PASSED LIKE A SHADOW ANALYSIS BY BERNAD MAPALALA
Passed Like a Shadow is a novel written by Bernard Mapalala, a Tanzanian author. The book was first published in 2006. The novel chronicles how the slim (UKIMWI) disease, HIV/AIDS slithered its way into Adyeri's and David's families and the resultant effects of its intrusion in both families.
STORY OVERVIEW
TITLE: PASSED LIKE A SHADOW
AUTHOR: BERNARD MAPALALA
PUBLISHERS:DAR ES SALAAM UNIVERSITY PRESS.
SETTING: WESTERN PART OF UGANDA
Passed Like a Shadow is a novel written by Bernard Mapalala, a Tanzanian author. The book was first published in 2006. The novel chronicles how the slim (UKIMWI) disease, HIV/AIDS slithered its way into Adyeri's and David's families and the resultant effects of its intrusion in both families.
STORY OVERVIEW
Mapalala begins his masterpiece by a prologue in which he cites the real example in Dar es Salaam Tanzania, where a passenger boarded a bus from Kinondoni on his way to hospital. The man appears to have lost his weight in a span of time, and he is very suspicious about the blood test that he is about to go and perform
The laboratory technician was his friend who had an ambiguous moment when it comes on giving out the test results. The man’s test truly indicated that he was HIV positive
While the technician asks himself severally on how he will give the results to his friend, he remembers the way he attended the funerals of his own three blood brothers in Bukoba.
The disease seems to unite the whole East Africa
CHAPTER ONE
The author cites in Adyeri’s home where a sister called Abooki cooks a very delicious meal, then after eating, the father appears while staggering due to his high intake of alcohol, Abooki brings some food for her father where Atwoki (Abooki’s brother) spills the food tray.
The struggles begin, where Adyeri beats Atwoki severely, on the process, the mother ( Amoti ) returns home from the market only to find adyeri beating Atwoki. Amoti interrupts where now the beating also meets her. It’s a fight between a mother and a father. Atwoki tries to save his mother, and when she gets a chance she runs away. Adyeri also leaves home to another woman (nyumba Ndogo), he didn’t come back that night.
CHAPTER TWO
Vicky ( the daughter of Adyeri’s late sister) comes back home with a fiancé (munyamahanga - alien). Earlier Vicky ran away from home after having a serious fight with Adyeri his uncle when he finds her along the street riding a bycicle contrary to the ethics of the tribe. Amoti does not receive this guest happily. The fiancé (Akena) wants to marry Vicky, but adyeri imposes very high bride price for him which makes him (akena ) to fail to marry Vicky.
The bride price was:
15 heads ofcattle, including three bulls;
8 goats
50,000/= shillings for buying bark cloth
15,000/= shillings for buying daddy’s walking stick and
2 jerry cans of beer
Akena leaves away with failure altogether with his panel of negotiation.
Vicky remains stressed and frustrated, Amoti is happy for what has happened. Adyeri curses the man for failing to reach for the deal.
CHAPTER THREE
Abooki and Atwoki are at school (std II), Atwoki, joyfully playing childish games, very talented ones, but poverty undermines him they don’t have even a radio at his home. From school, they go home together with Abooki, but Abooki plays an extra role of cooking the evening meal.
Araali is their uncle, he comes to visit them, he brings them with gifts, and they really love him. He brings food, this act shames Adyeri who comes home alcoholized and staggering. Adyeri accuses himself of failing to provide for his house.
CHAPTER FOUR
Vicky joins the group of whores ( Kunihira and Tusiime) who did not well finish their secondary education due to their bad adolescent behaviours. They own a tailoring shop at Kachwamba, financed by a Muzungu boyfriend; they finally manage to pollute Vicky’s mind. They are prostitutious advising Vicky to have ran away with that man (Akena). They convince her to have boyfriends, Vicky is deceived, falls in the trap, she adorns her self, the boys chase her like the way flies follow the rotten meet. Vicky succeeds to fish a big fish, she moves away from home for once and for all. Gone for good.
CHAPTER FIVE
Adyeri is welcome at Kinyamasika Primary school to attend the graduation, where he is mocked for what he has achieved in his life, what is he proud of now?, as he has already grown old, what memories will he leave in the world? The children sing a song that reflects the above message. He even leaves the hall before the end of the ceremony. In this chapter Adyeri is reflected of being an ex head master of St. Leo’s High School, where he engaged in love affairs with his secretary Birugi, he built a house for her, and opened a shop for her, yet he had many other maids around. He is then approved of having HIV/AIDS. He breaks away with Birugi, where his belongings are thrown out of the house he built for her. Now the children’s education s cared by uncle Araali.
CHAPTER SIX
Atwoki rises into a marvelous footballer; he wins a spectacular goal for Uganda V/S Egypt. The Uganda president invites him for dinner in the white house palace. He grows famous as the bullet of Fort portal. He builds his mother a house. News come to them that their father Adyeri is deadly sick, they leastly care. After some time, the car brakes at their door, it’s the half dead body of their sick father. The men who brought Adyeri released a very wise advice for the family
CHAPTER SEVEN
Atwoki is invited to Kampala by his friend David; there Atwoki is pressurized to engage in un safe sexual affairs, he is surrounded by sexually explicit girls, magazines, out goings. David’s father is also a womanizer, and he does not act as a father to David. David takes his father like a brother; they ironically plant the advertisements that say “JOIN THE FIGHT AGAINST AIDS. USE CONDOMS” Atwoki is connected to a girl/woman called Edda by David.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Vicky is married (locally) to a wealthy business man, Vicky cooks good food, (this man had married many wives and divorced them and four children) un fortunately Vicky is barren, she cannot deliver babies; this forces them to go to the witch doctor to check for a medicine, by the advice of her husband
They travel during the mid night through their car, they reach to the witch doctors home, he demands money (the witch doctor). He uses shared tools to prick Vicky’s stomach and tattoos it with his wizard dose. He lies that Vicky will have twins. Vicky is contaminated by HIV.
CHAPTER NINE
Adyeri dies of HIV/AIDS, many mourns for him, particularly his drinking pals. they argue a lot of things, like where did Adyeri get this disease, can his son be the victim too? no! where is the origin of this disease? The Bazungu?
Atwoki goes to Kampala, three months passes, no word from him, he just sent a little money. So the burden of responsibility rests in Abooki’s hands
Abooki boards a bus to Kasese to see if Vicky can finance them, she finds Vicky is very sick, Vicky gives her a sufficient (large) amount of money. Vicky is affected already.
Abooki visits a friend called John, john cons her and rapes her, spoils her virginity
CHAPTER TEN
Abooki is more stressed, she suspects of being infected, she goes for a blood test where she is proved of being negative. The technician( Jonathan) loves Abooki at the first sight, same applies to Abooki.
Atwoki arrives in Katumba, he finds his mother is already buried, he was very healthily poor.
They go to visit uncle Araali who forgives Atwoki and sympathetically welcomes him home. Uncle’s home was very beautiful.
(Source http://mkwiduchalz.blogspot.com/2015/10/passed-like-shadow-analysis.html?m=1*)
