Kibogo

"Official dogma is no match for the mercurial power of storytelling in Rwandan-French writer Scholastique Mukasonga s sly new novel Kibogo . . . Mischievous and satirical . . . The stories themselves are furtively retold and altered and added to across time, subsuming even their tellers as they demonstrate a life force and lifespan that mere mortals can t compete with."
--Sam Sacks, Wall Street Journal

"A searing tale of contending gods, religions, and economies in colonial Rwanda . . . As Mukasonga s story opens, a village subchief, bribed by a "Colonial" with a watch, a pair of sunglasses, a bottle of port wine, two jerry cans of gasoline, [and] a swath of fabric for his wife and daughters, rounds up the children to serve in the war effort against Germany by harvesting anti-malarial flowers. Other agents of change follow . . . Drought ensues, and with it the people starve, and with that they recall the old ways . . . Pensive and lyrical; a closely observed story of cultures in collision."
Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

"Complex and revelatory . . . Mukasonga complicates the blurry line between history and myth and critiques its relationship to colonialism. This speaks volumes to the power of storytelling."
--Publishers Weekly

"Kibogo is a rich novel about how real people and events are transformed into legends, and how those legends empower the marginalized."
--Eileen Gonzalez, Foreword Reviews

"Priests and village elders, small boys and wise women, saviors both earthly and heavenly, local chiefs and anthropologists populate this slim volume, drawing the reader into a world that is distant in both time and space, a world that is well worth visiting."
--Shara Kronmal, Chicago Review of Books

"A triumph . . . Biting and gloriously satirical, Mukasonga's novel shows how stories can wield a power that is greater than the sword, resisting ownership by any one person or power. It is a rich and hilarious work."
--Declan Fry, ABC News

"There may be a lot of tall tales in Kibogo, but there are others we know to be true: the exploitation of Rwanda by the white man during colonialism and beyond, and the battle between the white man s religion and Rwandan culture and beliefs. It is these truths that remain on our minds long after the fire dies down and the storytelling is done."
--Susi Wyss, Washington Independent Review of Books

"Powerful and playful . . . Seeded throughout with luminous poetic moments . . . Mukasonga adds a new layer to the canvas containing her vanished culture. Amid destruction there s confusion and manipulation, but there s also the power of myth and human resilience. With this book, Mukasonga looks into a very dark night and imagines distant stars containing beautiful possibilities."
--David Varno, Words Without Borders