Bøker av Christopher Okemwa

Ase Obotindiaro Bw'Oborimo (On the Podium of Lies) is a bilingual collection of poems that tackles current issues in Kenya, such as Politics and politicians, Politics of War, Nature and beauty, Love and marriage, Death and grief. The poems also explore the culture, beliefs and practices of the society where the poet hails from. The issue of ancestors and black-rootedness is highlighted and helps to place the poetry on the soil where it is written. Recent happenings around the world, such as Corona are also captured in this bilingual collection.*****Ase Obotindiaro Bw'Oborimo (On the Podium of Lies) n'egetabu kebwate emeino erikire ase emenwa y'Ekegusii n'Egesongo mono ekoringoria amang'ana y'oborai n'abarai, oborai ne chisegi, obwanchani n'enywomo, amakweri n'obororo. Emeino eyio nigo ekomoreka amang'ana y'obogima, obomenyi n'okwegena kw'abanto basobo omoriki. Ekamenta korigereria amang'ana y'echisokoro n'emeri y'obwegeni n'obomenyi bwabo. Ebinto biabeire ense ase engaki enke yaetire buna Enyamaa 'mbirikire imee aiga. Soma bwerorere.

Oral Poetry of the Abagusii of Kenya highlights characteristics of African oral traditions with a particular focus on the oral poetry of the Abagusii of Kenya. It shows that oral poetry in the Abagusii community covered every facet of life. The community's social-political and economic life, history, values, norms and customs were stored in the oral poetry, in addition to proverbs, riddles, and folktales. Notably, oral poetry coloured the entire life of Omogusii and was sung during birth, initiation, marriage, and death ceremonies. This book documents the oral poetry of the community in its original form, and in various versions that were practised or sung in different parts of the region inhabited by the community. Further, the book discusses the context in which this poetry was sung and explains some of the cultural practices, norms, and customs that surround or motivated the composition of the poetry. The advent of colonialism had a 'corrupting' influence on the original poetry, more so with the adoption of English words and phrases. This kind of poetry has not been left out. Aside from the general poetry the book also captures emeino, the Abagusii classical oral poetry. While general poetry utilized improvisation as a technique in its presentation and performance, classical poetry was a fixed form that demanded to be sung in its original form. Unlike the general poetry that, in its ephemerality, invited additions and subtractions from the text, classical poetry was permanent in text with no room for improvisation.

Like most cultural groups, the oral tradition of Abagusii People of Kenya is expressed in, among others, proverbs. These capture lessons and meaning, modulated by time and context as they are passed down generations. Like riddles and metaphors, proverbs express the wisdom of a culture and find apt applications in many situations. Christopher Okemwa's work documents some of the proverbs of Abagusii, their meaning, context in which they are used and application thereof. In this book proverbs are documented in the original form accompanied by English translations in addition to lessons they offer. Embedded in this collection are cultural aspects such beliefs and norms which touch on many aspects of Abagusii society. These aspects include relationships among people, communal life, gender matters, economic issues and many more. Here is what others say"Through careful transcription and translation of proverbs of Abagusii people of Kenya, Okemwa shares knowledge and cultural diversity as a wide range of themes and motifs recur hence multiplying meanings and implications. The proverbs explore both socio-political and socio-economic issues, in addition to fulfilling an aesthetic function." - Gladys Nyaiburi Ogaro, Mount. Kenya University "The uniqueness of this work lies in its use of Ekegusii language to impart culture of Abagusii on the reader through the imagery in proverbs. The advantage of 'hearing' Ekegusii first hand, its literal and deep meaning provided, makes it ideal for students and teachers of language and culture in learning institutions. The work also preserves, for posterity, wisdom that may become extinct with the passage of time." - Margaret Kemunto Obaga, Catholic University, Nairobi, Kenya "Christopher Okemwa's Proverbs of Abagusii of Kenya: Meaning & Application captures and radiates, with delight, the wisdom and beauty in Abagusii proverbs. For Ekegusii speakers, the proverbs nudge one to take a deep look at oneself and see how entertaining they can be. For non-speakers of the language the translation provided gives the poems versatility in content and pervasive reach, thus making them universal pieces of erudition that challenge and encourage. The proverb, 'Naigure ndumo boina ko mosiori ntamanya' (I have heard noise coming from grave diggers, but I am not sure who will be first to be interred), for instance, warns everybody against the barbarism of intransigence and physical confrontations, a universal piece of wisdom. Reading this invaluable book is a sure-fire route to intellectual nourishment. Okemwa has documented answers to our deep-seated questions on our socio-cultural, socio-economic and socio-political queries as captured by Abagusii proverbs. The wisdom therein helps one pry into one's own inadequacies and learn to challenge adversity." - Bwocha Nyagemi Bwocha, St. Augustine University, Tanzania

Christopher Okemwa's Chubot, the Cursed & Other Stories is a collection that captures society's realities as played by characters rendered in these stories.A recurring theme is the role of women in society and their longing for equity, their triumph often depicted by heroines catapulted by circumstances rather than deliberate action of society to engineer their success. Women's humility is felt through the stories, even in the face of courage to confront taboos and traditions with society contributing little towards their success. Indeed, women's triumphs are captured as happening where men fall short.Many of these stories raise the question of why society lacks a systematic approach to women's empowerment.Chubot, the Cursed One, and Other Stories was selected in the UN SDG Book Club Africa Chapter as a Club title in the Social Development Goal (SDG) number 5 - Gender Equality

Riddles, along with proverbs, are key aspects of oral communication in many African cultures, including that of Abagusii of Kenya. Popular, especially with children in the community, participants typically use riddles to challenge one another's knoweldge. One person would metaphorically describe something with a concealed clue. The listener, using imagination, previous experience and the context in which the riddle is said, would search for the most relevant answer. It takes great imagination to get the correct answer.Riddles are also performed communally as in the case of groups of people working in the fields, trekking to the market, riding in the same public transport or simply sitting around an evening fire as they waited to retire to bed. This aspect of riddling acted to strengthen community bonds, enhanced knowledge-sharing and imparted lessons, especially for the young in the community. Riddles of Abagusii of Kenya documents the many riddles from that community recorded over a spread of time and space. It offers analysis intended for understanding the riddles and how they are used. What Others Say: The publication of Christopher Okemwa's Riddles of Abagusii of Kenya is a giant groundbreaking step in making available the rich reservoir of the oral literature of the Abagusii. The pool of riddles in the book will be handy in helping students and researchers to access this genre of the oral literature of the community. It is not only a fact that this is so far the best presentation of the riddling tradition among the Abagusii, but also the deep literary quality of this presentation places this book among the best that have emanated from a research on this community. - Obed Machogu, University of East Africa, Baraton."By collecting riddles from all parts of the Abagusii community, the author scores a first in this category of writing. However, what makes the book stand out and more useful is his treatment of riddling, which takes care of place, function and time. His analysis of the riddling styles caps the book achievement with refreshing, rather unexpected, academic spicing." - Anderea Morara, Editor; Author of "Ogasusu na Abasani Baye Aboro""Riddles' originality is that they imaginatively depict the environment in which they are made by a keen observant mind. Their reality makes it practical by the imagery with which they are expressed. They are factual and compelling." - Evans Machera, Lawyer."It creates suspense that demands the reader to search for more. The tone is high that makes one want to laugh, yet hidden meaning challenges the reader's thinking. It is revealing and entertaining." - Anonymous

The GONG Of my childhood rings louder Its echo hurtles in, faster Catching up with me Every night in my dreams The bicycles, donkey-carts The farmers' open vans Raced up and down this pebbly road Leaving behind trails of dust I sat here, on this anthill On a market day Counting people, donkeys I was a loner then The mantis as my teddy bear. "A very good insight into the writer's perception of life - as a child, the woes of African teachers, life and death, religion, prostitution, marriage, witchcraft, love, hatred and existence."These poems are genuine; and convey the heartfelt experiences of a very sensitive, honest and articulate spirit. You can tell that Christopher is talented."Poetry is a concentrated form of expression. It's not for the prosaic or the talkative. Christopher is fortunate to belong to the class of humans who can say a lot in a few words." - Charles Phebi-Agyekum, Author "Christopher Okemwa is a master of mixing the voice of rapture with despair, an exceptional voice, in many ways unlike the usual voice we hear from Africa , longing to unravel the secrets of life and of love, striving to reach the unreachable, accomplished and lyrical." - Anna Petkova Mwangi "The Gong is an excellent work that engages the reader. Each poem leads to a journey; a weaving of Stories, Sayings and Truths, each one creating an imprint on the mind. It is an unforgettable experience and a remarkable record of the times which must be shared." - Estella Muyinda

Sabina and the Mystery of the Ogre is a fast-paced thriller that winds through tales of encounters of mysteries and near-misses, underlining Sabina's unusual courage in the face of overwhelming sentiment of deeply-rooted traditional practices.*****"Ogre! Ogre! Ogre!" women shouted. "Here comes the ogre!" voices rose. A vibrating snarl rent the air, sending Sabina into a tremble. Heavy footsteps came down on the ground outside with a force that shook the hut, like the initial tremors of an earthquake. Sabina wanted to scream, but her mouth became dry. She trembled violently. Her lips quavered and bit the earthen floor. Will she survive? Will she endure the bite of that ogre? No, she won't. Will she run away? But where will she run to? What will her mother say? What will people say about what would be considered abominable in the community? She would become a laughing stock and shunned by her community. She would be referred to as a cowardly girl. Her parents would be derogatively referred to as parents of egesagane, a stinking lass. No, she won't run away. She won't embarrass her parents. She won't let her community down. She will brave herself. She will stay at that initiation stone and endure the bite of the dreaded ogre if only for the sake of her parents, friends and the village."Tie her! Tie the ogre! " a babel of voices rose again."She will kick us! Tie her please!" one woman shouted."Oh, God!" Sabina whispered to herself, terror-crazed, pressing tightly onto the earthen floor underneath.***** Sabina and the Mystery of the Ogre was the winner of the Burt Award for Literature 2015 (Kenya) .

Ominous Clouds is a collection of poems that have specifically been selected from previous works by the author. The collection comprises poems with the theme of Kenyan politics. Issues of governance, negative ethnicity, and political violence are tackled.The poems have been translated into Finnish, Norwegian, and Greek. These multiple translations enable the poetry to travel around the globe and beyond the readership in English, the original language in which they were written. As the translators have noted, the translations offer readership in the said languages to learn about the country Kenya as captured in the poetry.