Focus Area – Africa; Focus Country – Kenya
Kenyan author Peter Kimani’s novel titled, ‘Dance of the Jakaranda’ was one of the most notable books of 2017. As one of the leading young African writers, Kimani has worked as a journalist and has produced several works of fiction and poetry. He was one of the only three international poets commissioned by National Public Radio to compose and present a poem to mark Barack Obama’s inauguration in January 2009. This novel is his third venture, following Before The Rooster Crows and Upside Down.
This novel traces the colonial past of the writer’s country and as he takes the readers back and forth in time, his talent in historical fiction shines through. Through four protagonists, he takes the narrative forward, charting through different cultures: British, Kenyan and Indian. The novel begins with the setting of a train where two central characters are introduced: Ian McDonald, the colonial administrator, and Richard Turnbull, a preacher who closely guards some secrets. The other two characters, Babu, an Indian technician and his grandson, Rajan complete the multiracial cast imagined by Kimani. With globalization becoming a reality with its benefits and disadvantages, Kimani’s voice is powerful and endearing at the same time. He mixes wit and humour very beautifully in this novel, while retaining the seriousness of the social issues facing the current generation of Africans.
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