Of Saints and Scarecrows

by Ulysses C. Kibuuka

When Ssempa and Sister Julian come together, this only spells tragedy. Ssempa - irreverent, crafty and atheistic - and Julian - a pious, subservient Catholic nun - suddenly find themselves the focus of two religious communities with irreconcilable interests. The unexpected liaison between the two protagonists ignites unforeseen passions within each of the communities, and causes unbearable tensions between them. The two communities inevitably collide, crushing the two hapless lovers in the process. In this contentious, satirical and racy tale that straddles the Great Lakes region and concerns itself with one of the cataclysmic eras of Uganda's history - the 1950s through to the 1970s - Ulysses Chuka Kibuuka explores the complex workings of politico-religious relations and their points of intersection with interpersonal relations. He deals with this within the context of realities occasioned by externally imposed religious and cultural mindsets and practices, and the sputtering cauldron of contradictions and animosities that these engender. Even when these tensions claim Ssempa and Sister Julian as their victims, the tensions do not dissipate.

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