Literary World: The unrelenting resolve of an upcoming author
By Gaylord Gitau, Ajabu Africa News, posted September 8, 2010
NAIROBI, Kenya. _Nelson Mandela, the statesman and icon of post-apartheid era never minced his words when he said that “the greatest glory of living lies not in never falling but rising every time you fall.”
This maxim literary befits Moraa Gitaa whose never-give-up attitude as an upcoming writer has transcended beyond a lonely, literal journey that has been dogged by mental blocks, joblessness, hostile local publishers and lately the unavailability of her book Crucible for Silver and Furnace for Gold in the local market. The book was published in Canada by Nsemia Inc In 2008.
Award and Short listing
Moraa’s unrelenting fight with the pen won her the inaugural National Book Development Council of Kenya’s Literary Award in the adult fiction category with her unpublished story From Shifting Sands to Deeper Dimensions in 2008. This short story has evolved into a full blown novel which is due for release in September this year titled Shifting sands.
Moraa Gitaa
Moraa says that there is no mountain that is insurmountable as long as the power of desire is at work in a being. This resolve has been authenticated by her nomination for this year’s inaugural Penguin Prize for African Writing in the Fiction Category. It is an initiative of Penguin Books – South Africa.
The shortlisted authors for the Fiction Category include big names in the literary world like Ellen Aaku (Zambia), Chike Ezeanya (Nigeria), Shubnum Khan (South Africa), Isabella Morris (South Africa) and Mukoma wa Ngugi (son of the legendary Kenyan writer Ngugi wa Thiong’o).
This award seeks to highlight writing talent on the African continent and make new African fiction and non-fiction available to a wider readership. One outstanding criterion for entry among others was that the novels should have carried freshness and originality that represent the finest examples of contemporary fiction of Africa.
That the submissions should have been previously unpublished works of generally between 60,000 and 100,000 words. The titles of these unpublished novels have been embargoed for copyright reasons. Winners were announced on Saturday 4th September 2010. The prize in each category (Fiction and Non-fiction) was 50,000 SAR and a publishing contract with Penguin Books South Africa, with worldwide distribution via Penguin Group companies. It is therefore no mean achievement for Moraa to have been shortlisted out of over 250 submissions, even though she did not scoop the top award this time.
Debut Novel
In her debut novel with its metaphorical title, Crucible for Silver and Furnace for Gold, one does not fail to indirectly see the analogy of the modern day pains, tribulations and a hopeful ending vis-á-vis the travails of the patriarchs of old like Job according to the writing of the holy writ. Hence the title is biblical but there’s nothing biblical about it.
This narrative renders the subject of HIV/AIDS as a painful reality in the lives of every segment of society. It is a narrative that addresses issues like stigma towards the infected, gender relations in the era of HIV/AIDS and untold pains. Thus HIV/AIDS is a sensitive issue shrouded in secrecy, silence, stigma and counter-accusations. Moraa discretely uses the novel as a tool of fighting stigma and other prejudice that come with HIV/AIDS.
The story is about love enduring hardship and hopelessness. It’s a romantic love story that pits genuine concerns of trust, fear and loneliness on side A of life through the chief protagonist Lavina Kante against the power of love and determination for survival on side B offered by Giorgio the Italian. Lavina Kante, an African woman who is a lost soul plagued by betrayal and ostracised by her family decides to commit suicide but receives a new lease of life by a twist of fate when she is rescued by Giorgio the Italian engineer and real estate developer from the waters of the Indian Ocean in Malindi.
Theirs develops into the archetypal of “when-the-road-meets-the-rubber” kind of love. Giorgio is on a mission to reinvent himself and make the best of life even as Lavina is at pains to shed the tag of discrimination. Giorgio and Lavina are more than eager to fight stigmatism to the end against all the challenges which include the resistance from the locals who oppose a proposal to build a bridge by Giorgio.
Even with creating awareness programmes, counselling and increasing the opportunities for the HIV/AIDS infected, fears about family rejection, loss of jobs and public shunning impedes the effectiveness of prevention and care efforts. Therefore Giorgio’s commitment to start a family with Lavina while she is HIV positive is an emerging challenge when few people would dare remain in such a relationship. It’s a challenge to all the stakeholders to demystify the illness by facing the monster head on with facts and effects which will go a long way in changing social behaviour.
Theme of Interracial Relationships
The theme of interracial/tribal relationships in a country that was divided along tribal lines in the colonial days is well articulated in the text with Giorgio the Italian’s love affair with Lavina Kante an African woman. It’s a major challenge in Kenya today with ethnicity posing a major threat to existing and planned inter-tribal marriages.
Travel Guide and Branding Tool
The book can also double as a travel guide, a branding tool for Kenya as a tourist destination. Set at the Kenyan coast, Gitaa’s text takes us through the beautiful landscapes with her elaborate, descriptive style of writing. The vivid description of the Kaya forest, Mombasa’s rich traditions, its culture and renowned history makes the coast a real tourist destination.
Paradigm Shift
As an upcoming female author, Moraa epitomises the paradigm shift in contemporary African writing which is going through globalisation. Today the African writer comes in three faces; the African at home, the African in the Diaspora and the naturalized African. She has proved experimentally that the African story is no longer a story that pits rural life against the urban. With liberalisation, culture and information flowing across countries and continents, a change is inevitable!
Hats off for Moraa for experimenting with an emerging theme, like the inter-racial relationships.
The Inciting Incident and the Plot
On a critical note, Moraa would have beefed up the inciting incident (where Lavina is rejected by her family) with an extra dose of suspense to give this beautiful text more complexity. What about having Lavina bear ‘Atieno’ or ‘Wanjiku’ as her second name to give the theme of inter-racial relationships more distinction and identification with the Kenyan audience?
The End
Even as we rally behind Moraa in her quest to win the Penguin Prize, Crucible for Silver and Furnace for Gold remains a voice of hope to all people infected with HIV/AIDS. It’s a relief that Lavina did not die of Aids like Lebo in the short story Did You Know Lebo? by Wame Molefhe of Botswana; which appeared in British Council’s Crossing Borders Magazine: “Her best friend was dead and buried. They said a short illness killed Lebo. Sethunya was relieved she had been spared having to bury Lebo.”
By Gaylord Njui Gitau who is the author of “The Rough Affair and Other Stories” and works at UNDP Kenya. He can be reached by email at : g.gitau@ajabumedia.com
