by Hillan Nzioka (Author)
"The Numen of Banda" plunges readers into the heart of magical Kenya, where a battle of wits between African traditional beliefs and post-colonial Western education unfolds. At its centre stands Sosh, an iron-willed matriarch and Mau Mau war veteran, a stickler for traditional beliefs and customs. She finds her match in Benjo, her beloved grandson, a child prodigy and advocate of modern Western ideals who challenges these very traditions with his maverick views.
Their inseparable bond is tested when a series of mysterious misfortunes, attributed to malevolent juju, shatters their fragile reality. Desperate to restore normalcy, Sosh turns to the mystical Numen of Banda, a legendary healer hidden deep within the Banda Salama Forest. As ancestral spirits intervene, Sosh and Benjo embark on a perilous journey, navigating the treacherous waters between honouring their past and embracing an uncertain future.
Set against the backdrop of a rapidly changing Kenya, this richly woven narrative explores the clash between two generations, the power of belief, and the unbreakable family bonds. "The Numen of Banda" offers a mesmerising glimpse into a world where tradition and change collide, and where the boundary between reality and the supernatural blurs.