Commonwealth Writers Prize (Africa Short List) '... a masterly, artistic representation of the reality, contradictions, aspirations and problems of a post-colonial Kenyan community in Central Kenya.' Sunday Nation 'Mwangi... weaves a thread of humour through a fabric of tears. ... STRIVING FOR THE WIND (Baba Pesa) is an instructive exploration of the true nature of the human condition in rural Kenya and a fascinating appreciation of the foibles and vibrancy of the human soul.’ The Weekly Review |
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| THIS SITE |
| Baba Pesa hm books, 2007 248 pgs ISBN 978-0-9796476-3-5 |
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Baba Pesa
| Baba Pesa by Meja Mwangi |
| Tyrannical landowner, Baba Pesa, owns nearly all the prime farmland around, yet he covets the meagre plots of his poverty-stricken neighbours who barely scratch out an existence. Not content to be the wealthiest man in the land, the self-titled Father of Money sets out to bully them into selling and moving. Sadly for him, Baba Pesa is up against his son, Juda, a college dropout and self-proclaimed philosopher, who has elected himself a champion of the people, and taken to lecturing his fellow villagers on the greater values in life. |
| REVISED |
Mwangi’s keen eye for the drama and humor in
everyday rural life in Kenya shines throughout his work.
Striving for the Wind, set in the drought years of
the 1980s, contrasts a traditional farmer, who is
dependent on oxen for plowing, with a wealthy
neighbor whose imported tractor is incapacitated
during a global petrol crisis. While this novel is
suitable for young adults, it does not shy away from
some painful realities. It includes the seduction of a
young schoolgirl by a rich old man, and when the
young girl becomes pregnant, his son says that he
will marry her in his father’s place.
everyday rural life in Kenya shines throughout his work.
Striving for the Wind, set in the drought years of
the 1980s, contrasts a traditional farmer, who is
dependent on oxen for plowing, with a wealthy
neighbor whose imported tractor is incapacitated
during a global petrol crisis. While this novel is
suitable for young adults, it does not shy away from
some painful realities. It includes the seduction of a
young schoolgirl by a rich old man, and when the
young girl becomes pregnant, his son says that he
will marry her in his father’s place.
