Issa

I know their stories so well that sometimes I believe I have experienced them myself. In fact, Issa does not want to embark on this journey at all. Pregnant, she sits on the plane to Douala, driven by her mother, who fears for her daughter's life with the impending birth. In Cameroon, the country of her childhood, she is supposed to follow the healing path of rituals, under the watchful eyes of her grandmothers. But it’s not that simple when you are too black in Frankfurt and too German in Buea. The visit will force Issa to confront her own family history and the realization that both trauma and an unwavering will to love and live can be inherited. Mirrianne Mahn artfully intertwines the fates of five women whose lives are more than a century apart yet connected through the lines of colonial exploitation and the quest for self-determination. An empowering, powerful, and poignant debut. It is impressive how lovingly and sensitively Mirrianne Mahn portrays her characters.