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Colour of the Skunk
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The late Wilson Lwandhle Magadhla served in the South African Police Force at the peak of the struggle against the apartheid regime. Even as he remained true to his profession of policing, his heart remained with the freedom fighters; he yearned for a country underlined by equality before the law. Merit, he felt, should be the basis of judging persons rather than the colour of their skin.
Drawing suspicion from both sides of the struggle, the good soldier soldiered on, balancing between loyalty to his people and the profession of keeping law and order.
So what were the conditions like in policing during the years of apartheid? What was life like for a black police officer serving under the authority of one of the most repressive and detested regimes in the world? How did black policemen balance between the need for liberation from the oppressive order of apartheid and their duty to do law enforcement?
Following the fall of the apartheid regime, the author went on to serve in Truth & Reconciliation Commission (TRC) that was chaired by the Reverend Desmond Tutu. Magadhla was the head of the Special Investigative Section of the commission.
Published posthumously, The Colour of the Skunk is a book for historical records, providing an insider’s account of working in government founded racial discrimination
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The Blissabyss
The Blissabyss depicts the contradictions inherent in human life and its vulnerability to negative trajectories. Save for Nancy, Eugene, Fresha, and Brenda are idealistic in their youth. As they mature, they come to terms with a world with little room for ideals. Driven by ambition to succeed, Eugene reveals his plans to everyone only to encounter many obstacles on his journey to success. When his brother, Soita attempts to murder him, Eugene comes to terms with his delusions about being strong. Deprived of love and family, his tethers to idealism snap, and he drinks and spends in Nancy’s room contradicting his moral principles. After a fantastic love affair with Frank, Fresha loses her chastity. Eugene would have continued in his chosen destructive path without Professor Mukabi’s intervention. The author’s message: a supportive social environment is the sole prescription to mitigate the weaknesses ingrained in human nature.
What Others Say
“The characters in The Blissabyss represent a society at a crossroads with individuals seeking to find their feet and place in the face of shifting identities and generational transformations. Their interactions and experiences at the university cast aspersions on their long-held beliefs and open them to new vistas of a future that are substantially different from what they have been made to believe. These young characters act as a link betweewn the age-old beliefs and the future possibilities which need a sincere and rational engagement devoid of misconceptions and half-truths. This they do with varying degrees of success.” - Dr Maurice S Mwichuli, Lecturer, Literary Studies, Kenyatta University
“In The Blissabyss, Andrew Nyongesa uses elegant, contemplative language with a mix of poetic imagery and emotional depth. The text is rich and expressive creating vivid images of the settings. The description helps the readers to visualize the characters’ inner worlds and their interactions.” - Juliet Achieng’, Editor, Nsemia Inc.
Three Things You Must Desire in Life
In Three Things you Must Desire Bishop Augustine Rugutt provides some guiding principles to enable humankind lead fruitful spiritual lives. Much as she is driven by her infinite range of desires, Bishop Rugutt argues that what is vital is what God desires of humankind. As such, it is humankind’s duty to understand what God desires of her and, to do so, she must develop a strong spiritual relationship with the Lord. Being right with God is essential, the author avers, for it offers the basis for all other relations to be right with the rest of society.
Bishop Rugutt identifies three important desires which he suggests will enhance the relationship with God and enrich the lives on this earth, namely: the Desire to Live in Righteousness, the Desire to have a Godly Family and the Desire to Prosper in God’s Way.
The Desire to Live in Righteousness is a consequence of humankind’s need for spiritual power to do what is virtuous in society. To be righteous requires seeking God continuously even in the face of challenges and distractions.
Desire to have a Godly Family recognizes that a family with a strong spiritual foundation is essential for humankind to thrive spiritually. It is thus important that families live in righteousness and godliness, starting this early in the lives of children.
The author’s view of prosperity is broad and he suggests that pursuit for prosperity should be based on addressing the needs of society and be spiritual in itself, and hence the Desire to Prosper in God’s Way.
What others say
“This is a book worth reading and keeping in one’s library because it is written to help one to grow in godliness.” - Prof. Eric Masinde Aseka, Professor of Leadership and Governance and Senior Pastor.
“The author makes a persuasive argument that, as much as our desires may be infinite, what really matters is what God desires of us. This is a timely message, especially coming at a time of global turmoil and many personal challenges.” – Matunda Nyanchama, Book Publisher
About the Author
Bishop Augustine Rugutt, a Pastor by calling, is a trained agricultural engineer, a profession which he practised for many years. He served the government of Kenya for thirteen years until 2006 when he left to dedicate his time to the ministry of serving God.
He is the husband of Nancy Rugutt and father of Faith Chelangat, Mercy Cherotich, Caren Cherono, Nehemiah Rugutt, Salome Chemngetich and Joshua Kiprono. Bishop Rugutt is a spiritual father to many.
Based in Narok Town, Kenya, he serves
Moody Mood and the Red Round Ball
Chasing Ethnic Shadows
This is a gripping political story featuring two tribes; the Bandalo and Waleki communities in the wake of a political turmoil in a young African country.
When Adena, a young woman who works her way through formal schooling and Munara, a police officer of high moral standing meet and fall in love, theirs is a thrilling love story. Amidst fights, lootings and violence, their worlds are fused into one.
From two opposing ethnic communities, a glaring age gap, an intimidating class difference; can love withstand the political tension? Can their story bridge the ethnic differences between their respective communities? Can it cure the country from chaos?
Sakagwa Ng’iti: A Kisii Prophet
Sakagwa Ng'iti exerted substantial influence on Gusii society and beyond in the latter part of the 1800s. He was many things: a medicine man, rainmaker, an unelected community strategist in dealing with raids from the warring Maasai and Kipsigis, and a prophet whose many prophecies have come to pass, according to those that keenly follow his story.
His death was mysterious, leaving many wondering what really happened. Did he, as some accounts claim, eventually settle among the Kipsigis? Was he carried away by chisokoro (ancestors) to join them in the netherworld as happened with Jesus of Nazareth? How come that his spiritual roles (seer, medicine man, and rainmaker) that ran in the family, waned and eventually died off?
Peter Okari Nyambasora's Sakagwa Ngi'ti, a Kisii Prophet provides some answers to these questions. It traces the emergence of Sakagwa as a prominent player in Gusii of his time, even as he had no formal power accorded by clan, tribe or lineage. Compiled from oral tales, one on one interviews with family members, and written works, the book provides the most authoritative account of Sakagwa yet written.
My Skinny Cow on an Anthill
My Skinny Cow, set in rural Seito which slowly urbanizes and brings a new order, is the captivating story of Asiago and Obiri from their youth to old age. The two work hard in school to become heroes and beacons of hope for the future of the community. The reader is taken through a rich cultural heritage, epitomized most vividly by the community’s wedding tradition, which leaves the reader yearning for more. Even with the old striving to preserve the life-long glorious cultural traditions of the people, modernity comes with a price. The emergence of an all-knowing clique of youth threatens the community’s future; what with disputes between the traditional local elite and the youth determined to have their way with the societal changes they desire.
Danger lucks either way: the rush to modernize at the expense of tradition and the desire to preserve tradition in the face of modernization. Which way for Seito? You, the reader, tell us!
What Others Say
“The novel demonstrates imagination and originality in league with the postmodernist canon, which upholds traditional cultures that are misconstrued by modernist views as peripheral and obsolete.” – Dr. Andrew Nyongesa, teacher, author, critic and literary scholar.
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Brief summary
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Brief summary
The Wretched Africans: A Study of Rabai and Freretown Slave Settlements.
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Brief Summary
A year ago, Sunny Nwazue, an American-born girl Nigerian girl, was inducted into the secret Leopard Society. As she began to develop her magical powers, Sunny learned that she had been chosen to lead a dangerous mission to avert an apocalypse, brought about by the terrifying masquerade, Ekwensu. Now, stronger, feistier, and a bit older, Sunny is studying with her mentor Sugar Cream and struggling to unlock the secrets in her strange Nsibidi book.
Eventually, Sunny knows she must confront her destiny. With the support of her Leopard Society friends, Orlu, Chichi, and Sasha, and of her spirit face, Anyanwu, she will travel through worlds both visible and invisible to the mysteries town of Osisi, where she will fight a climactic battle to save humanity.
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