This Earth, My Brother

In this debut novel, Kofi Awoonor brilliantly interweaves poetry and allegory into a profound tale of social corruption in post-colonial Ghana. This Earth, My Brother explores how a man can become a stranger to his tribe, his traditions, and to himself.

'The ancestors – revered now for their infinite sagacity – decreed long ago that this land, this earth, my brother, shall witness a crashing collapse.'

Rooted in the African oral tradition, This Earth, My Brother paints an account of post-independent Ghana through two distinctive narratives.

In the first strand, we find Amamu, a young lawyer who is struggling to come to terms with his place amongst the new Ghanaian elite. Frustrated by the debauchery of his peers and the misery inflicting the country, he makes the momentous decision to leave it all. During his journey across Europe, Amamu is gripped with a different kind of spiritual alienation – one that he can't run away from.

Bridging the gaps between Amamu's story are chapters of rich prose poetry that tell an allegorical tale of new Ghana. From religious suffering to yearning after mermaids, Kofi Awoonor lyrically captures the inner workings of a man's disturbed conscience and the conflicting realities of Ghana's independence.

'Wonderfully musical prose.' Guardian

'A great and powerful literary personality.' Auma Obama