Novel
Mafuta
Not translated into English
Katama Mkangi · 1984
Synopsis
In an imaginary society, the Wateule, the elect, hold the upper hand; to enter their ranks, one must acquire the mafuta, the oil, and flee water, which ruins it. Whoever has no oil has no right to resources or power, not even to the bed reserved for the privileged. At the very bottom, Matope lives in the mud and rummages through a rich family's rubbish bin. Ti, a young woman born among the elect, turns away from them; when Mtue is placed in detention, she goes in search of his people to warn them, and those below put her through trials before trusting her.
Context
Published by Heinemann in Nairobi, it is the second of the author's three novels, between a first book of 1975 and an allegory of anticipation of 1995. Swahili studies read in it a critique of the separation of classes: oil and water stand for lies and truth, and the doctrine of luck and destiny serves the privileged to keep the poor in their condition. The book sketches in counterpoint the utopia of an egalitarian society and makes youth the force of change.
Who it is for
For those who like political fables and social satire, in an African language rich in imagery.
Prizes and reception
The subject of numerous studies in Swahili, it foreshadows the 1995 allegory, translated into English in 2026.
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