This month, Africa Book Club speaks with Ugandan author Wambalye Weikama. Born in Uganda, Weikama later moved to the United States, where he earned his Master’s degree in Technology Management from the University of Washington in Seattle, USA. He later returned to his home country and is currently based in Kampala. Weikama is the author of African Son (2015) and The Bonds of War (2015). The stories in Weikama’s books are largely influenced by his childhood years in Uganda and the sixteen years he lived in the United States. In this interview, he talks about what inspired his acclaimed novel “The Bonds of War”, a work of historical fiction that centers around the lives of two child soldiers.
The Bonds of War (by Wambalye Weikama)
Told in the first-person, The Bonds of War is a compelling, vivid and original story that will tag at many readers’s emotions. The characters, especially JB, Marcel and Ignat are unforgettable. Wambalye Weikama has done his homework and his talent as a storyteller clearly comes through int The Bonds of War. He masterfully weaves in historical details about the Rwandan genocide and the civil war it sparked in the Democratic Republic of Congo.