Going Home

Going Home is a story told in the voice of a political refugee living in South Africa. It investigates the life of one particular immigrant, Mpanda from Angola, and his experiences of trying to make the best of being an unemployed foreign national in South Africa.

There are four parts to the narrative. Part One: Mpanda is arrested and sent to the Lindela Repatriation Centre. Part Two: We learn of Mpandas story: his return home to Angola from Zaire, his relationship with a woman called Isabel, his political involvement and embarrassment and his final decision to flee to South Africa. In Part Three, we follow his life as a refugee in South Africa. Finally in Part Four he is freed from detention and allowed to go back home to Yeoville

Going Home is a very moving debut novel, revealing the anguish of a man trying to survive in a country where nobody allows him to belong. Going home is a constant search for a home.

Simao Kikamba is without a doubt a leading new voice in Southern African writing.

Paperback. English. Kwela. 2005. Good Condition.