James Foster Collection Books Review:I dreamt of Africa by Kuki Gallmann is a story of inspiration, adventure and tragedy

By ERIC SINDABI

Among the 3000 volumes of James Foster Collection at Egerton University Library, “I dreamt of Africa” by Kuki Gallmann, is a spine binding tale of unending inspiration, adventures and tragedies, all interwoven in an emotional account that leaves a reader in amazement

Kuki Gallmann's "I dreamt of Africa" book (left) is seen among other James Foster Collection books on display at the University Main Library,Njoro Campus./Eric Sindabi.

The book is all about the life of Kuki Gallmann who at an early age back in her native town of Veneto in Italy nurtured the imagination of Africa’s beauty and mystic tales, only for her dream to turn true after a life altering road accident one evening while at a night out. Crippled and traumatized from the accident, Kuki finds herself in Africa-the land of her dreams and she falls in love with her at first encounter. While quoting Beryl Markham in west with the wind, Kuki   says that she learnt what every dreaming child needs to know –that no horizon is so far, you cannot get it or beyond it!

Kuki, now divorced, with her young son Emanuele, and Paolo her new partner who is widowed, soon build a paradise in the untamed highlands of Laikipia in Kenya’s Rift valley teeming with wildlife and breathtaking landscapes from where the story unfolds. For the young family, it was a journey of hope and adaptation as they leave behind their comfortable homes, family and friends in Italy influenced by the allure of the raw and unpredictable African beauty. Indeed the book, in a vivid and candid chronology of events, portrays the challenges of living an adventurous life away from home, but under a backdrop of a determination to build harmony with fate, nature and the people around it.

Kuki’s life is not unfamiliar with tragedies and misfortunes, as she seems to confess that she is a believer in premonitions. The death of her husband in a grisly road accident along Mombasa - Nairobi highway is soon followed by her son’s tragic death from a venomous bite of one of his pet snakes. Both her husband and son predicted their untimely deaths while she always sensed a misfortune before it struck. She is left shattered, living the life of a young widow in a foreign land, but determined to move on with life under whatever costs.

One interesting phenomenon about Kenya that Kuki brings out clearly in the book is that the Kenyan environment, wildlife and society are diverse and unique. The evocative and lyrical prose paints vivid images of Kenya’s magical sceneries, majestic wildlife and vibrant cultures. She notes that a child born in Kenya is bound to enrich its experience of life from the cosmopolitan community of all races and ethnicity. Nevertheless, the writer boldly points out that there is an urgent need to conserve this rich heritage,. Kuki and her family for instance, apart from the stunning landscapes and wildlife of Laikipia, are fascinated by the rich culture and customs of the local indigenous communities of Pokot, Turkana, Kikuyu, Meru and Samburu people who make part of her magical African dream.

Elspeth Huxley former settler and co-author of Memories of Kenya: stories from the pioneers, incidentally also among the James Foster Collection at Egerton University Library, in her review of Kuki’s book wrote: “Her book brings so vividly the sights and smells and spirit of that part of Kenya that is always my favourite, and awakens a nostalgia I have outgrown. Written from the heart, without restraints and generous to the reader, the book adds a memorable and vivid moving volume to the literature of Kenya”.

To an average reader I dreamt of Africa is a story of fate and destiny which each one of us is entitled, but bewildered with moving descriptions of life experiences and the natural environment set in one of Kenya’s most sought after beautiful sites. To others, the book is an emotional love letter to Africa, a continent that is overwhelmingly magical but also full of challenges. Through thick and thin, adversity and diversity, Kuki’s dream of Africa is testimony that life is fragile and full of trials, but hope, endurance, resilience can make our dreams come true but not despair.

Kuki Gallmann is an award winning author, conservationist and philanthropist who together with her daughter Sveva Gallmann runs The Gallmann Memorial Foundation based in Laikipia County, as a tribute to her late husband Paolo and son Emanuele, which promotes the conservation of wildlife, environment, and education in Kenya.