Dreams in the era of war

Author: Ngugi wa Thiong'o Category: Novel Publisher: Kalimat Dubai Cover type: Hardcover Number of pages: 235 Year of publication: 2023 Synopsis of the novel: Ngugi wa Thiong'o, in his childhood memoir "Dreams in a Time of War," provides an extensive glimpse into his childhood spent among many siblings and a father with four wives, who filled his imagination with stories, tales, and experiences. After living a life of cooperation and understanding, the father’s livestock, which was the backbone of his trade, was lost, and then a different, violent, and difficult personality took over, prompting Thiong'o’s mother to flee to her father’s house, after which Thiong'o and his brother were expelled from the house. This occurred at a time when the Kenyan people were resisting the British colonialists, who did not hesitate to use any weapon, especially education, to eliminate the Kenyan people's pride in their culture and resistance, leading to a state of emergency declared in the country from 1952 to 1959 to achieve this goal. With Thiong'o, we learn about the value of knowledge that colonialism deprived the Kenyan people of, and he reveals the origins of formal education and independent—rebellious—schools in Kenya. His dream, which he promised his mother he would spare no effort to achieve, was to learn. But how can a child cling to a dream amid the shadows of World War II and family crises? This childhood memoir serves as Thiong'o’s testimony defending his right to dream, at least, despite all the hardships, and highlights his mother’s significant role in his life, until he became one of the greatest African writers in the world.