By Ogova Ondego
Published August 12, 2023
Black Madonna by David Maillu is a short novel that can be read in a single sitting.
Yes, but is it possible for such a novel to tackle subjects as diverse as Fate, Religion, Race, Relationships, Family, Identity, Philanthropy, History and Adventure satisfactorily?
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Well, you have got to read the 152-page novel by David Maillu that is published by Moran Publishers of Nairobi to get the answer. But what is undeniable is the fact that the story shall leave the reader yearning for more as it has a surprise ending.
Oh. Was Jesus white or black? Was Virgin Mary, his mother, white or black? Why are there black images (statues and paintings) of the Virgin Mary and Jesus in many European countries? How, then, did images of Jesus become white? Was Jesus an African, an Arab or a European? Does it matter what colour he was?
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Perhaps these are the questions Black Madonna sets out to answer through a United States of America-based Kenyan scholar who is returning home to receive something invaluable from his dying father but unforeseen circumstances confine him to a ward in a British hospital where he meets a South African nurse who has accompanied her ailing uncle to the same facility; this predicament sets the pace for an unexpected love story that runs through the novel alongside attempts by the establishment that is hellbent on changing the history of Christianity and denying the black race any contribution to the world’s leading faith that is based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.
As the story rushes to its conclusion, the reader witnesses how manipulative philanthropy, big donor money and dominant culture conspire against the weak in denying them a voice and perspective on global agenda.
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But, I daresay, family, romance and relationships seem to be the fulcrum around which everything in this novel revolves.
Do get your copy of Black Madonna by David Maillu for Sh500 from any bookshop in Nairobi and discover how church and race secrets dating back to 189 AD shake the Roman Catholic Church to its core.
