by Sadiq Somjee (Illustrator), Sultan Somjee (Author)
Alama's Walk, The Oracle Speaks, is the first of three graphic novels on heritage stories about Indigenous peace practices in eastern Africa. The three novels are from One Who Dreams is Called a Prophet, a book about a lone elder's walk in pursuit of the last traces of Indigenous knowledge of Utu during conflicts. Utu in Swahili means the quality of being human or simply humanness or humanity. The walk resulted in cultivating conversations on reconciliation in a conflicted country, among diverse cultures, in diverse languages and diverse arts that led to the making of the Community Museums of Peace in eastern Africa.
The forthcoming two graphic novels, Alama's Walk, Healing the Earth (2022) and Alama's Walk, Ogres of Humiliation and Revenge (2023), similarly radiate grassroots narratives from the walking sticks carried by elders. The walking sticks are respected for they are often carved out of peace trees and used during reconciliation. Each book has a running meme on Utu as viewed by 10 Indigenous cultures through elders' memories, the environment, material culture, community stories, rituals and spirituality.
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