We Are All Birds of Uganda by Hafsa Zayyan
A novel set in two timelines. Modern day London sees Sameer, a young lawyer, looking forward to a new stage in his career. Sameer is the British son of Ugandan Asians, and is under pressure from his family to return to Leicester to join the family business
1960's Uganda sees Hassam adjusting to life where everything he has built up is crumbling around him.
Sameer's story is interspersed with letters his grandfather Hasan wrote to his first wife. These, each several years apart, give the background to the family's ejection from Uganda, expelled from their home country by Idi Amin
This is a novel of family dynamics, racism and politics. Hassam sees himself losing his livelihood and being discriminated by other persons of colour .This conflict between the African and Asian Ugandans is mirrored by the racism Sameer experiences in Britain and a close friend is hospitalised by a brutal racially motivated attack
As a group we thought the book gave a very accurate portrayal of life in Uganda including the post Amin period.
We thought the book gave a tremendous insight into an Asian family set up (extended family, children automatically expected to do as parents direct)
The best books suck you in with interesting, relatable characters and thought provoking storylines while surreptitiously teaching you something and this does just that. The novel won the inaugural Merky Prize in 2019, so expectations were high and it doesn't disappoint. Even the colours in the cover where significant, red and green the countries official colours. Many pointed out the descriptions of the flora and fauna, the food and the spiced brought the country to life. As a group we will look forward to anything Hafsa may produce in the future.
Submitted by Donaghadee Reading Group
