In early twentieth-century Rwanda, Catholic priests, sponsored by the European colonial powers, celebrate Yezu and Maria, forcing mass conversions upon the rural population. Meanwhile, a small band of Black American evangelists preach the imminent coming of a Black savior who will restore Rwanda to its former greatness. Their prophetess, sister Deborah, who can heal with her touch, predicts that this new Messiah will be a black woman. The women go on strike, troubles spread, the colonial troops intervene. Sister Deborah disappears; some say she was murdered, others that she has been reincarnated in Nairobi. The narrator, Ikirezi, sets out to investigate what really happened to Sister Deborah, soon finding that her own life has been put in danger, and leading her to an agonizing choice.
|
