We Are All Birds of Uganda

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The helmetshrikes are similar in build to the shrikes, but tend to be colourful species with distinctive crests or other head ornaments, from which they get their name.

We Are All Birds of Uganda - Hafsa Zayyan - Google Books We Are All Birds of Uganda - Hafsa Zayyan - Google Books

This is the first book I have ever read looking at Ugandan history, politics and culture. All of the historical information was interesting, well delivered within the context of the plot and created a desire for me to learn more about this fascinating country. I connected with this book immediately ... Racism, generational culture, love and family ties are all key components of this novel by a really accomplished debut author who I feel sure we are going to hear a lot more from.' The bee-eaters are a group of near passerine birds. Most species are found in Africa but others occur in southern Europe, Madagascar, Australia, and New Guinea. They are characterised by richly coloured plumage, slender bodies, and usually elongated central tail feathers. All are colourful and have long downturned bills and pointed wings, which give them a swallow-like appearance when seen from afar. Entirely coincidentally, I read this book immediately after reading The Yield. Both books are multi-generational stories that deal with colonisation (Australia in The Yield, Uganda in this), racial tensions, and belonging. Also, both books use letters as a device for reviewing the historical aspect of their story (one long, serialised letter in The Yield, multiple letters over a prolonged period in this). The debut novel from Hafsa Zayyan is a narrative of two halves. It follows Sameer, a young high-flying lawyer living in present day London who is struggling to decide about his future. He comes to realise he feels adrift and unachored from his family and his history. His narrative is interspersed with letters written by his grandfather Hasan in 1960s Uganda. Hasan's letters detail the conflict and struggles he faced as the country he called his home came to reject him under the upheaval of Idi Amin's rule.Divided into two parts, the novel tells the story of the Saeed family. The first chapter introduces the reader to Sameer, a young lawyer with great prospects. He works very hard and has been offered a job with his firm in Singapore; a career break that many long for. Sameer’s family live in Leicester, where his father runs the family business. Mr. Saeed senior has great hopes that Sameer will eventually return to the city of his birth to enter this business. One can imagine the reaction to the Singapore news, when Sameer eventually tells his family.

We Are All Birds of Uganda: Will Gompertz reviews Hafsa - BBC We Are All Birds of Uganda: Will Gompertz reviews Hafsa - BBC

A Pepsi advert at Entebbe airport declares : “welcome to the Pearl of Africa”- the colonial legacy, and Churchill’s turn of phrase doesn’t fade away completely. There's quite a few interesting turns in the story and the different impacts of racism in both their lives. Impacts that might be a surprise to those that don't know about the long history of Indians in Africa. It doesn't seem like it's a perspective that's been written about very much in previous literature.The turacos, plantain-eaters, and go-away-birds make up the bird family Musophagidae. They are medium-sized arboreal birds. The turacos and plantain-eaters are brightly coloured, usually in blue, green, or purple. The go-away-birds are mostly grey and white. Locustellidae are a family of small insectivorous songbirds found mainly in Eurasia, Africa, and the Australian region. They are smallish birds with tails that are usually long and pointed, and tend to be drab brownish or buffy all over. On the whole this was a success for me. I was concerned towards the end that Zayyan had tied up all the loose ends and was going for a rather conventional ending. Thankfully she didn’t and the last couple of sentences created uncertainty.

BBC Radio 4 - We Are All Birds Of Uganda by Hafsa Zayyan BBC Radio 4 - We Are All Birds Of Uganda by Hafsa Zayyan

Recurvirostridae is a family of large wading birds which includes the avocets and stilts. The avocets have long legs and long up-curved bills. The stilts have extremely long legs and long, thin, straight bills. Asian communities struggle for genuine acceptance in Uganda and in England (Leicester specifically). As commercial traders, their success comes from hard work, and the bonds of family and mutual support. The oystercatchers are large and noisy plover-like birds with strong bills used for smashing or prising open molluscs. The switch between the time periods serves to unravel and explore the complexities of generational divides, racial tensions and the long legacy of the destructive British colonial empire. Zayyan also explores themes of family, faith, friendship, culture, memory and identity. Her focus on identity and how Sameer struggles to find himself and life direction is central to the whole narrative. Heliornithidae is a small family of tropical birds with webbed lobes on their feet similar to those of grebes and coots.

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What an amazing book. Sensitively written, it covers so many issues. Family, religion, racism, bullying, loyalty. Eloquent writing made me feel completely part of the story ... An absolute gem of a book.' The ground-hornbills are terrestrial birds which feed almost entirely on insects, other birds, snakes, and amphibians.