From the Blog on Cameroon Literature in English
Dipita Kwa. Times and Seasons. Cook Communications, 2008. 275 pages. $15.98 Available at lulu.com.
How does it feel to live without an identity, without a deeper meaning of the word me because you know nothing about yourself? How can you measure the intensity of the pain you feel in your soul when you face the horrible prospect of totally losing the chance of eternal happiness in the loving arms of a man because of a dark past you don’t know?
Dipita Kwa invites you to take this thrilling ride with Ewande Tikky, a deeply distressed, honest and courageous young woman in love, into the heart of the village of Mukunda – the land of mysteries – to the home that holds the hideous memories of her birth.
It is a bumpy ride through a series of disturbing, heart-wrenching, soothing and amazing stories, each of which slowly opens long-abandoned windows with creaking rusty hinges, to focus a narrow beam of light into those buried and gruesome aspects of her roots. In fact, it is a unique collection of eclectic stories held in place by a mother piece that will keep you on to a final breath-releasing last page.
Dipita Kwa’s novel Times and Seasons blends the cutting-edge wisdom of live and let live with the traditional and omnipresent notion of the spiritual invisible hand. It is the book the literary family needs.
About the Author
Born in Tiko, Republic of Cameroon in 1979, Dipita Kwa was raised in the village of Mondoni Native in Fako Division. He taught Commerce & Finance, Economic Geography and Economics at Regina Pacis College Mutengene after obtaining a B.Sc in Economics from the University of Buea. Some chapters of Times and Seasons initially appeared as independent short stories in e-magazines. One of them, Honour of a Woman appeared in the British Council's highly acclaimed Crossing Borders Magazine. Dipita has emerged as one of the greatest upcoming writers at Author-Me.com. His best short stories; The Wages of Plunder, The Fall of a Hunter, A Mother’s Heart, When All is Lost etc. have all appeared on that forum.
Dipita won a silver trophy in short story writing during the second edition of the University Festival of Arts and Culture (UNIFAC2001), and is currently an editor of Shipin, a Maersk Cameroun quarterly newsletter. Dipita enjoys writing, watching movies and, like all Cameroonians, he loves football.
Bravo to all whose minds bleed with the harsh realities of our Land. Today hardship is like crops sown by farmers awaiting reaping. I feel so pleased and overwhelmed with so much joy reading through the book review. I am glad that your expressions and feelings will heal your soul and that of others longing for a sanctification that comes from enternal freedom and Liberation. Your story is vivid and strong and leaves the reader spell bound longing to caress those leaves once more. Thanks so very much and may God bless you. Keep the ink fresh and flowing.
Posted by: Ndim Bernard Ngouche | July 16, 2008 at 06:32 PM
I have not read Dipita's novel but it was a pleasant surprise to see him feature alongside greats such as Chimamanda Adichie in the new short story collection titled "One World: A global anthology of short stories". This is not just a feather in the cap of Anglophone Cameroon literature but also props to our alma mata, the university of Buea
Posted by: Njala | April 19, 2009 at 10:48 AM