Mr. Myombekere and His Wife Bugonoka, Their Son Ntulanalwo and Daughter Bulihwali

Mr. Myombekere and his wife Bugonoka, their son Ntulanalwo and daughter Bulihwali

Author	Aniceti Kitereza
Original title	Bwana Myombekere na Bibi Bugonoka, Ntulanalwo na Bulihwali
Translator	Gabriel Ruhumbika
Language	Kerewe Swahili
Genre	African novel
Published	1981 (originally written in Kerewe in 1945)
Publication place	Tanzania
Pages	770
ISBN	9789976686388
OCLC	52786926

Mr. Myombekere and His Wife Bugonoka, Their Son Ntulanalwo and Daughter Bulihwali (original title: Bwana Myombekere na Bibi Bugonoka, Ntulanalwo na Bulihwali) is a novel by Tanzanian author Aniceti Kitereza. The novel is an extended story depicting historical life of the Kerewe through three generations. After its original publication in 1981, is has been translated into German, Swedish, French and English. ^{[1] [2]}

History

The novel was first published in 1981 in Swahili by Walter Bgoya, the general manager of Tanzania Publishing House. Originally, Kitereza had written the manuscript in 1945 in his mother tongue Kerewe. As no publishing house wanted to publish a novel in this endangered language, Kitereza himself translated the manuscript into Swahili, but it took 35 years before it could be published in 1981 in two volumes comprising 617 pages. ^{[3] [4]}

Reception

Since then, the novel has been translated into German, French, Swedish and English. It was the first novel written in Kerewe, and has been judged as the most comprehensive novel on pre-colonial life and customs published in an African language. ^[5]

The German translation was published first in 1990 in two parts with posthumous titles and notes, explaining the cultural and linguistical background a reader may need. ^[6] The French translation by Simon Baguma Mweze and Olivier Barlet was edited in two parts in 1999: Les Enfants du faiseur de pluie ^[7] and Le Tueur de serpents, ^[8] and published by L'Harmattan. The Swedish translation is based on the German, but only the first part was published. The English edition of 2002 by Gabriel Ruhumbika was translated directly from Kerewe to English, thus being the only translation not having passed via Swahili. It was published by Mkuki na Nyota publishers in Dar es Salaam. ^[9]

In 2022, Mkuki na Nyota published a monographic work about Aniceti Kitereza written by Shoonie (Charlotte) Hartwig. ^[10]

References

1. "Den allra vackraste kärlekshistorien". Helsingborgs Dagblad . 11 January 2009. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
2. "Mr.Myombekere and His Wife Bugonoka, Their Son Ntulanalwo and Daughter Bulihwali – Mkuki na Nyota Publishers" . Retrieved 2021-08-11.
3. Charlotte M. Hartwig, Gerald W. Hartwig: Aniceti Kitereza: A Kerebe Novelist. In: Research in African Literatures, Vol. 3, No. 2, Indiana University Press, fall 1972, pp. 162–170
4. Carter, J. Roger (January 1982). "Aniceti Kitereza- the story of a Tanzanian writer". Tanzanian Affairs. Retrieved 2025-08-20.
5. Norström Ridaeus, Barbro (29 April 2011). "Introduktion till den afrikanska litteraturen". Världslitteratur. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
6. "Aniceti Kitereza: Die Kinder der Regenmacher". www.unionsverlag.com (in German). Retrieved 2020-02-03.
7. "Aniceti Kitereza: Les Enfants du faiseur de pluie". www.editions-harmattan.fr (in French). Retrieved 2022-01-13.
8. "Aniceti Kitereza: Le Tueur de serpents". www.editions-harmattan.fr (in French). Retrieved 2022-01-13.
9. "African Books Collective: Mr. Myombekere and his Wife Bugonoka, Their Son Ntulanalwo and Daughter Bulihwali". www.africanbookscollective.com. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
10. Hartwig, Shoonie (2022-09-08). Aniceti Kitereza. Mkuki na Nyota Publishers. ISBN   978-9987-08-496-8.