A New African Youth Novel in the Era of HIV/AIDS: An Analysis of Unity Dow's Far & Beyon'

Summary

Few would deny that HIV/AIDS is one of the most pressing issues infecting and affecting Africa and that African literature, which has proudly been a ‘literature of engagement’, must address the problems ‘now, and right now’, to borrow Mandela's phrase (Mandela 2000). What surprises and disappoints readers of African literature is the almost total silence on the part of African literature – or, let us say, ‘serious’ African literature. Most novels dealing with HIV/AIDS are written by lesser known writers, published locally, intended to satisfy local reading needs, and thus can be classified to a degree or another as ‘popular’ literature. One of the few exceptions to this trend is Last Plague written by an internationally renowned Kenyan author, Meja Mwangi. The novel is published in Kenya by East African Educational Publishers, for a purpose. The local publication (even though by a well-established African publisher with international distribution through African Books Collective) ensures effective circulation to the home audience.

What has been ignored at the international level has been espoused at the local level as an increasing number of young adult novels overtly tackle the issues of HIV/AIDS. The lament over a ‘shortage’ (Mitchell and Smith 2003: 513) of youth novels dealing with HIV/AIDS, which was made only five years ago, has now become a thing of the past.