MY MOONLIGHT BY KANYAMALE LUSAJO

GENRE: SHORT STORY 

TITLE: MY MOONLIGHT

WRITER: KANYAMALE LUSAJO, TANZANIA

REVIEWER: ANTHONY NWAGBAOSO ONYEADOR, NIGERIA

The story tells about the struggles of a woman who is faced with challenges so difficult to overcome and from a defeatist point of view. The scenes of unbearable battering, loss of a child, marriage against her will and expectation of a new child simultaneously plays out on the character. Should there be a solution provided, it would be gunned for effortlessly. The other principal characters: Bamako her husband, the alarmed woman and midwives did not give her support as expected. 

The story began with the central character, Elenja. She's about to expect a child and was heading for the farm as early as 5 am. She was between worlds of the baby she's heavy with and her former lover. Though she couldn't do much there, it was cut short as a woman raced with news about her son she already had, Chiko. This child is perceived to be Daniel's. Struggling to know what is on, she followed this woman to her house where it dawned on her eventually and without remorse for Chiko's death who'd been bitten by a snake. 

Next, she battled for proof which was stopped by Bamako her husband, with the battering she has been used to, at first only to find her way later and was dragged out by him, pulling her hair. Then the water broke and the moment of delivery set in with midwives to cater. Thus as she was delivering her baby girl, Chiko was lowered to the earth.

The story creates a bittersweet of a woman's travails as described at the beginning with the resilience of hope with the new child. Elenja has found a moonlight with untold future of marital life with a strong-willed but ruthless husband, work at the farm and a chauvinistic community. Time will tell when she'll eventually ponder it through.