Kibogo

FINALIST FOR THE 2022 NATIONAL BOOK AWARDA new masterwork of satire, lore, and living memory from the leading voice of French-Rwandan literature“Mukasonga breathes upon a vanished world and brings it to life in all its sparkling multifariousness”  --J.M. CoetzeeIn four beautifully woven parts, Mukasonga spins a marvelous recounting of the clash between ancient Rwandan beliefs and the missionaries determined to replace them with European Christianity.When a rogue priest is defrocked for fusing the gospels with the martyrdom of Kibogo, a fierce clash of cults ensues. Swirling with the heady smell of wet earth and flashes of acerbic humor, Mukasonga brings to life the vital mythologies that imbue the Rwandan spirit. In doing so, she gives us a tale of disarming simplicity and profound universal truth.Kibogo’s story is reserved for the evening’s end when women sit around a fire drinking honeyed brew when just a few are able to stave off sleep. With heads nodding, drifting into the mist of