We Are All Birds Of Uganda
Uganda United Kingdom

We Are All Birds Of Uganda

by Hafsa Zayyan

Immigration Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Family Saga 2021

Summary

In 1960s Uganda, Hasan is struggling to rebuild his life after the death of his wife. Just as he begins to find his footing, political upheaval and rising racial prejudice threaten everything he has worked for. As a member of Uganda’s South Asian community, Hasan faces an uncertain future in a country his family has long called home. The political climate deteriorates further under Idi Amin’s regime, which ultimately forces many South Asians to leave Uganda.

Decades later, in London, Sameer appears to have everything: a successful career as a lawyer and the future he once dreamed of. Yet beneath his achievements lies a persistent sense of emptiness. An unexpected family tragedy draws him back into his family’s history, revealing the sacrifices, losses, and unanswered questions that shaped his identity.

Moving between generations and continents, We Are All Birds of Uganda explores displacement, racial prejudice, inherited trauma, and the complicated meaning of belonging. Through Hasan and Sameer’s intertwined stories, Hafsa Zayyan examines how migration reshapes families and how the past continues to influence those who inherit its consequences.

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About the author
Hafsa Zayyan
Hafsa Zayyan

Hafsa Zayyan is a British novelist and dispute-resolution lawyer based in London. She is of Nigerian and Pakistani heritage, and her multicultural background informs her interest in identity, migration, and the experience of belonging to more than one culture. She studied law at the University of Cambridge and earned a master’s degree from the University of Oxford. Zayyan won the inaugural #Merky Books New Writers’ Prize in 2019, which led to the publication of her debut novel, We Are All Birds of Uganda, in 2021. Inspired in part by her family’s history, the novel explores the expulsion of Uganda’s South Asian community under Idi Amin and the lasting effects of displacement across generations. Zayyan has also contributed to Of This Our Country, an essay collection exploring Nigerian writers’ relationships with their heritage.

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Details
Published
2021
Author
Hafsa Zayyan