This anthology captures the huge breadth of human experience across our continent. For me, there were three standout stories:
POISON by Henrietta Rose-Innes (South Africa, 2008), a fantastic little story about a women stranded at a gas station while some large scale industrial disaster is happening
DISCOVERING HOME by Binyavanga Wainaina (Kenya, 2002), a description of a young man coming home from university to Kenya
THE MUSEUM by Leila Aboulela (Sudan, 2000), a sweet and sad story about a Sudanese girl at a UK university who can’t quite get up the courage to begin a romance with a local boy
I had often thought of the Caine Prize as rewarding a certain dark view of the African experience, but reading this anthology corrected that view: it’s a broad swathe of all kinds of Africaness. There’s not much out there rewarding quality African artists, so thank you Caine sponsors!