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‌Acknowledgements

• Great thanks to the Ludigo sisters, Martha Ludigo-Nyenje, Janet Ludigo-Mawuba and Irene Ludigo-Katamba, who received me in Manchester in September 2001. But especially you, Martha, for insisting that I join you, and your patience with me those first six months. I hope, when you read these stories, you will remember Rusholme, Heald Avenue. I think you’re a hero.
• Martin De Mello, where would my writing be without your brutal reading, generous counsel, cynical eye and everything else?
• Vimbai Shire for the sheer scrutiny of the collection; I cannot thank you enough.
• Cultureword’s short story group (2014), which pushed me to write a short story every month; this collection is the result.
• Uncle Tim (Professor Timothy Wangusa) for the generous critique, gentle encouragement and cultural insight for the final story.
• Sui Annuka for the sincere, candid and lavish critique. I’m lucky to be writing buddies with you.
• Nicole Thiara for making me feel like I am doing great.
• To my literary godfather, Michael Schmidt, for keeping an eye on me, my writing, my career and reassuring me when I hit a wall that there is a door close by.
• Enock Kiyaga for all things traditional – Luganda and kiganda.
• Marie Nandago Senyomo for everything in Uganda, the US and London. For loving me through these years.
• To Ken and Cath Kakiiza-Okwir and the little ones – for opening your door to me when I come home. Love you, Cath.
• My agent, James Macdonald Lockhart, for your quiet counsel.
• The Windham-Campbell Prize, for the relief and opportunities opened up.
• Juliet Mabey, Margot Weale and the rest of the team at Oneworld for getting behind my books.
• Sarah Terry for the thorough cleaning-up of my prose.
• Manchester Metropolitan University’s Writing School for the space and the time off.
• Jess Edwards, my line manager and head of department, for the open door, for listening.

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A Oneworld Book

First published in Great Britain and Australia by Oneworld Publications, 2019
This eBook edition published 2019

Copyright © Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi, 2019

The moral right of Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

The following stories have previously appeared in other publications: a version of ‘Christmas is Coming’ as ‘If Africans Kicked Things Every Time They Got Frustrated’, (Cultureword, 2015); a version of ‘Our Allies the Colonies’ as ‘The Accidental Seaman’ in Moss Side Stories (Cultureword, 2012); ‘The Nod’ in Bare Lit 2016 (Brain Mill Press, 2017); ‘Malik’s Door’ in Closure: Contemporary Black British Short Stories (Peepal Tree Press, 2015); ‘She is Our Stupid’ broadcast as ‘My Sister Biira’ (BBC Radio 4, 21 December 2018) and published in New Daughters of Africa (Myriad, 2019); ‘Let’s Tell This Story Properly’ first published in Granta (12 June 2014) and in a Commonwealth collection of their best winning stories, also called Let’s Tell This Story Properly (Dundurn Press, 2015).

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved
Copyright under the Berne Convention
A CIP record for this title is available from the British Library

ISBN 978-1-78607-589-5
eBook ISBN 978-1-78607-591-8

Typesetting and eBook by Tetragon, London

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