This book was a good solid read. In Africa we meet a dying mother worried about her sons fate as well as A native family that was displaced, because the greedy, wanted their land. We also meet a number of characters who joined an organization, to help the Africans who are in need. This read was enjoyable, with a lot of characters to keep track of. I was glad to be reading on my kindle so I could perform a search periodically, to see who these people were.

A very complex book, dealing with, among other things, the displaced people of Africa and India. The voices here are compelling and worth listening to. Well done!

There is a large amount of personal experience i see running parallel to this book. Enjoyed it a lot.

Opening with a story of demolition of a slum in India: wiping out historic and familial ties, and being part of the childhood history of Anjali, one of the voices in this story. Now in Africa, she is working with the Aanke people, who have received notice to vacate their traditional lands (and industry) to make way for a cocoa plantation. Here I where Fatimah’s story comes forward as she is determined to fight both the eviction and the lack of planning for her people’s resettlement. Here is where the story actually becomes one of multiple dimensions: the poorer being moved in the name of progress: their limited options and resources to fight, or perhaps even survive the battle that foreshadows the loss of traditions and history.

The beauty of the landscape is presented through Anjali’s eyes, giving those unfamiliar with the country a sense of place and allowing the imagination to fill in moments with visual references, exploring the diversity from one place to another: not just in traditions and tribes, but in the landscape that helped to form and provide for them. But, this is ultimately about the challenges- both as an aid worker in the country, but the struggles between progress, profit and people – and raises questions about the ability of traditions existing with progress, or if one necessarily overtakes and consumes the other.

All four of the voices here have a different view and priority, and these will clash often as the personal interest is often in conflict or opposite to the view that is ‘best for the group’, and there is no denying that poverty and thus the political power that does not exist without a strong financial backing are huge players in this tale, and sometimes there is just no way that everyone will come out winning. An interesting and thoughtful story that should be on your shelf, for these issues will become more prevalent world-wide as progress in the name of profits continue to rule – and seeing the impact, small and large, is important in informing your stance.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href= https://wp.me/p3OmRo-9FT/”> <a> I am, Indeed </a>

How much is individual, family, clan or national identity dependent upon the physical location and configuration of the land people call their home? What happens to a person's or group's sense of themselves when they're forced out of their homes? Land for Fatimah by Veena Gokhale uses the setting of the late 20th century, first in India, then in the eastern region of the African continent to explore the aftermath of colonial imperialism for the indigenous peoples.

Despite the compelling thematic hooks in the prologue and initial chapters, the author's choice of Anjali, a philanthropic foreigner, as the main narrator seems to continue the colonial imperialist tradition of not empowering indigenous people to narrate their own stories "against the kind of oppression that leads to obliteration of that other story, of those other stories." [page257]

The writing style and narrative pace make Land for Fatimah a brisk read.

This book has varied settings inasmuch as one of the main characters, Anjali, is an Anglo-Canadian, posted to Africa to work for a non-profit organisation. The action opens with a description of events that happened in India and when Anjali is placed in Africa she is confronted with issues that she witnessed when she was young in India – namely the forcible destruction of makeshift slum dwellings leaving the inhabitants damaged and denied even the most primitive of shelter and forced to move on.

Anjali is faced with all the difficulties of a charity based in Canada but operating in Africa, India etc. Her placement is difficult as she must find her way through the bureaucracy and the different personalities she encounters. As acting Executive Director she must deal with her colleague, Grace who patronises and opposes her although she is in a lower position than Anjali. As a single mother Anjale also has to worry about her son. Her maid, Mary is seriously ill and is anxious about the future of her son, Gabriel. Finally there is Fatimah whose community has experienced the destruction of their home and been ousted from their land and suffers the anxiety of the displaced poor who rely on the government to compensate them for the seizure of their land.

For me the most moving part of the book was the description of the destruction of the slum homes and the lack of concern and support provided by the Government. I also found the whole business of researching, reporting and trying to find the way through all the bureaucracy and being circumscribed by the non-profit organisation’s procedures and protocol very frustrating.

That said, I apologize to the author, but I cannot say that I enjoyed this book. There were times when I became more involved but on the whole I was left feeling confused and disappointed. I don’t think it helped having various languages with the necessary translation. I am sure it is very clever, but just left me frustrated. At the end I just felt ‘is that it, then?’ but maybe that is the point. No matter how many good intentions you have, sometimes you just can’t win against the system.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

A story set in Africa will always capture my attention. I'm African and when I read books set in Africa, I'm overprotective of the people, culture and more so of the fact that it tells of a place in a continent I reside in. This book tackles one of the most contentious issues in Africa- land. It begins with a demolition in one of the slums in India and then next the author takes us through a drive in Africa in the region where Anjali works. The story then picks up on the Aanke, Fatimah's people, who receive a notice to vacate their ancestral land to pave way for a cocoa plantation and there's no talk about re-settlement and the battle is far from over when Fatimah meets Anjali.
This book had a very slow start for me. I'd have preferred to have the chapter on the notice to vacate given to the Aanke people come first, it's vibrant and from the get-go, it was easy to identify with Fatimah as being insightful, astute and courageous.
I'd have the opening story on demolition of a slum in India as part of a conversation as though Anjali was remembering something about her childhood.
The extensive description of the lands as they drive through to where the organization Anjali works for was too much, I did not take to that and coupled with the slow start, I might have rolled my eyes once or twice.
I'm grateful to NetGalley for ARc because this made for a good read and land rights and issues in Africa is not an easy topic to tackle and in fiction, the author succeeds in not only portraying the challenges the displaced people face, but how their identity is affected and also how an outsider who is trying to help gets caught in the web of lies and intimidation.