Jaya and her husband had come to Uganda years earlier, and the second generation are Ugandan born and bred. The plot orbits around a close-knit family, told through the triple narrative of Asha, recently married into the family, her brother-in-law, Vijay and her mother-in-law, Jaya. Uganda gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1962, and Idi Amin had seized power in 1971 in a military coup, pre-empting his arrest for misappropriation of military funds. In the 1890s, about 32,000 labourers from British India were recruited to come to East Africa for this purpose and whilst most did return home, a small but significant proportion remained in the country and established roots, often gaining success in cotton production and retail.
Because the Asians did indeed come to Uganda to build a railway when Uganda was a protectorate of the British Empire. In this single sentence we understand the context that is the primary thread in the fabric of the narrative: Empire, its cause and effect. Asians have milked the cow but did not feed it.” I will give them ninety days to pack up and go. “The characters are beautifully realised and their stories bring history to life with poignancy and richness of detail.In Neema Shah’s evocative debut novel, Kololo Hill, we are transported back to the Uganda of 1972, immediately before Idi Amin decreed that all Asians must leave: “The Asians came to Uganda to build the railway the railway is finished – they must leave now. “It is understated and authentic, eloquent and heartfelt, warm and wise” – Anita Frank, author of The Lost Ones
This is primarily the story of a family and what happens to families when they are told they must leave the place they call home and, with a handful of different passports between them, realise that they won’t be able to stay together.
With echoes of Sunjeev Sahota’s The Year of the Runaways, and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sun, Kololo Hill was shortlisted for the Bath Novel Award 2018. From the red earth of Kampala to the terraced houses of London, this confident debut explores what it is to be forcibly displaced, and how far we will go to protect those we love. As she seeks the truth about that night the soldiers came for December, she uncovers a devastating secret that threatens to tear her already disparate family apart. As Asha starts to rebuild her life in a London suburb, she remains troubled. Before they leave the country, the family tries to help their house boy, December – who is in even greater danger than they. 1972, and as a result of the 90 day decree by Idi Amin against Ugandan Asians, recently-married Asha finds herself fleeing Uganda with her in-laws.
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