Kibogo

Longlisted for The National Book Critics Circle Awards for BarriosBooks in Translation Prize. In four beautifully woven parts, Mukasonga spins a marvellous recounting of the clash betweenancient Rwandan beliefs and the missionaries determined to replace them with European Christianity. When a rogue priest is defrocked for fusing the gospels with the martyrdom of Kibogo, a fierceclash of cults ensues. Swirling with the heady smell of wet earth and flashes of acerbic humour,Mukasonga brings to life the vital mythologies that imbue the Rwandan spirit. In doing so, shegives us a tale of disarming simplicity and profound universal truth. Kibogo's story is reserved for the evening's end, when women sit around a fire drinking honeyedbrew, when just a few are able to stave off sleep. With heads nodding, drifting into the mist of adream, one faithful storyteller will weave the old legends of the hillside, stories which churchmissionaries havedone everything in their power to expunge.