The poem N’na Kwetu itself, which takes the title of the book, represents the internal struggle of an immigrant in a foreign land.
Mohammed Ghassani was born and grew up in Zanzibar, where he spent almost all his first 32 years of life before moving to Germany with his family. Though very grateful for the country that received and accepted him and his children, the poet seems to live in constant fears of loosing his roots, facing stereotypes associated with the North-South dichotomy and even cultural and religious prejudices. Most poems in this book try to detail this inner struggle.
This was a collection that earned him the inaugural award from the Mabati Cornell Kiswahili Prize for African Literature in 2015. Buy the book here.
Mohammed Ghassani 