'Love Bombs! with Karafu' a gift from TZ authors

By +Caroline Anande Uliwa

Nahida Esmail left cuts the tape to officially launch her book Karafu

The sanctified reason of painting the footsteps of East African youth, mouthing their desire, painting their perspectives; resting on the importance of telling our own African stories , is accomplished gracefully in the young adult novels ‘Love Bombs’ and ‘Karafu’.

At a Book Bazaar inside Soma Book Café recently in Dar es Salaam, literary lovers were gathered, where the author of ‘Love Bombs’ Mr Richard Mabala and the author of Karafu Ms Nahida Esmail, officially launched these books. It was a pleasure to sift through the pages of these works, here’s why.

‘Love Bombs!’ 

 Oh Marietta this brave, stubborn, drama queen of a teenager (no older than 15), had me laughing with my heart strings by her sleeve. Her naïve yet soulful antics lend this novel’s serious topics a down to earth ambience that is quiet riveting. “Have I killed someone? NO. So how did I get here? All I wanted was for Uncle and Auntie to be happy. No, that is not entirely true. I wanted them to think about ME. Yes ME.” Marietta inside ‘Love Bombs’ by R. Mabala.


In Love Bombs, Mr Mabala paints the landscape of modern middle class and working class families of Tanzania. While striding the fine line between advocacy and engaging fiction, by sharing characters that are neither saints nor heroes but whole human beings. Who bump into issues that anyone living in the region can pull from their own experience or those of their neighbors and thus relate.

“These mgambo (militia) people have no mercy. They just walk in, carry off your sufurias and leave you with nothing to find a way to start all over again. I am surprised they don’t all have big bellies the way they shamelessly confiscate and eat your food.”Marietta’s Mother inside Love Bombs by R. Mabala.

Mr Mabala has worked with children & youth for over 15 years, he is a renowned young adult author in the country with previous titles like ‘Mabala the farmer’, Hawa the Bus Driver and Run Free. “Whenever I’ve asked children what they’d like most from adults in their lives, all the time it’s not a big present, money or things that they mention. Rather they speak of being heard, supported and loved, they are the ones who inspired me to write this book.” R. Mabala speaking at the launch of his book Love Bombs.

Love Bombs follows Marietta’s antics to ensure her Uncle and Auntie who are her current guardians; don’t end up divorcing one another. She is convinced if this happens she will be tossed once again to another family and doesn’t think she can survive that. The book is a slow read at first but from a few chapters in you’re hooked as the pace takes off and soon you’ll wish Marietta & her kin live on beyond the last page.

Love Bombs  is a valid depict of our times, there’s something special about reading African literature, much like watching the big screens come alive with streets you frequent, characters that could be your own family & friends. Love Bomb is a healthy reminder that our footsteps matter.

Karafu

From left Godence Andrews (Editor at Mkuki), Nahida Esmail,
Nahida's relative & Fatma Akida (Mkuki Employee)

Nahida Esmail puts her big girl panties on when she wrote this novel, a historical drama set in the mid 1800’s. We’re on a boat from Salem heading for Zanzibar where we meet Samuel, a 14 year old boy. He is of African American descent and is there with Mr Wilson his European master; they’re both setting for Africa to discover the source of the river Nile.

Meanwhile we’re also introduced to another young teenager by the name Zainab; she is of Arab descent from Muscat but is born and raised in Zanzibar. Compared to Samuel who is a domestic worker for Mr Wilson, Zainab has enough ‘slaves’ at her beck and call with one even for her pet cat Simba.

Though Karafu is aimed for the young adults it can be enjoyed by any adult particularly from East Africa, for the plot puts breath in believable characters from our history. Zainab is the daughter of a wealthy businessman Mr Barwani, who has big ships and deals in the clove business among other things.

Samuel meets unexpected trouble when he lands in Africa for the first time; but it isn’t one with wild animals as he expected. Rather the wild deeds of men set in a period where slave trade is in full swing.

Standing is Mr Walter Bgoya Director of Mkuki na Nyota, sittng next to him
is Richard Mabala, Bgoya is giving his two cents inside a meet on the
topography of publishing fiction from his vast expereince in the field in
Tanzania 

Nahida does a great job of sharing the reality of the period with relevant landmarks, customs. “The domestic slaves would put a long cloth on poles to produce a makeshift curtain, to protect the womenfolk of the Barwani family from the eyes of the male slaves.”N. Esmail in Karafu

Though the book explores slavery there’s still plenty of humanity as the story is pushed by this curious 14 year old, that mingles with all manner of people. Including Feruzi a Nyamwezi slave who has his own small patch of land in Zanzibar, he helps Samuel in learning Kiswahili, there’s Mrs Ghazali who educates Samuel teaching him facts about slavery and the intricacies of the Arabic language.

Nahida is brave in peeling the veil of an East African past that is foul, through her book she will bring history alive to a demographic that may not be aware of the details of this past,  as the work is relatable with details that informs our interactions to date.“Mzee Barwani had decided that Jojoba could be his domestic slave, helping around the house as the short clove harvesting was coming to an end. Mzee Barwani knew Jojoba had a lot of potential…even rare were slaves who could read and write the Latin script.”-N. Esmail in Karafu.

Nahida Esmail (left) with Richard Mabala (right)
taking a photo with a reader of their latest books Miss Tendai 

Karafu is a good read in that you will keep turning the pages; still I noticed a few grammatical errors like the word ‘Karafuu which is spelled wrong as ‘karafu’. Similar mistakes could be found with spellings of ‘unguja’ misspelled as ‘unjuga’ however many of these were made in diary entries by the main character. Perhaps they were intentional as he was just learning ‘Kiswahili’.

All in the entire book is worthy of praise, for it’s not easy to write from a time one has not lived. The story is an inspiring plot of how one can overcome adversity in an impossible situation. Samuel the hero though having met a lot for his young age, he lives in the present and gives his all to his tasks and ultimately changes the hearts of those around him.
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Both Love Bombs! and Karafu are published by Mkuki na Nyota publishers they’re both finalists of the BuRT award for fiction. The books are available at TPH bookstore in Dar es Salaam otherwise you can order them with delivery online through http://www.mkukinanyota.com/

Photos are courtsey of Mkuki na Nyota Publishers & Soma Book Cafe