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marjolina's review against another edition
4.0
“The story of Kibogo was a children’s fairytale. Even the last diehard pagans no longer believed in it. Or rather, had forgotten it. It was one of those pagan tales that the padri had decreed should be expunged. And yet, certain priests jotted it down in their notebooks.”
From: Kibogo by Scholastique Mukasonga
This was a beautiful story about stories and I won’t be able to this book justice in this short review. It is about how stories are influenced by the personal experience, baggage and interpretation of the teller but also by the aspiration to entertain the listener/reader.
“You need stories for every kind of ear”
Mukasonga’s writing beautifully creates a setting where she portrays this sad part in the history of Rwanda where colonialism and Christianity are forcing out Rwanda’s own cultural heritage. She shows that oral history is the only way for those stories to survive.
I hated reading about the Bazungu (white people) forcing Rwandan people to let go of their own beliefs and rituals, and to grow crops that would fail during a famine and even the good intentioned researchers have such an arrogant way of approaching the Rwandan people. L Mukasonga writes about all this in a light and often funny way while still perfectly conveying the horridness of it.
From: Kibogo by Scholastique Mukasonga
This was a beautiful story about stories and I won’t be able to this book justice in this short review. It is about how stories are influenced by the personal experience, baggage and interpretation of the teller but also by the aspiration to entertain the listener/reader.
“You need stories for every kind of ear”
Mukasonga’s writing beautifully creates a setting where she portrays this sad part in the history of Rwanda where colonialism and Christianity are forcing out Rwanda’s own cultural heritage. She shows that oral history is the only way for those stories to survive.
I hated reading about the Bazungu (white people) forcing Rwandan people to let go of their own beliefs and rituals, and to grow crops that would fail during a famine and even the good intentioned researchers have such an arrogant way of approaching the Rwandan people. L Mukasonga writes about all this in a light and often funny way while still perfectly conveying the horridness of it.
dukegregory's review against another edition
4.0
Ironically witty beyond the other Mukasonga works I've read. Not as emotionally investing due to its distancing tactics (and almost mythic/oral narrative qualities), but Mukasonga's thematic depth is totally present. The Kibogo mythology fosters various stories which collide with colonial missionaries, leading to the convergence of local Rwandan history and Catholic encroachment, and then, in some characters' hybrid martyr ideology encapsulating both Kibogo and Jesus, lines blur as time goes on and stories merge, are revised, and completely rewritten to appeal to the white academic gaze. Trying to perceive history through an academic gaze (historical materialist, structuralist, anthropological, etc.) leads to wanting new narratives to fulfill pre-ordained archetypes. And the Kibogo narrative at the heart of the novel is somehow both distorted beyond belief yet remains essential to the core of the community depicted. There are also nods to neocolonial expectations in tourism (dress up and perform like ye old tribal drummers to bring tourists in, like in This Mournable Body by Tsitsi Dangarembga). It's like if Audrey Magee's The Colony actually had an original perspective to offer.
hashtag_alison's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
3.5
jaiminh0's review against another edition
challenging
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
istaisa's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry and Colonisation
kateofmind's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
andy_acid's review against another edition
reflective
3.5
This collection offers a fascinating exploration of Rwandan cultural erasure amidst long-running natural disasters. While the concept of post-coloniality presented here primarily focuses on cultural homogeneity, rather than offering the best insight, the book itself serves as a poignant reflection on the tragedy of lost myths within Rwandan culture
3.5/5
3.5/5
emelini's review against another edition
3.0
This was one of those books where I knew it was GOOD and I did enjoy it, but sometimes I had to convince myself to pick it up and keep reading.
I feel like I need to re-read it to really appreciate the story.
I feel like I need to re-read it to really appreciate the story.
unhingedreader's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25