The Shadow of Imana
Will be published approx. on 10. December 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
202 pages
978-1-0359-3052-4 (ISBN)
Description
As evidence emerged of the genocide in Rwanda in 1994, the outside world reeled in shock. What could have motivated these individual and collective atrocities? In 1998, Veronique Tajdo travelled to Rwanda to try to find out. She started with the premise that what happened in Rwanda concerns us all. It is a reminder that humankind the world over is capable of genocide.
Records of what Veronique saw - sites of massacres, corpses, weapons deposits - are combined with personal stories: of traumatised returnees, bereaved survivors, victims of assault, orphans, lawyers faced with the impossible task of doing justice, prisoners. But The Shadow of Imana goes beyond reportage. With passages resembling poetry and traditional tales, Tadjo explores the spiritual legacy of the genocide and uncovers a healing vitality and a commitment to forgiveness.
Records of what Veronique saw - sites of massacres, corpses, weapons deposits - are combined with personal stories: of traumatised returnees, bereaved survivors, victims of assault, orphans, lawyers faced with the impossible task of doing justice, prisoners. But The Shadow of Imana goes beyond reportage. With passages resembling poetry and traditional tales, Tadjo explores the spiritual legacy of the genocide and uncovers a healing vitality and a commitment to forgiveness.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 129 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-0359-3052-4 (9781035930524)
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Schweitzer Classification
Person
Born in Paris, Veronique Tadjo grew up in Cote d'Ivoire. She is a poet, novelist, academic, painter, and author and illustrator of children's books, with a body of work that spans continents and genres. She earned a BA in English from the University of Abidjan and later completed a doctorate at the Sorbonne in African-American Literature and Civilization. Alongside her acclaimed novels and poetry collections, she began writing children's literature to contribute to the growth of African-produced stories and imagery. Having lived in several African and European countries, she spent fourteen years in Johannesburg, where she headed the Department of French and Francophone Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand. She is now based between London and Abidjan.