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Ciku Kimeria is a Kenyan author "Of goats and poisoned oranges" - (https://www.amazon.com/goats-poisoned-oranges-Ciku-Kimeria-ebook/dp/B00HBBWPI6), development consultant, adventurer and travel blogger (www.thekenyanexplorer.com). She writes both fiction and non-fiction focusing on African stories that need telling. She has worked on diverse pieces for various international and local publications including Quartz, Ozy, The East African etc. She has travelled to 45 countries – 16 of them in Africa. 153 countries to go and 63 territories!
"Of goats and poisoned oranges" has been extremely well received in Kenya and beyond. It tells the story of a Kenyan middle aged power couple and their complicated marriage. The novel explores issues of greed, revenge, betrayal and murder. It runs from the 1960s to 2013. It has been described as “Wicked, funny, poignant, wacky, human, a big ball of fun and danger”, “A unique and captivating book”, “Fun and intriguing”, “Impossible to put down once you start reading.”
She recently moved to Dakar, Senegal from Kenya to work on her second novel. She also works at as the Africa Communication Manager at a leading global strategy consulting firm.
She holds a B.S. in Management Science from MIT with minors in Urban Planning and International development studies.
The Story Of Nina Simone's Years Living In Liberia
In 1974, South African musical legend, Miriam Makeba, invited Nina Simone to visit Liberia. This was right around the time of the Rumble in the Jungle boxing fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman and it's accompanying musical festival which was funded by the Liberian president's brother. Nina Simone fell in love with the country, found tranquility and ended up living in Liberia for three years.
For her, the move to Liberia was a respite from a country she had long grown disillusioned with.
“The America I’d dreamed of through the sixties seemed a bad joke now, with Nixon in the White House and the black revolution replaced by disco."
She came to Liberia expecting to find peace and solace and she was not disappointed at first.
“Africa, half a world away from New York,” Simone wrote in her memoir. “Maybe I could find some peace there, or a husband. Maybe it would be like going home.”
In time though, the fantasy unraveled - amidst heartbreaks and years of not releasing any new work.
The article reminds us that Nina Simone's move to Liberia was intriguing also from a historical standpoint. Only three years after her departure from Liberia, the picture that has been painted of Monrovia - as a fun, carefree city where life is lived in beaches and bars - is quickly turned upside down.
"In the early hours of April 12, 1980, indigenous Liberian Army soldiers loyal to the 28-year-old Sergeant Samuel K. Doe stormed the Executive Mansion, disemboweling President Tolbert....Ten days later, his administration paraded 13 former government ministers through the streets of Monrovia and tied them to poles on the beach behind the Barclay Training Center, where soldiers drunk on cane juice shot each man down."
The reader is drawn into a certain place and time, but constantly reminded that what we are seeing is not the life of the ordinary Liberian, but that of the privileged. By the end, the reader realizes that this is not only a story about Nina Simone, but one on Liberia.
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