The name of lawyer Rachael Twinomugisha, popularly known as auntie Rrech has been heard by many in Kampala and beyond for a while.
Apart from other things she does, Twinomugisha is freshest children’s literature publisher in Kampala.
She launched her highly sought out book: Muniini, The Weeping Bean last week.
The catchy title has got many people wondering what the story could be about.
She affirmed during an interview at the launch that the book simply personifies a bean for children to relate with easily.
The dynamic lawyer said that her goal at the end of the day is that a child out there sheds off all the bad energy that comes with public opinion.
This includes the ridicule and self hate that usually come along with rejection from children’s mates and seniors.
Asked why she choose this line of writing, one that is not common for children’s stories, Rachael says “the time is ripe for this.”
“The Covid-19 pandemic came with diverse effects, including the exposure of children to situations they barely knew of.
Most of them have not attended school for almost two years now (for the case of Uganda),” she said.
She said that while at home, these children wonder what lies ahead for the dreams they had.
“Think of a child that is bullied in his community, one that is overworked at home, mistreated by family, or house helps, etc. Time is ripe for all these children to get to read a book that gives them hope, a book that shows, or reminds them that they are defined beyond their bodily or physical abilities or potentials,” the author said.
“The children need to know that they have a strength in them that could help them beat even those that may intimidate them; including people and situations.”
As to what inspired her to write this book, Racheal says that having dealt with children for a while, she learnt that they too go through as much mental turmoil as the adults do.
“The difference here is that if it is an adult causing it, for example, then they will lose trust in all adults, and will never open up,” she said.
“This only worsens the case,” Twinomugisha said.
She went on: “I remember accidentally landing on a letter one of my pupils at Tale Time Africa had written to himself, crying out that his mother beat him and shouted at him so much, and that because of that, my pupil was never going to be friends with his mother.
Of course, I was first taken aback because I didn’t see this coming from a nine year old.”
Twinomugisha said that she wondered if it was just a quick reaction to an anger that the pupil wrote the letter.
“I started observing his behaviour and noticed that if he wasn’t all by himself while the rest of the pupils played, he would be the one causing chaos; disturbing everyone,” she said.
“This was a clear notice to me that he needed help, and that many children out there needed help, too.”
Asked if she would be writing more interesting stories for the African child, Rachael stresses that her heart beats after the African child, and African literature.
“The preservance and furtherance of this, is reason for starting Tale Time Africa, the African Child’s Story School,” she said.
She regrets not having had an opportunity of joining such a school as a child, and looks sadly back to all the content she would have created as the bright child she were.
“My biggest joy at Tale Time was in November 2020 when one of my pupils’ stories: Isabella, seven years old was published in the Writers Space Africa monthly magazine.
The youngest they had published before was a thirteen year old Tanzanian girl.
“Isabella won my heart with her fictional creation that also had a number of useful lessons,” Twinomugisha said.
Twinomugisha also writes young adults literature.
She is the founder and managing director of Tale Time Africa, and the assistant country coordinator of Writers Space Africa-Uganda (WSA-UG).
The former PRO, WSA-UG, Rachael believes in, and advocates for the perseverance and furtherance of the African story.
She is a lawyer by profession and an aspiring educationist.
Muniini, The Weeping Bean can be ordered for on the Bookzera app at https://bookzeera.com/product/muniini-the-weeping-bean/.
Those in Kampala can grab their copies from Obunuzi Restaurant in Wandegeya.
The book will be available on Amazon soon, and Kenyans can wait to get themselves copies at The Writers Guild Bookshop on Hazina Towers Nairobi CBD, ground floor, suite 2A soon.
- Daniel Tusiimukye K’abaasa, a columist with The Scholar Media Africa, is a Mechanical Engineering student at Makerere University, Uganda. He is also the CEO at Iconic Publications. His contact: d.tusiimukye@scholarmedia.africa
