Author of ‘Sisi Pia ni Watu: In Kenya, Domestic Workers Resist Exploitation’ Mumbi Kanyogo, is interested in the contradicting stories told about domestic workers: ‘Domestic workers are always portrayed as irritants, thieves, or promiscuous and insentient objects. I wanted to demonstrate ways in which the actions that are most questionable and harmful in this dynamic are those of their employers.’
First Draft is our interview column, featuring authors and other prominent figures on books, reading, and writing.
Our questions are italicized.
What books or kinds of books did you read growing up?
Growing up, I had a lot of questions about Kenya’s history and was deeply interested in the stories of the people whose lives we commemorated on days like Labour Day and Jamhuri Day. In response to those questions, I read a series of short, easy to read biographies of critical historical personalities (and radicals) like Bildad Kaggia, Tom Mboya, Mekatilili and Wangu wa Makeri by East African Educational Publishers. This series reinforced and grew my interest in people’s lives and historical political events and in turn, biography became one of my favorite genres. I recall reading biographies and autobiographies about Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Robert Mugabe, Hilary Clinton, Barack Obama and the stories of survivors of the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda...
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