Fiction — The Book Roads

Passage of Tears

Abdourahman A. Waberi

Set in Djibouti in the years following the September 11 attacks, Passage of Tears follows Djibril, a Djiboutian man who has spent years in voluntary exile in Montreal. When he returns to his homeland on assignment for an American economic intelligence company, he finds a country transformed into a strategic battleground where foreign powers, economic interests, and competing political and religious ideologies collide. As Djibril investigates the country’s security and political situation, his return awakens painful memories of childhood, family, and his estranged twin brother, Djamal, a religious extremist imprisoned on an island near the coast. Meanwhile, mysterious letters from a prisoner introduce another narrative, one that unexpectedly turns towards the life and ideas of German philosopher Walter Benjamin. Blending political thriller, philosophical reflection, family drama, and social satire, Waberi examines the consequences of globalisation, religious extremism, and foreign intervention in the Horn of Africa. The strategically important Bab-el-Mandeb Strait—the maritime passage connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden—becomes a powerful symbol of the tensions between local histories and global ambitions. Ultimately, the novel explores exile, fractured identities, and the difficult relationship between a person and the homeland they have left behind.

Djibouti 2009