Latest news with #Mbabazi
Toronto Star
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Toronto Star
Novelist Iryn Tushabe on the wonder of Toni Morrison and considering Heathcliff as boyfriend material
May 4, 2025 5 min read Save By Jean Marc Ah-Sen Special to the Star Aine Kamara has long suspected that her sister Mbabazi, newly returned from Canada after finishing a degree in Gynaecologic Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, might be gay. Aine worries for her sister's safety considering Uganda's draconian anti-homosexuality laws, and clashes with her mother about Mbabazi's sexuality. 'In this world we must do what is hard to show that we love what is good,' Mama opines. 'If we don't show your sister that we hate her sin, she will stay in it, and she will rot in it.' After losing her faith and realizing that her mother's Orthodox Christian household is too restrictive — in addition to Mbabazi, they argue about whether Danish theologian Søren Kierkegaard's body of work can be considered religious writing — Aine leaves for the capital. In Kampala, she gets to know Mbabazi's lover Achen, confirming that the couple are defying the law at the risk of life imprisonment or worse. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Related Stories Here's why fashion writer and memoirist Christian Allaire loves reading both Britney Spears and Joan Didion This acclaimed Toronto novelist wrote a serious book about standup comedy. You may be surprised by what she loves and hates to read 'How to Survive a Bear Attack' author Claire Cameron on the books she loves and the ones she doesn't (sorry, Harry Potter) Report an error Journalistic Standards About The Star More from The Star & partners
CBC
13-02-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Everything is Fine Here by Iryn Tushabe
Eighteen-year-old Aine Kamara has been anticipating a reunion with her older sister, Mbabazi, for months. But when Mbabazi shows up with an unexpected guest, Aine must confront an old fear: her beloved sister is gay in a country with tight anti-homosexuality laws. Over a weekend at Aine's all girls' boarding school, sisterly bonds strengthen, and a new friendship emerges between Aine and her sister's partner, Achen. Later, a sudden death in the family brings Achen to Mbabazi's and Aine's home village, resulting in tensions that put Mrs. Kamara's Christian beliefs to the test. She issues an ultimatum, forcing Mbabazi to make a difficult choice, but Aine must too. Unable to convince Mama to reconsider, Aine runs away to Mbabazi's and Achen's home in Kampala. There she reconnects with Elia, the sophomore at Makerere University she's had a crush on for a while. (From House of Anansi Press) Everything is Fine Here is available in April 2025. Iryn Tushabe is a Ugandan Canadian writer and journalist based in Regina. Her writing has appeared in publications such as Briarpatch Magazine, Adda, Grain Magazine, The Walrus and CBC Saskatchewan. She won the City of Regina writing award in both 2020 and 2024, and was a finalist for the Caine Prize for African Writing in 2021. In 2023, she won the Writers' Trust McClelland & Stewart Journey Prize. She was longlisted for the CBC Nonfiction Prize in 2016.
