‘Ngewa sya mwaitu’

I have always been a reader until I went to school.

In school, I studied. I read books that I enjoyed but I needed to read if I wanted to perform well in school. My favorite classes in school were the literature classes; especially the Kiswahili literature classes. I loved Swahili literature so much that I broke school records on performance in Kiswahili. I listened to radio stations’ analyses of Kiswahili set books, and made fun of the characters with my siblings. I loved English literature too, but one awful English teacher I met in high school made me doubt whether I loved English Literature the way I did.

All through my education system I have read books, newspapers, and compositions from other students that have stuck in my head for so long. I have memorized lines from books and writers who have touched my world with their writing.

I joined academia because I love to read and write. But, last year during my master’s studies, an academic said to me (regarding reading)” Don’t waste your time reading and enjoying. Just find the information you need to quote and move on”. I found this useful in moving fast in my research, but I hate the fact that I couldn’t enjoy reading for the sake of.

So, earlier this year, I decided to read books. For leisure just as I always loved to in my younger years.

I chose African authors because I love the African style of writing. It mimics the African way of passing information to younger generations through storytelling. I often find this style packed with themes, characters, places, cultures, proverbs, and rules that are not a single story. It is almost as if millions of actions were existing in one place. I love the richness.

Here is a list of who I am reading:

I chose these Authors for obvious reasons. One, is because some of the authors are not just well-known and well-celebrated; they are remarkable writers.

Some of the authors are new to me but were recommended by friends I trust and internet influencers that I think have a taste in books.

I have already read three of the books and I am on my fourth. I do not just want to read; I want to write reviews and reflections about the books on the Blog. I am going to call it the Ngewa sya mwaitu; because that’s how far my creativity goes today.

Ngewa sya mwaitu is a Kamba phrase that means ‘stories of my grandmother’ because reading African books reminds me of when my grandmother would tell me stories about people and subjects that I enjoyed and would think of for years.

African authors African books book reviews books new site

Syonthi