Barua Ndefu Kama Hii

Ramatoulaye, mwanamke Msenegali ameolewa na Modou, mtu mzito serikalini. Baada ya miaka mingi ya ndoa, Modou anaoa mke mwingine, msichana mdogo mwenye umri sawa na wa binti yake. Ramatoulaye anasahauliwa; pesa na mapenzi vinahamia kwa mke mdogo. Modou anakufa katika ajali ya gari. Nani atakayerithi mali za marehemu? Halafu kuna umati uliokuja kwenye kilio ambao “lazima ulishwe na upewe pesa kwa heshima ya marehemu”. Mariama Bâ, mwandishi wa riwaya hii, alikuwa wa kwanza kupewa tuzo ya NOMA mwaka 1980. Riwaya hii imetafsiriwa katika lugha 18 na umaarufu wake unazidi kukua.

The original publication was in French, Une si longue lettre; and this is the Swahili translation from the English, translated by the late Professor Maganga. Une si longue lettre is a classic of the African canon, winning the first NOMA Award for Publishing in Africa in 1980, and translated into 18 other languages.

About the author
Mariama Bâ was a novelist, teacher and feminist, active from 1979 to 1981 in Senegal, West Africa. Bâ’s source of determination and commitment to feminism were stemmed from her background, her parent’s life and her schooling. Indeed, her contribution is of absolute importance in modern African studies since she was among the first to illustrate the disadvantaged position of women in African society. Bâ’s work focused on the grandmother, the mother, the sister, the daughter, the cousin and the friend, how they all deserve the title “mother of Africa”, and how important they are for the society.

International availability:
This book is internationally distributed by African Books Collective