ARTS & CULTURE
Book Club CAMBRIDGE EDITION FROM COMING-OF-AGE ADVENTURES TO SHADY BUSINESS DEALINGS, THERE’S SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE IN THIS COLLECTION OF MUST-READS
WORDS BY CHARLOTTE GRIFFITHS
The First Woman BY JENNIFER NANSUBUGA MAKUMBI
First published in 2020, but now rising in the charts through word-of-mouth recommendations, this sweeping coming- of-age story grips tightly from the start and will not let you go. We meet 12-year-old storyteller Kirabo in 1975, as she – like most almost-teenagers – is slowly becoming consumed with questions about the world around her. She’s surrounded by strong women and a close-knit family unit, headed by her beloved grandparents; but where is her real mother? What comes next for her growing up in Uganda, where many parties have strong opinions about how girls live their lives? And perhaps most confusingly, why does it sometimes feel like she slips from her body to soar above the room? She bravely decides to seek answers from Nsuuta, the blind ‘witch’ that lives in her village, who reveals that Kirabo’s second flying self is the manifestation of ‘woman’s original state’ – which was bred out over generations of self-contained wives and daughters. “We were not squeezed inside, we were huge, strong, bold, loud, proud, brave, independent. But it was too much for the world and they got rid of it,” explains Nsuuta. “However, occasionally that state is reborn in a girl like you… the first woman flies out of your body because it does not relate to the way this society is.” The novel slips effortlessly between the magical and the everyday, and sees characters wrestle with the conventions that determine so much of women’s lives in Uganda (and everywhere). We follow Kirabo’s quest for her mother to the big city, and life in her father’s compound with his second wife, then on to boarding
school, as her abilities open doors hitherto closed. She confides in Sio, her childhood friend who becomes a lover, testing his professed mwenkanonkano, or feminist beliefs – and gently pushes the boundaries of her cage by making choices wherever she can. Though her childhood flights are a distant memory, the presence of the ‘original state’ in Kirabo signals hope of change, for a future when women might finally understand kweluma – or why penned hens peck each other. As Nsuuta explains: “That is when oppressed people turn on each other or on themselves and bite. It is as a form of relief. If you cannot bite your oppressor, you bite yourself.” An exquisitely captivating, beautifully textural and unforgettable tale of feminist awakening, youthful rebellion and how to test the boundaries of your self-imposed cage: place The First Woman on the top of your own to-read pile, then buy copies for all your friends to help more women realise that pecking each other – though it might feel better short term – isn’t going to solve anything in the long run.
POPULAR OPINION With gorgeous prose, a mesmerising storyline and rave reviews, The First Woman – Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi’s third published work – was longlisted for the Diverse Book Awards 2021
CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK OCTOBER 2021 23
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