Bøger af Meja Mwangi

Dusman Gonzaga lives in a squalid apartment with a lot of hungry cockroaches. His neighbours, a mix of garbage men, hawkers, witch doctors, fraudsters, wise men and mad men, all think he is insane when he asks them to join his revolt against rent increase. In revenge, Dusman quietly signs them up for the petition he takes to the rent tribunal. The Cockroach Dance is the tale of one man's resistance to despair and wretchedness. 'Meja Mwangi spins a fascinating tale of one man's revolt against exploitation'. The Daily Nation

Happy Valley is dismayed when the future chief's wife gives birth to a blond, green-eyed white boy, since old African wisdom says that a farmer who plants black beans, does not expect to harvest white beans. But the only white man for miles around is an old Catholic priest, too old to be the boy's father. Still he is not above suspicion, when gossip, intrigue and superstitions fly across Happy Valley threatening to derail the new chief's rise to the throne.Meanwhile ... the sequal "The Insect Woman" -A white couple lost in the African savannah arrives at a border post with a newly born black baby that they cannot explain to the incorruptible, black customs officer. They are detained under suspicion of child smuggling.While waiting for detectives to arrive from the capital, many hundreds of miles away, the customs officer, his wife and his prisoners get talking and realise a common humanity, black and white, that supersedes race or origin, and they forge a bond as close as family.

Through fiction, the world described in Weapon of Hunger has a definite locale in the African continent held at ransom by multitudes of problems, partly self-inflicted, partly caused by the ravages of nature.In this novel Meja Mwangi brings these problems to world attention in a manner that never declines to apathy yet the skill captivates. Weapon of Hunger is an engrossing piece that takes us to this dehumanised land of want.Mwangi's treatment of the serious situation makes an unforgettable impact.

The Mzungu Boy is a work of fiction that takes place in Kenya, Africa, in the early 1950s. At that time the country, a British colony, was faced with an uprising that became known as the Mau Mau Rebellion. Much of Kenya, including the best farmland, was in the hands of European settlers. At best, native Kenyans were allowed to work on the land as tenant farmers, under exploitative and demeaning conditions. The rebels wanted the white settlers to leave the country so native Africans could have their independence. As the uprising gained momentum, British rulers declared a state of emergency. Troops set out to arrest Mau Mau leaders, and rebel groups took to hiding in the forests.

Hope is reborn in spring in Ohio. That is what she says to make him stay and be hers for always. He drops his plans to flee a life of despair, find a warmer place, reinvent himself and start afresh. He suspends his dream and stays to see what spring will bring. His rebirth begins with a dead-of-night visit from friends of friends of his friend, and they are not good people. But they teach him a hard lesson - "In Ohio, nobody goes from being nobody to being somebody in one spring".

Rafiki, an out-of-luck musician, turned bounty hunter and debt collector, volunteers to help a failing shopkeeper find his debtors and collect the money they owe him. However, the mile long list of loan defaulters comprises of the town's poorest residents, many of whom have changed their residences, their names and identities and gone underground. Others will not part with the goods they got on credit, and will defend them with their lives. Moreover, Rafiki's friends, and relatives are on the list, and so is the Chief, and he has the power to arrest and detain Rafiki without trial.

When men realise they have sinned handing control to their wives, there is unease in Kambi Town. The wives close all the bars in town leaving men sober and confused. Panic takes hold, when they see they have to improvise to survive the first ever sober Christmas. In this humorous tale, Meja Mwangi resurrects Kambi Town's tough men and their tougher women. Mwangi's eye for drama and humor in everyday rural Kenya shines through his work.

Men would talk, as men do, about love and money and power and politics and, acting learned, they would try to outdo one another with their knowledge and their understanding of the political realities and the absurd policies, that bred hate and poverty and genocides. They would ask themselves and one another questions that were often impossible to understand and even harder to answer. Did bad politics breed poverty or did poverty breed bad politics? Opinions were many and varied. Friends argued and sometimes came to blows over their views.

Meja and Maina arrive in the city confident their high school diplomas will lead to employment and a better life. However, they are unable to find jobs and end up living in the streets, among other unemployed and homeless youth. Brutally separated, they meet later behind prison bars.This novel displays Mwangi's talent for writing lively stories depicting societal problems in Kenya.

After an exhausting day of hard labour, Ben finds oblivion in the seedy bars and clubs of River Road - anything to leave his cockroach-infested rooms and ignore the reality of living paycheck to paycheck. At times, it's difficult to remember that it wasn't always this way. Somehow, he went from a promising career as a soldier to a disgraceful dismissal and a steady decline into poverty. Now the only thing Ben has left to lose is hope.Writing with colourful realism, Meja Mwangi paints an unforgettable depiction of life in Nairobi's slums - drawing attention to the hardships of the working poor and their disillusion with uncaring politicians.'[Mwangi is] among the leading Kenyan writers.' New York Times 'Riveting.' Guardian 'The finest African novel ever.' Professor Ibrahim Bello Kano