. A tragedy occurs concerning Kintu’s adopted son Kalema and this sets in motion a series of calamities surrounding his favoured wife Nnakato and his heir Baale. It also sparks a legendary curse upon his family which is still felt amidst his descendants who we meet when the book leaps forward in time to the recent past. As the novel relates the backstories and present conflicts of several of these descendants we gradually understand why the clan attempts to reform and finally put this curse to rest. This deeply compelling and fascinating story describes the way oral history and local mythology continues to play a part in the daily lives and complicated political attitudes of people in Uganda today.
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February 15, 2023
This, Makumbi’s Very First Novel, is the story of a Ganda family whose ancestors had been cursed, told through generations that reflect the diversity, courage, temerity and creativity needed to survive - and sometimes to die - in a place where laughter is so much sweeter, heat is so much hotter, and now is so much more immediate - because tomorrow is so much less certain.
This Very First Novel tells much of the history of the made up country of Uganda. Not a made up people, of course, but a random collection of first peoples forced into a geographic space, delineated not by what would work for the people, but in fact for the opposite - for exactly what would NOT work. When the British created their Uganda - their adorably named “Protectorate� - as if the Buganda (and the Bunyoro, and the Acholi and all the other peoples) had not been protecting themselves forever before - the Brits did what they always did with their colonies; they forced together disparate groups and then made up some specious reason to give some rights over others. Thus, sowing the seeds of division against groups which should, of course, have been united against the British. Voila: divide and conquer.
I was attached to every character and almost traumatised when I had to move on to the next, as was necessary for this huge story. I found each of them compelling, vulnerable and believable. One example is Issac Newton Kintu, the child of rape, whose conception ends his promising, very young, mother’s education. He survives a human-touch-free, brutal infancy and early childhood (having been deserted by his mother) by the presence of spirits, a wonderful imagination, magic - you’ll have to decide - but by the time he has survived, and actually thrived, as an adult he posits:
“He had long made up his mind that nature was a woman. She stands at the gate of the world and as souls step in to start life, she hands them a bag of tools - loving parents, a stable home, health, brains, good looks, luck, and opportunities. But when he came along she was in a foul mood. She had tossed him a bag almost empty. Still, he had made his life out of the nothing she gave him.�
I stopped reading.
Do women hand out the tools? The first ones anyway? Is that why women will risk their own lives for the choice to bring life into the world only when they are ready?
In Issac’s case, wasn’t it a man who decided (by raping Issac’s mother) and the girl (in this case) who had no choice? But the mother, this girl, whose life of possibility was ended with this attack, is never forgiven, and this author is so good, that I hold Issac’s sadness still, deep, in my heart, and find I have a hard time forgiving.
Another is Suubi who, on North America would have ended up in California because she successfully rewrote her history; but at one point as a hungry child, her history teacher assigned them a reading from Harold Ingrams about Kampala’s landscape wherein he describes the vista looking like “turned out� mudpies�
“Suubi hoped that standing at the summit of Namirembe Hill would help her work out what mud pies looked like.�
Even African landscapes have to be rerouted through Imperial metaphor. Such sweet irony, such wasted time on colonial nonsense. Has anything changed?
Makumbi’s balance of “magic� and oppressive Christianity, hilariously and tragically illustrated by the Awakened Kanani Kintu and his wife Faisi (Kanani himself likens to Samson and Delilah) who didn’t bother to put a roof on their home because the Second Coming was so very nigh. They created terrible lies about their sin-filled pasts so they could claim to be saved. European “superiority� and authentic, grounded, spiritualism - it was all so incredibly satisfying to me.
Novels set in Uganda are hard to find and this was GRAND. The character I fell most in love with, perhaps because he was the easiest for me to understand was Miisi - so much happens to him that I don't even want to hint - except to say you won’t be disappointed. When we first meet him he is writing a column and trying to interest his rural neighbors in the historical outrages of colonialism, to date, without much luck.
On page 306 Miisi writes the most brilliant analogy for colonialism I've read, a 5 paragraph description of “AFRICASTEIN� the Frankenstein-like monster Europe surgically created and weakened, bled and tortured, irreparably. It’s worth buying the book if just for this.
I had the privilege of working with Médecins Sans Frontières in Acholiland (northern Uganda) and being surprised by the level of comfort with simultaneous belief in all of the above. One day while driving the hours it took to bounce and hack our way from Kitgum to Madi Opei I was riding with two Acholis, a driver and a (university trained) nurse - both men. One Muslim, one Christian. The driver began to tell a story he heard of a calf born with a child’s face and asked if that could happen if a man “got too close� to a cow. The nurse said, “No, just like a duck can’t have chickens…� and went on to explain, quite scientifically, the differences between species. I just listened. After the explication of species differentiation was completed, they both agreed, almost immediately, then, that it had to be witchcraft. “Of course�. No questioning whether the story was True. That would be so European.
Done and done.
This book is filled with that. Life in a world where magic and ancestors are at least as real as Bitcoin and Uber stock value. The latter two can disappear tomorrow, the former are with us forever.
HIGHLY recommended.
This Very First Novel tells much of the history of the made up country of Uganda. Not a made up people, of course, but a random collection of first peoples forced into a geographic space, delineated not by what would work for the people, but in fact for the opposite - for exactly what would NOT work. When the British created their Uganda - their adorably named “Protectorate� - as if the Buganda (and the Bunyoro, and the Acholi and all the other peoples) had not been protecting themselves forever before - the Brits did what they always did with their colonies; they forced together disparate groups and then made up some specious reason to give some rights over others. Thus, sowing the seeds of division against groups which should, of course, have been united against the British. Voila: divide and conquer.
I was attached to every character and almost traumatised when I had to move on to the next, as was necessary for this huge story. I found each of them compelling, vulnerable and believable. One example is Issac Newton Kintu, the child of rape, whose conception ends his promising, very young, mother’s education. He survives a human-touch-free, brutal infancy and early childhood (having been deserted by his mother) by the presence of spirits, a wonderful imagination, magic - you’ll have to decide - but by the time he has survived, and actually thrived, as an adult he posits:
“He had long made up his mind that nature was a woman. She stands at the gate of the world and as souls step in to start life, she hands them a bag of tools - loving parents, a stable home, health, brains, good looks, luck, and opportunities. But when he came along she was in a foul mood. She had tossed him a bag almost empty. Still, he had made his life out of the nothing she gave him.�
I stopped reading.
Do women hand out the tools? The first ones anyway? Is that why women will risk their own lives for the choice to bring life into the world only when they are ready?
In Issac’s case, wasn’t it a man who decided (by raping Issac’s mother) and the girl (in this case) who had no choice? But the mother, this girl, whose life of possibility was ended with this attack, is never forgiven, and this author is so good, that I hold Issac’s sadness still, deep, in my heart, and find I have a hard time forgiving.
Another is Suubi who, on North America would have ended up in California because she successfully rewrote her history; but at one point as a hungry child, her history teacher assigned them a reading from Harold Ingrams about Kampala’s landscape wherein he describes the vista looking like “turned out� mudpies�
“Suubi hoped that standing at the summit of Namirembe Hill would help her work out what mud pies looked like.�
Even African landscapes have to be rerouted through Imperial metaphor. Such sweet irony, such wasted time on colonial nonsense. Has anything changed?
Makumbi’s balance of “magic� and oppressive Christianity, hilariously and tragically illustrated by the Awakened Kanani Kintu and his wife Faisi (Kanani himself likens to Samson and Delilah) who didn’t bother to put a roof on their home because the Second Coming was so very nigh. They created terrible lies about their sin-filled pasts so they could claim to be saved. European “superiority� and authentic, grounded, spiritualism - it was all so incredibly satisfying to me.
Novels set in Uganda are hard to find and this was GRAND. The character I fell most in love with, perhaps because he was the easiest for me to understand was Miisi - so much happens to him that I don't even want to hint - except to say you won’t be disappointed. When we first meet him he is writing a column and trying to interest his rural neighbors in the historical outrages of colonialism, to date, without much luck.
On page 306 Miisi writes the most brilliant analogy for colonialism I've read, a 5 paragraph description of “AFRICASTEIN� the Frankenstein-like monster Europe surgically created and weakened, bled and tortured, irreparably. It’s worth buying the book if just for this.
I had the privilege of working with Médecins Sans Frontières in Acholiland (northern Uganda) and being surprised by the level of comfort with simultaneous belief in all of the above. One day while driving the hours it took to bounce and hack our way from Kitgum to Madi Opei I was riding with two Acholis, a driver and a (university trained) nurse - both men. One Muslim, one Christian. The driver began to tell a story he heard of a calf born with a child’s face and asked if that could happen if a man “got too close� to a cow. The nurse said, “No, just like a duck can’t have chickens…� and went on to explain, quite scientifically, the differences between species. I just listened. After the explication of species differentiation was completed, they both agreed, almost immediately, then, that it had to be witchcraft. “Of course�. No questioning whether the story was True. That would be so European.
Done and done.
This book is filled with that. Life in a world where magic and ancestors are at least as real as Bitcoin and Uber stock value. The latter two can disappear tomorrow, the former are with us forever.
HIGHLY recommended.
September 18, 2021
“Kintu� is an ambitious novel that merges folklore, oral tradition and a family saga to create a panorama of Ugandan history. The loosely connected stories of one clan ultimately coalesce and afford the reader a unique perspective on the development of this country.
Organized in six different sections, the novel opens in 2004 with the murder of Kimu Kintu, who is senselessly assaulted by an angry rabble.His story is briefly told throughout the book and serves as a connecting thread for the stories of the clan’s misfortunes. Immediately after Kimu’s murder, the narrative jumps backward to 1750. We meet Kintu Kidda, the progenitor of the clan. He lives in the Bugandan empire and is a Ppookino( regional governor) and is traveling to greet the new King of Buganda.During the journey, a tragic death occurs and results in a curse being placed on Kintu and his descendants.
The timeframe then returns to present day and the four succeeding sections examine how the curse has played out for the modern descendants of the clan.Each member is confronting different life circumstances that highlight different challenges in Ugandan society. Their responses are illustrative of different strategies for navigating the disruptions they confront. Some of the clan are educated, some are religious and some are powerless and adrift.It is notable that the disruption of European colonialism is not presented as the defining part of Ugandan history but is noted in passing as part of the greater timeline of Ugandan events. European colonialism has affected the clan and influenced the arc of the country. Nevertheless, this period of history does not seem to define the clan’s perception of its core identity.
Each of the clan has some awareness of the curse and is aware of a connection to their roots. They all have an appreciation of tradition and oral history. Throughout the book, there is an underlying theme that foundational stories and tradition can serve as a means of mediating tragedy and contextualizing the events swirling around an individual.The final section brings the clan together in an attempt to reverse and understand the curse.This section ties the thread of their disparate experiences together. Their communal experience reinforces the importance of honoring their past and links the cultural influences that form the bedrock of their culture.
This unusual novel unfolds history from a very personal perspective. The blend of myth, tradition and events creates a decidedly non Western view in the explication of Ugandan history and development. The book is interspersed with Ugandan terms with no accompanying glossary.We are forced to discover their meaning contextually. The result is an immersive and unique rendering of historical fiction.
Organized in six different sections, the novel opens in 2004 with the murder of Kimu Kintu, who is senselessly assaulted by an angry rabble.His story is briefly told throughout the book and serves as a connecting thread for the stories of the clan’s misfortunes. Immediately after Kimu’s murder, the narrative jumps backward to 1750. We meet Kintu Kidda, the progenitor of the clan. He lives in the Bugandan empire and is a Ppookino( regional governor) and is traveling to greet the new King of Buganda.During the journey, a tragic death occurs and results in a curse being placed on Kintu and his descendants.
The timeframe then returns to present day and the four succeeding sections examine how the curse has played out for the modern descendants of the clan.Each member is confronting different life circumstances that highlight different challenges in Ugandan society. Their responses are illustrative of different strategies for navigating the disruptions they confront. Some of the clan are educated, some are religious and some are powerless and adrift.It is notable that the disruption of European colonialism is not presented as the defining part of Ugandan history but is noted in passing as part of the greater timeline of Ugandan events. European colonialism has affected the clan and influenced the arc of the country. Nevertheless, this period of history does not seem to define the clan’s perception of its core identity.
Each of the clan has some awareness of the curse and is aware of a connection to their roots. They all have an appreciation of tradition and oral history. Throughout the book, there is an underlying theme that foundational stories and tradition can serve as a means of mediating tragedy and contextualizing the events swirling around an individual.The final section brings the clan together in an attempt to reverse and understand the curse.This section ties the thread of their disparate experiences together. Their communal experience reinforces the importance of honoring their past and links the cultural influences that form the bedrock of their culture.
This unusual novel unfolds history from a very personal perspective. The blend of myth, tradition and events creates a decidedly non Western view in the explication of Ugandan history and development. The book is interspersed with Ugandan terms with no accompanying glossary.We are forced to discover their meaning contextually. The result is an immersive and unique rendering of historical fiction.
July 27, 2018
Deemed "The greatest Ugandan Novel" I can definitely see why it is so highly praised, immediately after I opened the introduction my senses were alive, I was pulled in and engulfed in the multilayered family saga that starts from 1750 following the life of Kintu Kidda and his generation up to modern-day Uganda. Divided into Six sections we see how a curse unleashed on Kintu's family plagues the coming generation.
.
Makumbi brings something fresh to the "Family Saga genre" in that she doesn't rely on The Colonialist perspective (Africa existed before it was invaded) as expected in most historical fiction set in Africa, she gets down and dirty, unapologetically portrays the harsh realities of being Ugandan in the past as well as in the present. She doesn't dilute the narrative to make foreign readers comfortable she tells is as it is and I was impressed. The stark contrast between Religion & African Tradition played a key part in the characters lives and how most mental illness is portrayed as "curses" in the traditional sense was absolutely fascinating.
The overall feeling of the story is a celebration of African culture, the importance of communities and the value of coming together to overcome the tribulations that life has to offer. I highly recommend you check this one out if you are looking for a book set in Uganda and doesn't dwell heavily on the usual colonialism narrative.
This was a refreshing perspective and my first Ugandan book... I enjoyed some parts and the heaviness of the themes and deep exploration of the Ganda culture. Will definitely report back with a more detailed review :) but I highly recommend it.
.
Makumbi brings something fresh to the "Family Saga genre" in that she doesn't rely on The Colonialist perspective (Africa existed before it was invaded) as expected in most historical fiction set in Africa, she gets down and dirty, unapologetically portrays the harsh realities of being Ugandan in the past as well as in the present. She doesn't dilute the narrative to make foreign readers comfortable she tells is as it is and I was impressed. The stark contrast between Religion & African Tradition played a key part in the characters lives and how most mental illness is portrayed as "curses" in the traditional sense was absolutely fascinating.
The overall feeling of the story is a celebration of African culture, the importance of communities and the value of coming together to overcome the tribulations that life has to offer. I highly recommend you check this one out if you are looking for a book set in Uganda and doesn't dwell heavily on the usual colonialism narrative.
This was a refreshing perspective and my first Ugandan book... I enjoyed some parts and the heaviness of the themes and deep exploration of the Ganda culture. Will definitely report back with a more detailed review :) but I highly recommend it.
August 4, 2019
3.5 stars. Absolutely wonderful opening and brilliant passages throughout, but it didn't end up coming together in a cohesive way.
January 14, 2018
4.5 stars
This is a big, ambitious book, relating the story of an extended family that begins with a patriarch in 1750 and then jumps ahead to 2004, tracing the fortunes of his descendants in modern Uganda. It’s been much discussed as a very Ugandan book, written for local readers and enjoying massive popularity there, but it’s an excellent novel with much to offer international readers as well.
The story begins in the old kingdom of Buganda, where Kintu Kiddu, a governor, journeys to the capital to pay his respects to a new king, who just took power by murdering his brother. Kintu’s most pressing concerns, however, are closer to home, with the large number of wives he’s obliged to marry for political purposes, the grooming of his heir, and the adopted son whose father curses Kintu’s family.
By 2004, Kintu’s descendants are scattered. Suubi, abandoned as a child, has found material stability but is haunted by her dead twin; estranged from her adoptive family, she tentatively searches for her relatives at the urging of her boyfriend. Kanani is an old man who, along with his fanatical wife, has found refuge in an evangelical Anglican sect, but their zealotry has driven away their children and the family keeps a shameful secret. Isaac has overcome childhood neglect and survived war to be economically successful, but he believes he has given HIV to his wife and child and is afraid to confirm it. Miisi is foreign-educated but chooses to live in a village, where he is raising a small tribe of grandchildren after the deaths of his children.
Plot summaries about this book tend to focus on the ancient curse, but as someone who usually finds fictional curses to be boring plot drags, I was impressed with Makumbi’s handling of this element. The Kintu clan believes that they are cursed, but the story leaves room for other interpretations. The characters experience a lot of hardship, but in the modern story it never feels inevitable, as in those books where you know every hope will end in tragedy. When the clan ultimately comes together in an attempt to remove the curse, But having more than one possible reading is a sign of good literature.
And this is a really good book. It’s engaging and moves quickly, with short chapters and lot of dialogue, and a few secrets for readers to guess. The characters are believable and complex, even those who only appear for short periods of time, and this is quite a feat given that there are a lot of them. The writing is good and there is a strong sense of place, though this is a book much more focused on people than descriptions; the culture comes out in the way people speak and what they think and worry about. When people talk about this book being “too African� for British readers (Makumbi evidently couldn’t get a publisher there), I suspect it’s not really about the book’s lack of white characters or focus on colonialism and its aftermath. All that has been done before, though this book remains notable for the lack of European presence in such an expansive historical epic; there’s a lot more to Uganda’s history than its decades of British rule, and we see that in context here.
No, I think the British publishers just took issue with the book’s being aimed at Ugandan readers: the language, the names, the culture aren’t simplified, but form the foundations of the book’s complex world. I doubt international readers will actually have trouble understanding it. No matter where you’re from, it’s an engaging story with a lot of humanity that anyone will recognize, and books tend to be better when they don’t make patronizing assumptions about their audiences.
Aside from being a good story, this book has a lot to say. In the introduction (which I recommend actually reading � it’s spoiler-free and provides interesting background and context), Makumbi describes the book as “masculinist,� for its look at how patriarchy hurts men. The book doesn’t explicitly discuss gender roles, but it’s there, from Kintu’s struggles to sexually gratify the many young wives politics require him to marry when he only wants one, to Isaac’s issues with female sexuality, which lead him to marry a woman who can recognize his issues and use them to manipulate him. When asked if this isn’t feminism, Makumbi replied that her next book is the feminist one � which has me excited for that book. But I can see where she’s coming from: this book is more focused on the men, though the women are complex and varied.
Finally, it’s a fascinating look at the combination of tradition and modernity. There are a lot of traditional Ganda beliefs in the novel, but it doesn’t idealize the past or portray it as monolithic. (One of the funniest scenes involves a traditional all-night advice session for Kintu’s son on the eve of his marriage; the men give him a lot of contradictory advice about sex and marriage.) In the present, the clan varies in their adherence to tradition, from Kanani, who wants to do away with it, to his sister Bweeza, whose persistence and enthusiasm for the old ways make her the “Great Aunt� of the clan. Modernity creeps into traditional ceremonies, where the hired medium is foreign-educated, while old ways and traditional motifs reassert themselves in modern contexts.
Overall then, this is an excellent novel, combining storytelling prowess with big ideas and food for thought. I hope its unfamiliarity won’t scare readers off; one of the great advantages of reading is the ability to experience other lives and cultures, and this is a perfect book for the armchair traveler. And it has an engaging plot, complex characters and universal themes to interest those with no connection to Uganda. I hope it is widely read and that we get more books like this.
This is a big, ambitious book, relating the story of an extended family that begins with a patriarch in 1750 and then jumps ahead to 2004, tracing the fortunes of his descendants in modern Uganda. It’s been much discussed as a very Ugandan book, written for local readers and enjoying massive popularity there, but it’s an excellent novel with much to offer international readers as well.
The story begins in the old kingdom of Buganda, where Kintu Kiddu, a governor, journeys to the capital to pay his respects to a new king, who just took power by murdering his brother. Kintu’s most pressing concerns, however, are closer to home, with the large number of wives he’s obliged to marry for political purposes, the grooming of his heir, and the adopted son whose father curses Kintu’s family.
By 2004, Kintu’s descendants are scattered. Suubi, abandoned as a child, has found material stability but is haunted by her dead twin; estranged from her adoptive family, she tentatively searches for her relatives at the urging of her boyfriend. Kanani is an old man who, along with his fanatical wife, has found refuge in an evangelical Anglican sect, but their zealotry has driven away their children and the family keeps a shameful secret. Isaac has overcome childhood neglect and survived war to be economically successful, but he believes he has given HIV to his wife and child and is afraid to confirm it. Miisi is foreign-educated but chooses to live in a village, where he is raising a small tribe of grandchildren after the deaths of his children.
Plot summaries about this book tend to focus on the ancient curse, but as someone who usually finds fictional curses to be boring plot drags, I was impressed with Makumbi’s handling of this element. The Kintu clan believes that they are cursed, but the story leaves room for other interpretations. The characters experience a lot of hardship, but in the modern story it never feels inevitable, as in those books where you know every hope will end in tragedy. When the clan ultimately comes together in an attempt to remove the curse, But having more than one possible reading is a sign of good literature.
And this is a really good book. It’s engaging and moves quickly, with short chapters and lot of dialogue, and a few secrets for readers to guess. The characters are believable and complex, even those who only appear for short periods of time, and this is quite a feat given that there are a lot of them. The writing is good and there is a strong sense of place, though this is a book much more focused on people than descriptions; the culture comes out in the way people speak and what they think and worry about. When people talk about this book being “too African� for British readers (Makumbi evidently couldn’t get a publisher there), I suspect it’s not really about the book’s lack of white characters or focus on colonialism and its aftermath. All that has been done before, though this book remains notable for the lack of European presence in such an expansive historical epic; there’s a lot more to Uganda’s history than its decades of British rule, and we see that in context here.
No, I think the British publishers just took issue with the book’s being aimed at Ugandan readers: the language, the names, the culture aren’t simplified, but form the foundations of the book’s complex world. I doubt international readers will actually have trouble understanding it. No matter where you’re from, it’s an engaging story with a lot of humanity that anyone will recognize, and books tend to be better when they don’t make patronizing assumptions about their audiences.
Aside from being a good story, this book has a lot to say. In the introduction (which I recommend actually reading � it’s spoiler-free and provides interesting background and context), Makumbi describes the book as “masculinist,� for its look at how patriarchy hurts men. The book doesn’t explicitly discuss gender roles, but it’s there, from Kintu’s struggles to sexually gratify the many young wives politics require him to marry when he only wants one, to Isaac’s issues with female sexuality, which lead him to marry a woman who can recognize his issues and use them to manipulate him. When asked if this isn’t feminism, Makumbi replied that her next book is the feminist one � which has me excited for that book. But I can see where she’s coming from: this book is more focused on the men, though the women are complex and varied.
Finally, it’s a fascinating look at the combination of tradition and modernity. There are a lot of traditional Ganda beliefs in the novel, but it doesn’t idealize the past or portray it as monolithic. (One of the funniest scenes involves a traditional all-night advice session for Kintu’s son on the eve of his marriage; the men give him a lot of contradictory advice about sex and marriage.) In the present, the clan varies in their adherence to tradition, from Kanani, who wants to do away with it, to his sister Bweeza, whose persistence and enthusiasm for the old ways make her the “Great Aunt� of the clan. Modernity creeps into traditional ceremonies, where the hired medium is foreign-educated, while old ways and traditional motifs reassert themselves in modern contexts.
Overall then, this is an excellent novel, combining storytelling prowess with big ideas and food for thought. I hope its unfamiliarity won’t scare readers off; one of the great advantages of reading is the ability to experience other lives and cultures, and this is a perfect book for the armchair traveler. And it has an engaging plot, complex characters and universal themes to interest those with no connection to Uganda. I hope it is widely read and that we get more books like this.
April 22, 2016
I absolutely agree with the other reviewers saying this should be compulsory reading for humans. At minimum: freshman year read for university students or enter the cannon of literature greats for any intro course.
Makumbi is a brilliant writer--the prose is gorgeous but it isn't flashy and I love her for that. It is in that way deeply inviting, easy to read, but still quite entrancing. Her short story "Let's Tell This Story Properly" evidences the same style.
I read this book easily even as I was drawn into things that were new to me (even tho I live in Uganda). It opened up a million conversations with friends here and abroad. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
Why four stars instead of five. I am not sure if I wasn't ready to be done reading OR if I felt somewhat unsatisfied with the ending, but because I think it was the latter, I knocked off a star. To be sure it felt realistic-ish (even where supernatural) given the stories to that point. But, did I feel it wrapped up too neatly? Maybe. And yet somehow, though neatly, not the wrapping up I wanted? Like though neat also not complete? Possibly. See, this could be me just being unreasonable and wanting my way (typical mzungu, amiright?) because I am not even sure what it is I wanted. I do know this, for a book to disappoint me in the ending I had to be so engaged and wrapped up and in the story that it MATTERED to me. That is a damn good book.
I'm meeting with my book club to discuss soon and I am hoping to be swayed on the ending and if I am. I will come back and add another star.
But I cannot cannot cannot say strongly enough: READ THIS BOOK.
Makumbi is a brilliant writer--the prose is gorgeous but it isn't flashy and I love her for that. It is in that way deeply inviting, easy to read, but still quite entrancing. Her short story "Let's Tell This Story Properly" evidences the same style.
I read this book easily even as I was drawn into things that were new to me (even tho I live in Uganda). It opened up a million conversations with friends here and abroad. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
Why four stars instead of five. I am not sure if I wasn't ready to be done reading OR if I felt somewhat unsatisfied with the ending, but because I think it was the latter, I knocked off a star. To be sure it felt realistic-ish (even where supernatural) given the stories to that point. But, did I feel it wrapped up too neatly? Maybe. And yet somehow, though neatly, not the wrapping up I wanted? Like though neat also not complete? Possibly. See, this could be me just being unreasonable and wanting my way (typical mzungu, amiright?) because I am not even sure what it is I wanted. I do know this, for a book to disappoint me in the ending I had to be so engaged and wrapped up and in the story that it MATTERED to me. That is a damn good book.
I'm meeting with my book club to discuss soon and I am hoping to be swayed on the ending and if I am. I will come back and add another star.
But I cannot cannot cannot say strongly enough: READ THIS BOOK.
April 21, 2018
Oh my gosh, Kintu.
I was going write my own summary of it but shied away from doing so. I didn’t want to give away too much. Plus, that summary I found on ŷ does a decent job of succinctly stating what the story is about without giving anything away. To make this review easier on myself, I’ll do it a bit differently and structure it based on my reading experience with the book. Starting with�
Why I read it
Prior to seeing Kintu on the new books shelf at my library, I had never before heard of it or its author. I was drawn to the cover and the author’s name and when I flipped to the back cover to read the synopsis there, this line caught my attention: “…he unleashes a curse that will plague his family for generations.�
For me, a fantasy lover, that line made me think that there will be some fantastical aspect to the story. I got excited and started to daydream that maybe the book is a Ugandan high-fantasy novel. It’s not, but that didn’t deter me. I started reading as soon as I left the library.
Just 50 pages in�
I read the introduction first, which is written by Aaron Bady, editor of the New Inquiry. I usually avoid introductions until midway through or after the story since they sometimes spoil the book or include strong opinions that influence my perception of the story. But Bady’s intro wasn’t like that. It was interesting and informed my reading by highlighting facts about the book and the author that I otherwise wouldn’t have known. Other things he discussed didn’t stand out to me at first but became more apparent as I read.
It is in the introduction that I learned that Kintu is “the mythical first man on earth and founder of the Buganda Kingdom,� which perked my interest and made me conduct a quick Google search to find out more. Bady also discusses the difficulties Makumbi faced when trying to get her novel published to a wider, international audience � she was told it was “much too African for British readers� � and shares what Makumbi tries to accomplish with the story as well as what the story is about:
The more I read Bady’s intro, the more eager I got to read the story and when I started…oh my gosh. I sunk right in.
I was immediately hooked.
I blazed through 50 pages of the story and was convinced that I needed to get my own copy. There were too many things I wanted to highlight and make note of and I couldn’t do that in a library book. I placed an order for my own copy then took a break from the story to read other books as I waited for it to arrive.
I got my own copy�
…and immediately highlighted all the things I wanted to make note of while reading the library book. I didn’t immediately jump back into the story because I was reading other books, but when I got the bulk of other books out of the way, Kintu had my full attention.
It’s easy to get swept up in this story. The prose is accessible, not too direct yet not too descriptive. It makes for fast, easy reading. However, I think it’s best to take your time reading it so as not to miss any of the clues along the way. Not that it’s a mystery, but the way it’s written � jumping back and forth in time as it focuses on characters� ancestors in the past and characters� descendants in the present � and how the curse manifests requires one to pay attention while reading.
I also think it’s best to read as much of it as possible in a sitting or focus on just this book when reading it. As I said before, I read many books while reading this one so I took frequent breaks from it. Because of the wealth of details and characters in this story, I got a little confused sometimes because I was reading two other books that were as detailed and contained a large cast. I realized my bad decision too late but luckily the confusion didn’t greatly affect me and soon I was focusing solely on Kintu, or at least 80% of my reading time.
Stuff I noticed as I read
Well, the first is that I agree with Bady, who says in the intro that “as with any great work of fiction, this one teaches you how to read it.�
In both Bady’s intro and elsewhere online, it’s said that this story was written for Ugandans. That became apparent to me because the story doesn’t go out of its way to explain certain things unique to Ugandans, or Africans in general, to the reader. There were a few words and phrases, always italicized, that were unfamiliar to me but a definition of them was not always provided, neither in the sentence such words or phrases appeared nor in a glossary at the back of the book (there is no glossary). Instead, readers intuit their meanings from how such words and phrases are used by the characters and the situations in which they arise. I’ll admit that I was a bit annoyed by this at first but appreciated it as I read along.
I also like that we see some of Ugandan history and tradition. The story stretches from year 1750 to 2004, so we see how Uganda changed � the people, politics, and land � over that time. I don’t know much about Uganda and only few facts about Idi Amin, who I believe I learned about from watching the 2006 movie The Last King of Scotland, so just about all historical facts I read in Kintu were new to me and revealed to me how very ignorant I am of world affairs and historical events in African countries.
Because of the structure of the story � how it starts (with a man being beaten to death by a mob) before jumping to the past � and how time functions in it and certain names become family names that are often reused (as if the same characters/family members are reborn again and again), I was reminded of Gabriel García Márquez’s 100 Years of Solitude, another classic (I consider Kintu a classic) I love.
Both books are similar in that they both portray the history of a country in their story, secrets that tear a family apart and bring them together, a feared curse and how that curse manifests or rather how the fear of it causes it to manifest. I also like that at the conclusion of both stories the past reaches into the present to change or affect what the future will be. It gives the reader a sense that in these stories time isn’t linear but is circular: the past influencing the present, the present reaching to the past, on and on into the future.
Final thoughts because I’m probably not making sense
Does my review here make sense? To answer my own question, I really don’t know. I just hope that I got across that this book is great, it’s worth the read, it looks thick and is 443 pages long but don’t let that turn you off. It’s a quick read, compelling, fascinating, beautiful, and at times heart-rending. I highly recommend it.
Overall: ★★★★�
I gave it 4.5 stars before but bumped it up to 5 stars because Kintu is a great book that I hope will receive more notice. It’s my favorite book of the year so far and one I highly recommend.
As posted on .
I was going write my own summary of it but shied away from doing so. I didn’t want to give away too much. Plus, that summary I found on ŷ does a decent job of succinctly stating what the story is about without giving anything away. To make this review easier on myself, I’ll do it a bit differently and structure it based on my reading experience with the book. Starting with�
Why I read it
Prior to seeing Kintu on the new books shelf at my library, I had never before heard of it or its author. I was drawn to the cover and the author’s name and when I flipped to the back cover to read the synopsis there, this line caught my attention: “…he unleashes a curse that will plague his family for generations.�
For me, a fantasy lover, that line made me think that there will be some fantastical aspect to the story. I got excited and started to daydream that maybe the book is a Ugandan high-fantasy novel. It’s not, but that didn’t deter me. I started reading as soon as I left the library.
Just 50 pages in�
I read the introduction first, which is written by Aaron Bady, editor of the New Inquiry. I usually avoid introductions until midway through or after the story since they sometimes spoil the book or include strong opinions that influence my perception of the story. But Bady’s intro wasn’t like that. It was interesting and informed my reading by highlighting facts about the book and the author that I otherwise wouldn’t have known. Other things he discussed didn’t stand out to me at first but became more apparent as I read.
It is in the introduction that I learned that Kintu is “the mythical first man on earth and founder of the Buganda Kingdom,� which perked my interest and made me conduct a quick Google search to find out more. Bady also discusses the difficulties Makumbi faced when trying to get her novel published to a wider, international audience � she was told it was “much too African for British readers� � and shares what Makumbi tries to accomplish with the story as well as what the story is about:
“Kintu is a response to Things Fall Apart in which the story of a family curse is also a story of survivals.�
“Makumbi insists that Kintu is a ‘masculinist� novel, and it is…it’s also one of the most feminist books one is likely to read.�
“…Uganda is a family, and Kintu is the story of how all families are built out of silences and fictions.�
“It’s about journeying far away to find out where you are from.�
“This is Kintu: the story of how the old pasts are forgotten so that new pasts, new families, and new nations can be remembered into existence.�
The more I read Bady’s intro, the more eager I got to read the story and when I started…oh my gosh. I sunk right in.
I was immediately hooked.
I blazed through 50 pages of the story and was convinced that I needed to get my own copy. There were too many things I wanted to highlight and make note of and I couldn’t do that in a library book. I placed an order for my own copy then took a break from the story to read other books as I waited for it to arrive.
I got my own copy�
…and immediately highlighted all the things I wanted to make note of while reading the library book. I didn’t immediately jump back into the story because I was reading other books, but when I got the bulk of other books out of the way, Kintu had my full attention.
It’s easy to get swept up in this story. The prose is accessible, not too direct yet not too descriptive. It makes for fast, easy reading. However, I think it’s best to take your time reading it so as not to miss any of the clues along the way. Not that it’s a mystery, but the way it’s written � jumping back and forth in time as it focuses on characters� ancestors in the past and characters� descendants in the present � and how the curse manifests requires one to pay attention while reading.
I also think it’s best to read as much of it as possible in a sitting or focus on just this book when reading it. As I said before, I read many books while reading this one so I took frequent breaks from it. Because of the wealth of details and characters in this story, I got a little confused sometimes because I was reading two other books that were as detailed and contained a large cast. I realized my bad decision too late but luckily the confusion didn’t greatly affect me and soon I was focusing solely on Kintu, or at least 80% of my reading time.
Stuff I noticed as I read
Well, the first is that I agree with Bady, who says in the intro that “as with any great work of fiction, this one teaches you how to read it.�
In both Bady’s intro and elsewhere online, it’s said that this story was written for Ugandans. That became apparent to me because the story doesn’t go out of its way to explain certain things unique to Ugandans, or Africans in general, to the reader. There were a few words and phrases, always italicized, that were unfamiliar to me but a definition of them was not always provided, neither in the sentence such words or phrases appeared nor in a glossary at the back of the book (there is no glossary). Instead, readers intuit their meanings from how such words and phrases are used by the characters and the situations in which they arise. I’ll admit that I was a bit annoyed by this at first but appreciated it as I read along.
I also like that we see some of Ugandan history and tradition. The story stretches from year 1750 to 2004, so we see how Uganda changed � the people, politics, and land � over that time. I don’t know much about Uganda and only few facts about Idi Amin, who I believe I learned about from watching the 2006 movie The Last King of Scotland, so just about all historical facts I read in Kintu were new to me and revealed to me how very ignorant I am of world affairs and historical events in African countries.
Because of the structure of the story � how it starts (with a man being beaten to death by a mob) before jumping to the past � and how time functions in it and certain names become family names that are often reused (as if the same characters/family members are reborn again and again), I was reminded of Gabriel García Márquez’s 100 Years of Solitude, another classic (I consider Kintu a classic) I love.
Both books are similar in that they both portray the history of a country in their story, secrets that tear a family apart and bring them together, a feared curse and how that curse manifests or rather how the fear of it causes it to manifest. I also like that at the conclusion of both stories the past reaches into the present to change or affect what the future will be. It gives the reader a sense that in these stories time isn’t linear but is circular: the past influencing the present, the present reaching to the past, on and on into the future.
Final thoughts because I’m probably not making sense
Does my review here make sense? To answer my own question, I really don’t know. I just hope that I got across that this book is great, it’s worth the read, it looks thick and is 443 pages long but don’t let that turn you off. It’s a quick read, compelling, fascinating, beautiful, and at times heart-rending. I highly recommend it.
Overall: ★★★★�
I gave it 4.5 stars before but bumped it up to 5 stars because Kintu is a great book that I hope will receive more notice. It’s my favorite book of the year so far and one I highly recommend.
As posted on .
February 20, 2019
I read this Ugandan novel for #readaroundtheworldbookclub and it was really great. Did I understand all of it? No. I always compare books written on the backbone of a completely different culture to travel. You come to this completely new place. A lot of the things are a bit strange, some are exciting, some unsettling. You have the choice to either accept and experience it all or push back and reject. No different with a book really. I lack the cultural key to truly judge the book. My key opens mostly European writing, but does that mean I should never peek through the keyhole and explore other cultures? Of course, we all should.
January 9, 2021
Kintu is een prachtig epos over familie, religie en bijgeloof, rituelen en tradities en de geschiedenis van Oeganda. Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi neemt je mee in een wonderlijke vertelling over Kintu en zijn afstammelingen. Deze clan gaat al generaties lang gebukt onder een vloek, nadat deze in 1750 werd uitgesproken over stamvader Kintu. In zes hoofdstukken, die boeken worden genoemd, maak je kennis met een breed scala aan kleurrijke personages die - of ze er nu zelf in geloven of niet - allemaal te maken krijgen met de gevolgen van deze vloek.
Met Kintu geeft Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi niet één maar meerdere gezichten aan de Oegandese geschiedenis. Dit boek smaakt absoluut naar meer.
Mijn complete recensie lees je op .
Met Kintu geeft Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi niet één maar meerdere gezichten aan de Oegandese geschiedenis. Dit boek smaakt absoluut naar meer.
Mijn complete recensie lees je op .
November 24, 2024
This is a sprawling family saga dating back to the time of the Buganda Kingdom. A curse is placed on the Kintu lineage when their ancestor kills another man's child by accident. The curse manifests in different ways such as madness, death and haunting.
With each character, Makumbi shows us a different side of Uganda. I was amazed with the range of themes covered. Reading this you get a good sense of Uganda's history and culture. From the ancient Buganda Kingdom, to Idi Amin's dictatorship, the expulsion of Asians from Uganda, Milton Obote's rule, Uganda's war with Tanzania, Uganda's colonisation (Miisi's analogy is one of the best I've ever seen).
The Homecoming where the family comes together to break the curse was by far my favourite part of this book. It was wholesome and I loved how you could see the shift in individual characters even those who were on the fence about traditions.
Her making Miisi, the most educated elder and an atheist turn into a custodian was diabolical but I felt that put the strongest message across. She's saying to Africans don't forget who you are, don't forget where you come from. Don't be ignorant about your culture or pretend it doesn't exist. It existed before you were born and it will still continue existing long after you die. No matter where you go or who you become your roots are important. Despite the modernity we've embraced, culture still plays a big part and we should embrace it, learn it, cherish it.
With each character, Makumbi shows us a different side of Uganda. I was amazed with the range of themes covered. Reading this you get a good sense of Uganda's history and culture. From the ancient Buganda Kingdom, to Idi Amin's dictatorship, the expulsion of Asians from Uganda, Milton Obote's rule, Uganda's war with Tanzania, Uganda's colonisation (Miisi's analogy is one of the best I've ever seen).
The Homecoming where the family comes together to break the curse was by far my favourite part of this book. It was wholesome and I loved how you could see the shift in individual characters even those who were on the fence about traditions.
Her making Miisi, the most educated elder and an atheist turn into a custodian was diabolical but I felt that put the strongest message across. She's saying to Africans don't forget who you are, don't forget where you come from. Don't be ignorant about your culture or pretend it doesn't exist. It existed before you were born and it will still continue existing long after you die. No matter where you go or who you become your roots are important. Despite the modernity we've embraced, culture still plays a big part and we should embrace it, learn it, cherish it.
June 29, 2021
Synopsis
Tracing a period in time which starts in 1750 though to the 1980’s, the Kintu clan are direct descendants of the founding father of Buganda (the creation myth) of Kintu Kidda. Five main characters, living their lives in modern Buganda, are drawn together to address long standing curses and bad fortune which seem to follow them.
Anchored by Kamu Kintu in 2004 the book comes out of the blocks dramatically and each individual 'book' draws on Kamu to connect with the events two hundred and fifty years before.
A grand finale addresses depression as a Clan illness described as eByekika.
Book One. The origin (Kintu Kidda)
1. Creation theory
The Baganda have a creation myth that says that the first man on earth (and Buganda in particular) was Kintu who married Nnambi. Its notable that Nansubuga choses words from John Hanning Speke in 1863 as her prologue: “we should, when contemplating these sons of Noah, try and carry our mind back to that time when our poor elder brother Ham was cursed by his father� . There is an obvious connection to a curse levelled against the Kintu clan (by Tutsi Ntwire)
2. Geography
One of the (intriguing) challenges for Western reader is getting to grips with the structure of Uganda, by region
� Uganda
1750. Ppookino (governor) Kintu Kidda travels to the heart of the kingdom of Buganda which was one of five kingdoms (with Bunyoro, Busoga, Toro and Ankole). Wider Uganda encompassed a number (six) of clan system territories including Teso, Bugisu, Sebel, Karamoja, Lango, Karamoja and Bukedi.
� Buganda. Within Buganda a number of districts (amasaza) exist, including Busiro, Kyaddondo, Bulemeezi, Ssesse and Bugere. Kampala was the capital, located on the north bank of Lake Victoria.
� Neighbouring Nations. Bordering Uganda are Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Sudan and Congo.
3. Twins Nnakato ; Babirye
Twins have a special meaning in African folklore and Kintu features numerous sets of twins, both real and spiritually
4. Clans/ Lineage
Kalema, the interloper is adopted, loved and the origin of the family curse. Baale is the one and only son of Nnakato
5. Polygamy Ppookino Kintu has many wives. The first, and most loved, wife Nnakato manages the secondary wives.
6. Suicide Nnakato commits suicide. This is unforgivable in Bugandan society
Book Two Suubi Nnakintu
Thirteen year old Suubi in Kampala in 1988 is the victim of the organised abduction of young girls. This is a nod in the direction of the awful abductions which still bedevil Uganda.
Book Three (Kanani)
The relationship of the missionaries who settled in African states in the nineteenth century and the indigenous population is a complex one.
Kanini is an elder at the Anglican Church based at Namirembe Cathedral. He and his wife are members of the doctrinaire ‘The Awakened� (Anglican).
� Kanani recalls the 1930s (he’s in his seventies). To him this was civilised time
� He regards his cousin, Magda, as a heathen. Her husband has two other wives; and they are not church goers
� He is angered by President Milton Obote’s exiling of kabaka Muteesa ll in 1966.
� Children Job and Ruth , westernised, old testament names substituted for traditional ganda names Ssalongo and Nnalongo)
It remains a cardinal rule that neither child is ever to be slapped on head. (the curse)
Book Four Isaac Newton Kintu
The relationship of Isaac and his wife Nnayiga is superbly drawn. AIDS is taking hold in Uganda in 1990. Isaac is representative of western pursuits, including night clubs, and casual, meaningless sexual encounters. The figurative ‘dance� between the two of them pitches two initially selfish individuals, each with a specific agenda, against one another. Both parties tacitly accept the arrangements. It’s a very modern arrangement.
Book Five: Misirayimu (Miisi) Kintu
The part of the book where the influence of westernisation is apparent everywhere; a time of civil war. As a snapshot of Uganda being courted by various interested countries, and being visible on a world stage, this is the most political section in Nansubuga’s writing.
� Missi reflects on Amin and the renewed persecution of Muslims now Milton Obote is in power. The property of the Asians population is restored. Amin is a northerner, uneducated, from smallest tribe (Kakwa). While stories about Amin’s actions may have been exaggerated, � Namanve was real� (297)
� Missi after heated talk with Jaleebu, reflects on homophobia
� Africanisation(� Ekiside�) and the European legacy. Miisi writes in the English paper New Vision. But his writing is called a perpetuation of the patriarchy by a local feminist militant
� Miisi had gone to the USSR in 1960s for graduate studies. He then flew to Britain in 1972 to wait for Amin to be deposed. He looked at Ikemefuna in Things Fall Apart and chose Kiwendo in ancient Buganda
(The kiwendo was a periodic mass slaughter. It was the right of a kabaka to sacrifice the lives of people in a "kiwendo" )
� Two cousins, Magga and Kato arrive to speak to Miisi. “The men started by each reciting parentage back to his sixth paternal grandfather� A classic Bugandan greeting!
� Suffering from depression it is significant that Miisi chooses to go to the Speke Memorial Monument (source of the Nile) in Kalagara Bugerere.
Book Six Finale (Homecoming)
At a gathering of over two hundred cousins, a young, trendy, and Cambridge educated medium, Mufanda presides. The various family members address long standing issues, and blood is shared. Miisi has returned to the shrine at Kiyiika. Miisi is on the edge of insanity. His sister and wife reckon he was sacrificed at the alter of knowledge
Recommend
I enjoyed this book immensely, and while the foreground narrative follows the clan narrative, and the punishment for sins of the ancestors, it is the subtle, implied observations on a twentieth century Uganda which truly fascinate. Its not an easy read, and credit to the author for choosing to write for Ugandan and African readerships and not for the western eye.
Tracing a period in time which starts in 1750 though to the 1980’s, the Kintu clan are direct descendants of the founding father of Buganda (the creation myth) of Kintu Kidda. Five main characters, living their lives in modern Buganda, are drawn together to address long standing curses and bad fortune which seem to follow them.
Anchored by Kamu Kintu in 2004 the book comes out of the blocks dramatically and each individual 'book' draws on Kamu to connect with the events two hundred and fifty years before.
A grand finale addresses depression as a Clan illness described as eByekika.
Book One. The origin (Kintu Kidda)
1. Creation theory
The Baganda have a creation myth that says that the first man on earth (and Buganda in particular) was Kintu who married Nnambi. Its notable that Nansubuga choses words from John Hanning Speke in 1863 as her prologue: “we should, when contemplating these sons of Noah, try and carry our mind back to that time when our poor elder brother Ham was cursed by his father� . There is an obvious connection to a curse levelled against the Kintu clan (by Tutsi Ntwire)
2. Geography
One of the (intriguing) challenges for Western reader is getting to grips with the structure of Uganda, by region
� Uganda
1750. Ppookino (governor) Kintu Kidda travels to the heart of the kingdom of Buganda which was one of five kingdoms (with Bunyoro, Busoga, Toro and Ankole). Wider Uganda encompassed a number (six) of clan system territories including Teso, Bugisu, Sebel, Karamoja, Lango, Karamoja and Bukedi.
� Buganda. Within Buganda a number of districts (amasaza) exist, including Busiro, Kyaddondo, Bulemeezi, Ssesse and Bugere. Kampala was the capital, located on the north bank of Lake Victoria.
� Neighbouring Nations. Bordering Uganda are Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Sudan and Congo.
3. Twins Nnakato ; Babirye
Twins have a special meaning in African folklore and Kintu features numerous sets of twins, both real and spiritually
4. Clans/ Lineage
Kalema, the interloper is adopted, loved and the origin of the family curse. Baale is the one and only son of Nnakato
5. Polygamy Ppookino Kintu has many wives. The first, and most loved, wife Nnakato manages the secondary wives.
6. Suicide Nnakato commits suicide. This is unforgivable in Bugandan society
Book Two Suubi Nnakintu
Thirteen year old Suubi in Kampala in 1988 is the victim of the organised abduction of young girls. This is a nod in the direction of the awful abductions which still bedevil Uganda.
Book Three (Kanani)
The relationship of the missionaries who settled in African states in the nineteenth century and the indigenous population is a complex one.
Kanini is an elder at the Anglican Church based at Namirembe Cathedral. He and his wife are members of the doctrinaire ‘The Awakened� (Anglican).
� Kanani recalls the 1930s (he’s in his seventies). To him this was civilised time
� He regards his cousin, Magda, as a heathen. Her husband has two other wives; and they are not church goers
� He is angered by President Milton Obote’s exiling of kabaka Muteesa ll in 1966.
� Children Job and Ruth , westernised, old testament names substituted for traditional ganda names Ssalongo and Nnalongo)
It remains a cardinal rule that neither child is ever to be slapped on head. (the curse)
Book Four Isaac Newton Kintu
The relationship of Isaac and his wife Nnayiga is superbly drawn. AIDS is taking hold in Uganda in 1990. Isaac is representative of western pursuits, including night clubs, and casual, meaningless sexual encounters. The figurative ‘dance� between the two of them pitches two initially selfish individuals, each with a specific agenda, against one another. Both parties tacitly accept the arrangements. It’s a very modern arrangement.
Book Five: Misirayimu (Miisi) Kintu
The part of the book where the influence of westernisation is apparent everywhere; a time of civil war. As a snapshot of Uganda being courted by various interested countries, and being visible on a world stage, this is the most political section in Nansubuga’s writing.
� Missi reflects on Amin and the renewed persecution of Muslims now Milton Obote is in power. The property of the Asians population is restored. Amin is a northerner, uneducated, from smallest tribe (Kakwa). While stories about Amin’s actions may have been exaggerated, � Namanve was real� (297)
� Missi after heated talk with Jaleebu, reflects on homophobia
� Africanisation(� Ekiside�) and the European legacy. Miisi writes in the English paper New Vision. But his writing is called a perpetuation of the patriarchy by a local feminist militant
� Miisi had gone to the USSR in 1960s for graduate studies. He then flew to Britain in 1972 to wait for Amin to be deposed. He looked at Ikemefuna in Things Fall Apart and chose Kiwendo in ancient Buganda
(The kiwendo was a periodic mass slaughter. It was the right of a kabaka to sacrifice the lives of people in a "kiwendo" )
� Two cousins, Magga and Kato arrive to speak to Miisi. “The men started by each reciting parentage back to his sixth paternal grandfather� A classic Bugandan greeting!
� Suffering from depression it is significant that Miisi chooses to go to the Speke Memorial Monument (source of the Nile) in Kalagara Bugerere.
Book Six Finale (Homecoming)
At a gathering of over two hundred cousins, a young, trendy, and Cambridge educated medium, Mufanda presides. The various family members address long standing issues, and blood is shared. Miisi has returned to the shrine at Kiyiika. Miisi is on the edge of insanity. His sister and wife reckon he was sacrificed at the alter of knowledge
Recommend
I enjoyed this book immensely, and while the foreground narrative follows the clan narrative, and the punishment for sins of the ancestors, it is the subtle, implied observations on a twentieth century Uganda which truly fascinate. Its not an easy read, and credit to the author for choosing to write for Ugandan and African readerships and not for the western eye.
August 2, 2018
About a family curse that follows generations of the Kintu clan from the 1850’s to 2004, this book provides a foray into the lives of various descendants and a view into what happens when they all come together to address the curse. I fell in love with each story, and also got a snapshot of Uganda past and present, and the specific ways that colonialism has been a poison to Uganda, and the ways that people are holding together their ancestral knowledge as well. The book looked at so many social ills and momentous historical events through the way the curse was transmitted to various branches of the family; it was just 👌🏿. I have a confirmed soft spot for multigenerational epics of great scope and scale that help to define a nation and its history and that offers relatable human faces to carry the story, and this book absolutely accomplished that. It’s up there with all of my favourites.
July 16, 2020
Not quite for me, unfortunately. The best part for me was the beginning in the 1750, and I wish the book had stayed with that storyline.
2.5*
2.5*
June 21, 2019
3.5 stars for this unusual read.
This was an interesting book with a somewhat challenging format. As the introduction states, it was written for Ugandans, not for white readers in the United States or Europe. As such, it offers a glimpse into a culture quite different from the one that shaped me, and one that is hard to capture within a finite review.
The story introduces and follows multiple members of a family through several generations. The ancestral lines are blurred and curvy, adding to uncertainty about who is related, and what each backstory might be or where they might be headed. We learn that family connection is highly valued, but not always easily determined in this culture, as your sister might really be your cousin, or your father might be your uncle. Adding to that confusion is the tradition of assigning different names to the same individual. If keeping people in tight little boxes is important to you, this might be a confusing read; or you might want to make a diagram of characters as you read. If you hang in there, the connections do become more clear as the book progresses, and all is tied together at the end.
The story wrestles with cultural traditions and beliefs, superstition, spiritual beliefs, the influence of outside cultures on a local culture, and family dynamics. It is about what we keep secret and what we make up to take the place of a hidden reality. It is about what we choose to believe and how that influences what we do. It is about how one moment can inform all the moments that come after it, with no second chances. It is about fitting in or not fitting in and how that directs our choices. It's about living with one eye behind you when you expect your past to catch up with you through karma or curses.
While this novel contains some political commentary regarding outsider's influence over local culture, this thread is minimal and maintains a low profile in the narrative. It is there, and intersects with the characters at times, but this is mainly a story about interpersonal relationships and dynamics within the Ugandan culture and traditions.
I felt immersed in the African bush at times as I read, and enjoyed feeling so present in the lives of the characters through the author's descriptions and prose. I found myself thinking that as much as there are differences, there is also much the same when it comes to what challenges us as humans, regardless of where we are on the planet.
This was an interesting book with a somewhat challenging format. As the introduction states, it was written for Ugandans, not for white readers in the United States or Europe. As such, it offers a glimpse into a culture quite different from the one that shaped me, and one that is hard to capture within a finite review.
The story introduces and follows multiple members of a family through several generations. The ancestral lines are blurred and curvy, adding to uncertainty about who is related, and what each backstory might be or where they might be headed. We learn that family connection is highly valued, but not always easily determined in this culture, as your sister might really be your cousin, or your father might be your uncle. Adding to that confusion is the tradition of assigning different names to the same individual. If keeping people in tight little boxes is important to you, this might be a confusing read; or you might want to make a diagram of characters as you read. If you hang in there, the connections do become more clear as the book progresses, and all is tied together at the end.
The story wrestles with cultural traditions and beliefs, superstition, spiritual beliefs, the influence of outside cultures on a local culture, and family dynamics. It is about what we keep secret and what we make up to take the place of a hidden reality. It is about what we choose to believe and how that influences what we do. It is about how one moment can inform all the moments that come after it, with no second chances. It is about fitting in or not fitting in and how that directs our choices. It's about living with one eye behind you when you expect your past to catch up with you through karma or curses.
While this novel contains some political commentary regarding outsider's influence over local culture, this thread is minimal and maintains a low profile in the narrative. It is there, and intersects with the characters at times, but this is mainly a story about interpersonal relationships and dynamics within the Ugandan culture and traditions.
I felt immersed in the African bush at times as I read, and enjoyed feeling so present in the lives of the characters through the author's descriptions and prose. I found myself thinking that as much as there are differences, there is also much the same when it comes to what challenges us as humans, regardless of where we are on the planet.
March 9, 2015
Reviewed here:
"I am always more impressed by the language of a book: how words are woven together to deliver the stories, than the themes. The words are what make me pause and go over a paragraph, just so I can get as much pleasure from it as was intended. When it comes to language, Makumbi delivers beautifully. The book is sprinkled with enough Luganda not to turn off any non-Luganda speaker and yet enough to make the book very authentic to the place where it is set. But it is what she does with her description of places that got me. Places in Kintu are characters in their own right. You can picture how Kampala is perched on the seven hills with swamps like Bwaise at the bottom. The O Lwera is very vivid in its fierceness. One can picture colonial Kampala as Kanani saw it and admired it, and so understand why he so despises present day Kampala."
"I am always more impressed by the language of a book: how words are woven together to deliver the stories, than the themes. The words are what make me pause and go over a paragraph, just so I can get as much pleasure from it as was intended. When it comes to language, Makumbi delivers beautifully. The book is sprinkled with enough Luganda not to turn off any non-Luganda speaker and yet enough to make the book very authentic to the place where it is set. But it is what she does with her description of places that got me. Places in Kintu are characters in their own right. You can picture how Kampala is perched on the seven hills with swamps like Bwaise at the bottom. The O Lwera is very vivid in its fierceness. One can picture colonial Kampala as Kanani saw it and admired it, and so understand why he so despises present day Kampala."
August 3, 2018
4.5 stars
Epic and original; a complex blend of history, language, myth, tradition, and modernity. Even though it is specifically Ugandan, reading Kintu also reminded me of books like the Bible - because of the way it illustrates how human beings continue to wrestle with events, actions, and prayers (and curses!) set into play by ancestors; and Yaa Gyasi's - because it deals with non-western beliefs regarding twins, and mental health issues. It also reminded me that when I first read Gabriel Garcia Marquez's - I had to read it annually for a few years in order to better absorb the unfolding of so many generations of story.
Epic and original; a complex blend of history, language, myth, tradition, and modernity. Even though it is specifically Ugandan, reading Kintu also reminded me of books like the Bible - because of the way it illustrates how human beings continue to wrestle with events, actions, and prayers (and curses!) set into play by ancestors; and Yaa Gyasi's - because it deals with non-western beliefs regarding twins, and mental health issues. It also reminded me that when I first read Gabriel Garcia Marquez's - I had to read it annually for a few years in order to better absorb the unfolding of so many generations of story.
July 26, 2020
This was a really fascinating read told from multiple perspectives of distant relatives, beginning with their common ancestor and his misdeeds leading to a curse that plagued them and in the end draws them together. My favorite characters were Suubi and Bweeza. This 400+ page book read fairly quickly and the last 1/4 of the book I did not want to put it down. I read this as part of #kinuinjuly with Read Soul Lit. I definitely want to read Makumbi’s further novels.
July 7, 2017
Definitely a winner.
This is a book that you just immerse yourself in, because Makumbi doesn’t make it straightforward in time and since she is writing for Ugandans, not Western readers, you are at sea in the culture. But gradually stories and beliefs begin to cohere. Although I remained of two minds about whether there is a spirit world that actually affects events, or the problems are based in our modern factual and scientific understanding of the world. In a very good article/interview at Strange Horizons () Makumbi says this duality is very much a Ugandan way of living, and is intended in her novel.
I definitely recommend the article because there are layers of the story that weren’t obvious to me, especially regarding some of the names. But there are so many fascinating characters and stories that missing some of the Biblical implications (Ham threads throughout) still leaves you with a page turner that is also a complex and thought-provoking look at Uganda in which the colonial legacy is present, but not the plot driver. There are no white characters, and the range of Ugandans (from several different branches of the Kintu clan that defines the reach of the plots) crosses all kinds of income, belief, and traditional/Western outlooks.
There are real threats and violence at times (e.g. AIDS and crime, mental illness), and echoes of Idi Amin, but the book focuses more on personal development and relationships.
This is one I’m going to recommend to lots of people. It can draw readers in with the family (really clan) saga structure, and then reveal the complexity of a culture that straddles two traditions. For me, it was a page-turner. Kudos to Transit Press for publishing it.
Also, I found I wanted some (historical and modern) geography as I was reading, especially the first, historical section. I purchased a handy sized reference book online very reasonably (used), that will come in handy for other African literature: The History Atlas of Africa, by Samuel Kasule, MacMillan.
This is a book that you just immerse yourself in, because Makumbi doesn’t make it straightforward in time and since she is writing for Ugandans, not Western readers, you are at sea in the culture. But gradually stories and beliefs begin to cohere. Although I remained of two minds about whether there is a spirit world that actually affects events, or the problems are based in our modern factual and scientific understanding of the world. In a very good article/interview at Strange Horizons () Makumbi says this duality is very much a Ugandan way of living, and is intended in her novel.
I definitely recommend the article because there are layers of the story that weren’t obvious to me, especially regarding some of the names. But there are so many fascinating characters and stories that missing some of the Biblical implications (Ham threads throughout) still leaves you with a page turner that is also a complex and thought-provoking look at Uganda in which the colonial legacy is present, but not the plot driver. There are no white characters, and the range of Ugandans (from several different branches of the Kintu clan that defines the reach of the plots) crosses all kinds of income, belief, and traditional/Western outlooks.
There are real threats and violence at times (e.g. AIDS and crime, mental illness), and echoes of Idi Amin, but the book focuses more on personal development and relationships.
This is one I’m going to recommend to lots of people. It can draw readers in with the family (really clan) saga structure, and then reveal the complexity of a culture that straddles two traditions. For me, it was a page-turner. Kudos to Transit Press for publishing it.
Also, I found I wanted some (historical and modern) geography as I was reading, especially the first, historical section. I purchased a handy sized reference book online very reasonably (used), that will come in handy for other African literature: The History Atlas of Africa, by Samuel Kasule, MacMillan.
August 12, 2017
What a sprawling work of fiction laced with history! My favorite thing about this story is honestly the history. It's a bit more mythical than I'd expected, but I am fascinated anew by heritage. Kintu left me wishing I could trace my own lineage and return to the places my ancestors began in the 1700's.
When Kintu accidentally kills his adopted son, a curse is unleashed on his entire lineage. The curse manifests mostly as mental illnesses. This is concerning to me because obviously this is part of the reason why a large part of the African population thinks mental illness is anything other than illness. The whole curse layer of the story did not sit right with me because everyone now knows mental illnesses are genetic, "curse" or not.
However the author weaves a compelling tale of family and the importance of staying together even when families scatter across the globe. I thoroughly enjoyed learning so much about Uganda. I liked the use of indigenous language, even though it's a bit disconcerting at first to keep reading words you don't understand here and there. You get used to it.
The Kintu family tree is massive and it can be hard to keep track of family members but I just focused on remembering those whose stories mattered. At the end, there's a good tying together of the entire tale. Solid work here. Cannot wait to read more African literature that is full of history.
When Kintu accidentally kills his adopted son, a curse is unleashed on his entire lineage. The curse manifests mostly as mental illnesses. This is concerning to me because obviously this is part of the reason why a large part of the African population thinks mental illness is anything other than illness. The whole curse layer of the story did not sit right with me because everyone now knows mental illnesses are genetic, "curse" or not.
However the author weaves a compelling tale of family and the importance of staying together even when families scatter across the globe. I thoroughly enjoyed learning so much about Uganda. I liked the use of indigenous language, even though it's a bit disconcerting at first to keep reading words you don't understand here and there. You get used to it.
The Kintu family tree is massive and it can be hard to keep track of family members but I just focused on remembering those whose stories mattered. At the end, there's a good tying together of the entire tale. Solid work here. Cannot wait to read more African literature that is full of history.
August 6, 2023
There is something about historical fictions🤌🏾 this one didn’t disappoint. The author explores so many themes in this book, from generational polygamy, generational curses, twins in the lineage, religion, incest, rebuilding were some of the topics covered in the book. As I was going through the book, it made me reflect to a lot of stories that I have heard growing up as a child from families that were known to having curses and needed to have yearly rituals so that they sacrifice to suppress the curse that is in the family for many years. At some point, some scenes felt creepy though cos of the borderline witchcraft or the curses that the Kintu clan/lineage had.🤷♀�
It was heartbreaking that even at the end when the Kintu clan had the homecoming and had rituals to break the curse that had been on the family for years, they still experienced some loss and uncovered more family secrets.🤔
There were a lot of wisdom and quotes in the book but this one I liked more:
“If a man cannot be sure of his sons except by the word of woman, then a daughter’s children are more reliable. Do you see how tradition shoots itself?�
It was heartbreaking that even at the end when the Kintu clan had the homecoming and had rituals to break the curse that had been on the family for years, they still experienced some loss and uncovered more family secrets.🤔
There were a lot of wisdom and quotes in the book but this one I liked more:
“If a man cannot be sure of his sons except by the word of woman, then a daughter’s children are more reliable. Do you see how tradition shoots itself?�
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