A powerful YA story about accepting others and ourselves
We are introduced to 14 year old Tumi, who is struggling with his identity and the aftermath of a, as yet unknown, traumatic event. Tumi, nicknamed 'Mrunga' by his swim team mates due to his albinism, is desperate to gain a place on the national swim team in the hope that others will see there is more to him than just his skin colour.
Tumi lives with his protective big brother, Mkoma in Harare, Zimbabwe and is sometimes cared for by Saru, who has a toddler, Noku with Mkoma.
The story builds slowly, focusing on Tumi with his usual 14 year old concerns and interests, with just hints of the event in his past that has clearly impacted both him and Mkoma. Then there is an emergency, both adults need to be away from home, so it decided the children will both go to stay with Tumi's Ambuya.
Tumi is extremely upset by this, Ambuya has scars and a half overheard conversation between Mkoma and Saru told Tumi some scary half-facts about his Ambuya, this has become entangled in Tumi mind with his own trauma – because it is true? or in that way things can, for children, when all they know are half truths and are scared?
Despite his best efforts to evade going to Ambuya's 1) Because he is terrified of Ambuya and 2) He will miss swim practices. Tumi has to go. Whilst packing he discovers a series of numbered letters in one of his brothers bags and secretes them into his own bag to read.
These letters were sent from Ambuya to Mkoma and include extracts of her diary from March 1975 – Feb 1977, during the end stage of the Rhodesian Bush War.
At this point the story then switches between Tumi in the present day and his Ambuya, Thandie, living in pre-independent Zimbabwe working for a white family but also supporting the guerrillas 'comrades' with the war effort. Both of their pasts unfold and the story moves at a good pace. Thandie's diary documents the blatant racism of the times, how her life was in danger purely because of her skin colour. This contrasts with Tumis' own experiences of people responding to his skin colour which ranges from ignorance and lack of awareness through to the horrific consequences of cultural misconceptions and superstitions around albinism. One particular line is truly heart breaking, after meeting another person who has albinism too, Tumi thinks; 'There's something about (removed) I don't like... There's something about him that makes me hate him a little. Its the way he reminds me of myself. Its the way his pale skin looks exactly like mine.' Demonstrating how cultural bias are internalised and are so unnecessarily damaging to anyone who doesn't conform, often naturally, to societal expectation and norms, whoever they are and wherever they grow up.
Thandies' experiences with her family, neighbours and comrades and the whites as a young black 'employee' (I use quotations as she is treated horrifically, has no rights at all and her 'employer' refuses to even use her given name) and the white missionaries are differing and complex.
As Tumi begins to understand more about his Ambuya, his fear towards her lessens, however it truly is a difficult truth to hear, which gives credence to the quote;
“The truth will set you free. But not until it is finished with you.” ― David Foster Wallace, Infinite Jest
Tumi meanwhile is dealing with more immediate difficulties which cause him to evaluate how he views himself as a person and decide how he will act and continue to respond in the face of discrimination to himself and others like him.
Overall this book grapples with the struggle to be true to your own values and love yourself when you are surrounded by other strong pressures and influences. It is an excellent book for young people and I wish there had been more like this around when I was younger, for me to have broadened my world-view and for others, coming from the same background as the author to see themselves in literature.
Tumi lives with his protective big brother, Mkoma in Harare, Zimbabwe and is sometimes cared for by Saru, who has a toddler, Noku with Mkoma.
The story builds slowly, focusing on Tumi with his usual 14 year old concerns and interests, with just hints of the event in his past that has clearly impacted both him and Mkoma. Then there is an emergency, both adults need to be away from home, so it decided the children will both go to stay with Tumi's Ambuya.
Tumi is extremely upset by this, Ambuya has scars and a half overheard conversation between Mkoma and Saru told Tumi some scary half-facts about his Ambuya, this has become entangled in Tumi mind with his own trauma – because it is true? or in that way things can, for children, when all they know are half truths and are scared?
Despite his best efforts to evade going to Ambuya's 1) Because he is terrified of Ambuya and 2) He will miss swim practices. Tumi has to go. Whilst packing he discovers a series of numbered letters in one of his brothers bags and secretes them into his own bag to read.
These letters were sent from Ambuya to Mkoma and include extracts of her diary from March 1975 – Feb 1977, during the end stage of the Rhodesian Bush War.
At this point the story then switches between Tumi in the present day and his Ambuya, Thandie, living in pre-independent Zimbabwe working for a white family but also supporting the guerrillas 'comrades' with the war effort. Both of their pasts unfold and the story moves at a good pace. Thandie's diary documents the blatant racism of the times, how her life was in danger purely because of her skin colour. This contrasts with Tumis' own experiences of people responding to his skin colour which ranges from ignorance and lack of awareness through to the horrific consequences of cultural misconceptions and superstitions around albinism. One particular line is truly heart breaking, after meeting another person who has albinism too, Tumi thinks; 'There's something about (removed) I don't like... There's something about him that makes me hate him a little. Its the way he reminds me of myself. Its the way his pale skin looks exactly like mine.' Demonstrating how cultural bias are internalised and are so unnecessarily damaging to anyone who doesn't conform, often naturally, to societal expectation and norms, whoever they are and wherever they grow up.
Thandies' experiences with her family, neighbours and comrades and the whites as a young black 'employee' (I use quotations as she is treated horrifically, has no rights at all and her 'employer' refuses to even use her given name) and the white missionaries are differing and complex.
As Tumi begins to understand more about his Ambuya, his fear towards her lessens, however it truly is a difficult truth to hear, which gives credence to the quote;
“The truth will set you free. But not until it is finished with you.” ― David Foster Wallace, Infinite Jest
Tumi meanwhile is dealing with more immediate difficulties which cause him to evaluate how he views himself as a person and decide how he will act and continue to respond in the face of discrimination to himself and others like him.
Overall this book grapples with the struggle to be true to your own values and love yourself when you are surrounded by other strong pressures and influences. It is an excellent book for young people and I wish there had been more like this around when I was younger, for me to have broadened my world-view and for others, coming from the same background as the author to see themselves in literature.