Editor's Note
We're pleased to publish Issue 4 of Kikwetu, which features eight poems and one short story.
The poems, each with its own rich, precise imagery, unique style and form, come from writers from Kenya, Nigeria, the UK, and the US. They vary in theme and perspective; from the daily interactions in immediately familiar public transportation settings (“Kenyan Matatu Ride”) to the highly deluding nature of electoral politics (“They Called it Freedom, Election Year”) to the complex relationship between sexuality and cultural expectations (“On My Coming Out”), and the relationship between technology and the evolution of language (“Xadly”). We're also excited to share the second piece we've published in Swahili—a sonnet, “Nichague Mimi” serves as an entreating proffer of courtship to a potential love interest.
Lastly, Edith Knight Magak's short story, “The Story of Ma Oketch,” describes a highly unconventional investigative process in the immediate aftermath of a familial murder.
We hope you'll enjoy these pieces as much as we do. As always, we wish to thank all our contributors for their wonderful work and we're looking forward to reading and publishing more gems from East Africa and beyond during our next reading period.
Happy reading!
The Editors
The poems, each with its own rich, precise imagery, unique style and form, come from writers from Kenya, Nigeria, the UK, and the US. They vary in theme and perspective; from the daily interactions in immediately familiar public transportation settings (“Kenyan Matatu Ride”) to the highly deluding nature of electoral politics (“They Called it Freedom, Election Year”) to the complex relationship between sexuality and cultural expectations (“On My Coming Out”), and the relationship between technology and the evolution of language (“Xadly”). We're also excited to share the second piece we've published in Swahili—a sonnet, “Nichague Mimi” serves as an entreating proffer of courtship to a potential love interest.
Lastly, Edith Knight Magak's short story, “The Story of Ma Oketch,” describes a highly unconventional investigative process in the immediate aftermath of a familial murder.
We hope you'll enjoy these pieces as much as we do. As always, we wish to thank all our contributors for their wonderful work and we're looking forward to reading and publishing more gems from East Africa and beyond during our next reading period.
Happy reading!
The Editors