The First Woman: Winner of the Jhalak Prize, 2021

Product Information

My grandmothers called it kweluma. That is when oppressed people turn on each other or on themselves and bite. It is as a form of relief. If you cannot bite your oppressor, you bite yourself.’ From where the world starts to where it ends, when women start to lament men the sun could drop from the sky and they would not realise. ”

I was not entirely sold on Kirabo and Sio’s relationship, a lot of it did not seem realistic and how their story was told didn’t help in making it believable for me. Mwenkanonkano is the Luganda word for feminism. The world that Kirabo is living in is slowly changing. She is going to an excellent school and has plans to be a veterinarian. She expects to be treated well by a future husband. Later in the story, her grandfather gives her land and a house of her own, which is unheard of at the time. At times, the author seemed a bit heavy handed in pushing the feminist outlook. Coming of age issues; relationships; platonic and romantic, life in school, dysmenorrhea, growing apartEverywhere was a lightness in the air, one that came only when grown-ups were away. All that loving, that making sure you are okay and behaving, got heavy sometimes.” At turns rapturous and devastating... Makumbi's writing uplifts and inspires, evoking the grand tradition of folklore and stories passed down, one woman to the next.' - Refinery29

For me, following Kirabo as she grew up was a delight. I found the book to be absorbing and original. I loved learning about Uganda: the language, traditions, and way of life. The only small criticism I have is that parts of the book were bogged down by too much explanation of minor characters. Feministic themes are the focus of this book. Other than that, the author also talks about colorism, racism, marriage, friendships, relationships, and family dynamics. The novel is more than a coming-of-age story of Kirabo. It also gives us a glimpse into Kirabo’s grandmother and Nsuuta’s life and how their grandfather’s relationship with the two of them changed the friendship between the two women. It was interesting to see how society viewed and cheered the women based on what people inferred about their relationship. With the wrong idea in mind, the community shunned Nsuuta, dubbing her to be a witch capable of drawing men to her. The responsibility of men concerning their actions in these communities is laughable, and we see how they turn the blame onto women and how women also turn against one another in moments of strife. Firstly I am a huge fan of literature that takes us elsewhere, into the storytelling traditions of other cultures, seen from the inside, but told in a way that doesn't alienate a reader from outside that culture, but has both a particular and universal message.

It is a beautiful book for women, about women, that should be read by all men who would like to understand women! About the author I found that the role of a the First lady at times could serve as a microcosm of the issues facing women in America: working mom, stay at home mom, sitting at the table, staying behind the scenes, issues in marriages, issues with children; all of those things have and do come up. Many of the women profiled never wanted that role. Some dreamed of nothing better. All tried to put their unique stamp on it and at times found themselves damned if they did and damned if they didn't. And in this day and age, It was interesting to learn that how much of the First Lady's role is still truly like a traditional housewife who plans state dinners, menus, flowers, parties. The family and culture are patriarchal, with men being the heads of their households. Miiro (the grandfather) is affectionate and kind to his wife and daughters, yet is very much in control. Kirabo holds a special place in his heart. Their scenes together are tender. BUT--it did cause me to think. There is no more powerful role in our nations' governance that ISN'T part of our Constitution than that of the President's spouse. And no matter how this current election cycle unfolds, no doubt the power of the First Lady (Or Spouse) will continue to evolve based on the time and the character of the person who holds the role. I read the audio book and first I want to mention the narrator because so many of the reviewers disliked her. I do not agree with those reviewers. I liked Ms. White's conversational manner. I felt as though we were sitting over beverages sharing knowledge. It was a simple, quiet and intimate conversation about the first ladies. I loved it. One caveat: I listen (always) at 1.5 speed or faster so perhaps that helped.

O protikandidátovi: "...had three children, one of whom had special needs (which is solid gold from a political standpoint. My daughter, Catherine, had many many special needs, especially a need for attention, but none of her needs were “special” in the special way that helps a candidate, which is just so typical of her)" Smart, headstrong Kirabo is raised by her grandparents in rural Uganda. But as she enters her teens, she starts to feel overshadowed by the absence of the mother she has never known. Women in her day were effectively barred from practicing architecture, so Wilbraham was careful not to leave behind much evidence of her involvement, other than the dozen fine buildings she designed for her family (including Weston Park, Staffordshire, and the chapel at Woodhey, Cheshire). About 28 architectural drawings inher hand survive (including one showing the first sash windows in England at Ham), and five architectural models made at her direction. Evidence shows that she was Wren’s principal architecture tutor, and he in turn had her design no fewer than 18 of his 52 London churches (notably St Bride’s Fleet Street). The book is in five distinct sections, with each showing an older and more mature Kirabo, a Uganda of decades past and all the nuances and revelations of growing up.

Throughout this jubilant, gorgeously penned celebration of women, Jennifer Makumbi has been perceptive, humorous and revealing about a young woman’s journey, navigating her way through a changing body, family, friendships, folklore and love in a time and place where being a woman was never going to be easy. She also makes the case that monastic writers of the time “overwrote” accounts by women of their own histories. One example, she claims, is Bede, who did not name the authors of the local books he drew upon for his account of the early abbesses of the English church in his Ecclesiastical History of the English People. This was about as enjoyable as root-canal and a prostate exam happening at the same time. I was left feeling assaulted, morally & physically if not sexually, and remain as if a prefrontal lobotomy has been performed without my knowledge...or I think without my knowledge or permission? Bigamy is accepted as part of the culture; Miiro does have a second wife who plays a pivotal role in the story. Other bigamous relationships are explored as well. At times, I wondered at the wives' relationships with each other. Sometimes they did not seem plausible to me. The First Woman is a lively, engaging read, and Makumbi cleverly braids the immensely personal – Kirabo’s yearning for a mother who appears to want nothing to do with her – with far larger scale social and political shifts. It is a novel that deliberately meanders, and veers between delivering condensed gouts of information with more leisurely set pieces; but its energy derives from its considerable wit and the charm of its central character.

It sounds like a lot, but really this is a personal, character-driven story about Kirabo and her family. The rest is context—necessary context—but not a history lecture. However, at times the novel does favour explanatory detail over action a little too much. For instance, when Kirabo moves to boarding school, a lot of time is spent establishing this new setting, new characters and social hierarchy… but very little happens there, and the action soon moves away from the school again. I suggest you read this in small bites otherwise you begin to think as she does and this would be seen as deeply divisive, not just our country, but your social circle and family.Running through The First Woman, from the schisms that divide Kirabo’s grandparents’ generation to the ambitions of its younger cast, is an exploration of how women preserve and cultivate their power. When Kirabo’s first love, Sio, tells her that he believes in “ mwenkanonkano”, he uses the English word, feminism, and she dismisses it “because as far as she knew, feminism was for women in developed countries with first-world problems”. When he uses the Luganda word, she pays more attention, but is also aware that Sio’s understanding of it is limited to directing her behaviour; as the story develops, Sio’s apparent egalitarianism reveals him to be something of an equal opportunities seducer.