butterfly dreams//beatrice lamwaka

deeply moved by butterfly dreams, a story by ugandan writer beatrice lamwaka (pictured above) shortlisted for the caine prize. read it here. check out the other shortlisters here. --AL.

"Lamunu, we may never tell you this: we buried your tipu, spirit, when word went around that you would not come back to us. The neighbours had begun to tell us that you would never return. Bongomin, who returned after four years of abduction, said he saw your dead body bursting in the burning sun. We never believed you were dead. We also didn’t want your tipu to roam northern Uganda. We didn’t want you to come back and haunt us. Ma never believed for one moment that you were gone. It was her strength that kept us hoping that one day you would return. She said she dreamt that butterflies were telling her to keep strong. The night after the dream there were so many butterflies in the house. We thought she was running mad. We thought you had taken her mind with you."

-- Excerpt from Butterfly Dreams, by Beatrice Lamwaka