The Mermaid Of Msambweni And Other Stories

Half-girl and half-fish, the mermaid is a fascinating creature of the imagination. So is the short story. Brief and compact, always striving for the most economical way to make a point, short stories attract, tease and reward our attention with sweet and startling revelations. The Mermaid of Msambweni is an anthology that brings to us all these riches of the short story.

Sampling stories from all over the African continent, this selection gives the reader incisive insight into a wide variety of human emotions, struggles, tragedies and triumphs. The guiding principle in selecting each of the stories has been the element of relevance to the interests of young adults struggling for a clear understanding of their increasingly complicated world. Indeed, all the stories directly address most of the crucial problems in contemporary society: HIV/AIDS, environmental responsibility, civil wars in Africa, gender equality and female emancipation, corruption, the oppression and exploitation of the poor, care for orphans and the crisis of African identity in the face of the seductive lure of the western world.

The editors help the potential readers to enjoy and benefit from their reading by providing a detailed guide on how to read and interpret the stories. A full analysis of the title story is also provided as further guidance to literary technique. Each story is followed by a few questions to help readers reflect systematically on the content, themes and styles of the texts.