Kintu
Uganda

Kintu

by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi

Myths and Retellings Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Family Saga 2014

Summary

Set across several centuries of Ugandan history, Kintu is an ambitious family saga that reimagines the history, mythology, and cultural traditions of the Buganda kingdom. The story begins in 1750, when Kintu Kidda, a powerful provincial governor, travels to the capital to pledge allegiance to the new king. During the journey, a tragic incident sets a curse in motion, bringing suffering to his descendants for generations.

Centuries later, members of the Kintu family struggle with personal tragedies, fractured relationships, and unexplained misfortunes. As they confront their shared history, they must decide whether their suffering stems from an ancestral curse, historical circumstances, or the unresolved conflicts passed down through generations.

Blending Ugandan oral traditions, mythology, spirituality, and historical storytelling, Makumbi challenges conventional approaches to African history. The novel places indigenous Ugandan perspectives at its centre, exploring how colonialism, religious change, and modernisation have transformed cultural identity. It is both a multigenerational family epic and a powerful exploration of the relationship between personal memory and national history.

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Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi
Country
Uganda
Africa
About the author
Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi
Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi

Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi, a Ugandan novelist and short story writer, has a PhD from Lancaster University. She is a lecturer in Creative Writing at Lancaster University and lives in Manchester with her husband Damian and son Jordan. Her first novel, Kintu, won the Kwani Manuscript Prize in 2013 and was longlisted for the 2014 Etisalat Prize for Literature. Her story Let's Tell This Story Properly won the 2014 Commonwealth Short Story Prize. In 2018 she was awarded a Windham-Campbell Prize in the fiction category. In 2021, her novel The First Woman won the Jhalak Prize. Makumbi's writing is largely based on oral traditions. She realised that oral traditions were so broad and would be able to frame all her writing regardless of subject, form or genre. She has said she "noticed that using oral forms which were normally perceived as trite and 'tired' brought, ironically, a certain depth to a piece that I could not explain."

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Details
Published
2014
Author
Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi