‘To write you have to understand cultures and the world’
Digital illustration by Giovana Fleck for Global Voices.
When was the first time you interacted with other cultures beyond your geographic location?
The first time I experienced it was as a child, when I met Peter and Jane through Ladybird editions books. From there, I went to the series Goosebumps and Sweet Valley High, in which I met characters like Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield, on their journey of what it was like to be a teenager in the United States. Later, in school, Chinua Achebe would expand my vision of Africa with Everything falls apartin which I learned about the history of Okonkwo in Igboland and discovered the existence of pidgin.
On more than one occasion, books have been a portal through which I was able to discover or learn about new cultures. The first time I got on a long-distance bus to Uganda was in 2014. It was the first time I left Kenya, my native country, and it was when I understood that books had introduced me to so many human dynamics that the outside world It didn’t seem strange to me. He had seen the world through words.
There are places in the world with which I have come to build a very intimate bond and with which I identify, especially with regard to the different social, political and economic creations. Whether in Nigeria, with Stay with me of Adebayo, or with Panchiko of Min Jin Lee, which crosses Asia and America, or with Unbowed by Wangari Maathai, which clearly captures Kenya’s political history, the books have taken me to worlds of the past, present and future.
Understanding cultures and the world is a task that writers master masterfully. The enormous responsibility of publishing fiction and nonfiction in all its forms is no easy task. In my world, authors are geniuses who have the ability to create alternate universes in our minds. They can also represent cultures, address different themes and tell authoritatively stories that move us.
Faith Mwangi is a strategic communications specialist living in Nairobi, Kenya, and as an avid reader, she is also part of a book club called Books and Beyond. We talked on WhatsApp, he told me that each book offers him unique perspectives that allow him to explore the nuances and diversity of different societies. The literary journey he has taken has broadened his horizons, increased his empathy and challenged his own preconceptions, which has given him more insight into the complexity of human nature, something I agree with. OK.
Reading has always been a window into worlds beyond my immediate surroundings. As a Kenyan woman with a lifelong fascination for diverse cultures, my passion for books has deeply enriched my understanding of the vast tapestry of human experiences. I find myself particularly drawn to African authors whose narratives resonate with my own experiences, as well as those from distant lands whose lives and cultures are beautifully unfamiliar and sometimes surprisingly familiar.
Reading has always been a window to worlds beyond my immediate environment. As a Kenyan who has always been fascinated by diverse cultures, my passion for books has been crucial in enriching my ability to understand the wide range of human experiences. I have a fondness for African authors whose stories resonate both with my own experience and those from distant lands, whose lives and cultures are wonderfully unfamiliar to me and sometimes, incredibly, familiar too.
As our lives evolve, we try to find answers to how we got here. Books, whether fiction or non-fiction, and particularly in the African context, such as betrayal in the city by Francis Imbuga, Back home by Yaa Ghasi, and The river and the fountain by Margaret Ogola, have helped me understand the present and why some colonial legacies remain latent in our socioeconomic systems. At the same time, literature has also created a space of opportunities in which we can consciously draw inspiration and promote our own ideals, creating a story that is sustainable for future generations.
Each book allows you to see the world through the eyes of its authors, allowing you to witness their experiences. Abdi Latif, East Africa correspondent for The New York Times, told me over WhatsApp how books have been instrumental in helping him understand his own culture through authors of his ethnicity.
Books have not just made me appreciate other cultures, but also my own self, my surroundings, my family and friends. Sometimes, I could read books written by authors who share my own Somali background, and they are still able to teach me a lot more about my own culture. Nuruddin Farah for example in his book “Sweet and Sour Milk” published in 1980, explores the oppressive political regime in Somalia through the lens of twin brothers while Nadifa Mohamed investigates its roots through her semi-autobiographical book “Black Mamba Boy,” which looks at her father’s journey traversing Sudan, Egypt, Palestine and the Mediterranean. These two, among other Somali authors, have deepened my understanding of how there is a multiplicity of experiences within every culture, and that we need to appreciate all those experiences. That’s what the best books do: they help you navigate not just other people’s worlds but also the world you exist in.
Books have allowed me to appreciate other cultures, and also myself, my environment, my family and my friends. I can read books by Somali authors, and even if we come from the same background, they can always teach me something new about my own culture. Nuruddin Farah, for example, explores in his book Sweet and sour milk 1980 about Somalia’s oppressive political regime through the eyes of two twins, while Nadifa Mohamed investigates its roots through her semi-autobiographical book Black mamba boys, about his father’s journey when he had to cross Sudan, Egypt, Palestine and the Mediterranean. These and other Somali authors have helped me understand the range of experiences that exist in each culture, and how they all deserve to be appreciated. That’s what a good book does, it helps you navigate other people’s worlds, as well as your own.
Throughout life we have victories, but we also witness injustices, and these can be told through our own experiences and those of other people. Chimamanda Adichie, one of the most recognized African authors, describes this phenomenon in an interview for The Financial Times:
In thinking about war, nonfiction and fiction are equally important. The role of a fiction writer when it comes to the subject of war is to imaginatively mine emotion and feeling, and what I’m maybe going to call humanity. I think fiction should tell us how war felt and nonfiction should tell us what happened. I’m not sure I could’ve written Half of a Yellow Sun if I’d experienced the Nigerian Biafran war. I think I have the distance, not just of time, but not having directly experienced the war. And so, in some ways, I inherited memory.
When writing about war, fiction and nonfiction are equally important. Whoever writes fiction and addresses this topic has the mission of imaginatively capturing emotions and feelings or, as I like to call it, humanity. I think fiction should tell us what feelings that war evoked, and nonfiction should tell us what happened. If I had lived through the Nigerian Biafran war, I’m not sure I would have been able to write Half yellow sun. I think that not having experienced it directly gave me a certain distance, which is not only temporary. And so, in some way, I inherited the memory.
Whether it is to understand our history, human behavior, socio-economic and political structures or anything else, books always open up a world of knowledge.
Corazon Kisilu (@corriemwende) is a climate communication specialist based in Nairobi. When she is not working, Corrie takes refuge in a book or listens to the latest news from the world of basketball.
