Known for her award-winning BBC Radio 4 series, “Becoming Njambi,” and the recent hit, ‘Black Black,’ Njambi has not only conquered stages at Soho Theatre and Edinburgh but has also collaborated with Comedy Central and featured in a Just For Laughs comedy special.
Recipient of the 2019 Hackney Empire New Act Of The Year (NATYS) Award, Njambi is a familiar voice on BBC Radio 4 and a sought-after political commentator, making appearances on Channel 4, BBC One, Broadcasting House, and LBC. Alongside her stand-up success, she adds scriptwriter to her repertoire.
Having performed across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, Njambi is set to mark another milestone with her debut novel, ‘Rinsing Mũkami’s Soul,’ releasing on February 22, 2024, via Jacaranda. Join us as we uncover the laughter, insight, and creativity that define Njambi McGrath’s remarkable career.
Your determination to tell the African narrative is evident. How does Rinsing Mũkami’s Soul align with this mission?
For the last several hundred years, the West has hijacked and shaped Africa’s narrative, presenting us as a monolith of either uncultured savages or recipient of charity, seeking salvation from Europeans. We are placed in neat one dimension black and white categories. We are other. To be feared and looked down upon. Yet Africans are like everyone else, are complex humans with wants, desire and motives. Mũkami is a studious girl with goals which are derailed by sexual assault and subsequent pregnancy. These are the issues that afflict girls and women round the world. Whether in Ireland, America or Bolivia, same issues different continents.
What inspired you to tackle such challenging themes in this novel?
Although this book was written during the lock down, reproductive rights have been at the forefront of patriarchy and suppression of women for years. Subsequently, when the American supreme court overturned Roe V Wade, it’s ramifications reverberated round the world. Many countries round the world are influenced by what America does. American stance on reproduction rights entrenches laws created in colonial Africa that were unequal and unjust. Abortion is illegal in Kenya and ½ a million girls die or have life changing injuries in unsafe abortion practices. Sexual assault is a global pandemic! Many girls and women in Kenya fall foul of the two with little ability to control their destiny. It was important for me to bring these issues to the limelight.
The novel addresses intense issues such as sexual assault and unsafe abortions. Can you discuss the significance of exploring these topics within the context of the African Narrative, and how you aim to contribute to important conversations through your storytelling?
A lot of the chaos in Africa today stem from the colonial era where rape was used as a weapon of war. Swathes of young people were and still are imbued with the normalisation of rape. This combined with colonial laws based on Victorian England, still affect how ordinary Kenyan’s live. Before colonialism girls were sheltered by the tribes. Everyone was educated on decency and respect of women. Girls and boys were also given space for safe sexual experimentation through erotism. Colonialism destroyed the cohesiveness of the tribes. Men and women were separated where they endured torture and rape. In post colonialism, everyone was left to get on with it without the structures of support. When colonisers left, they left a corrupted traumatised people with no cohesion which means countless girls and women are in Mũkami’s position. I would like people to see and acknowledge the role Europeans played in shaping modern Africa.
Mũkami’s character undergoes significant challenges, from assault to unexpected pregnancy. How did you approach portraying her resilience in the face of adversity, and what message do you hope readers take away from her journey?
Many Africans face adversity daily. It’s a way of life and people have to get on with their lives. Mũkami’s pragmatism is one that I recognize so well in people I have known. Whilst people in the West have their governments to fall back on, people like Mũkami has no one so must do everything for themselves. When push comes to shove, humans are resilient and will find ways to escape their predicament.
The novel delves into the socio-economic challenges facing girls seeking safe abortions. How do you hope the novel will shed light on these issues, and what impact do you anticipate it having on discussions surround women’s rights and healthcare in Africa?
Healthy and safe women are the backbone of any society. Women’s productive rights are still being discussed round the world without ever involving African women. I hope that this book spotlights the issues not so alien to people round the world. I hope Africans themselves can start reclaiming their narrative and focusing on Afrocentric approaches in re-education of men and holding them accountable.
Your career spans comedy, radio and literature. How do these diverse aspects of your creative identity inform each other, and how did you experiences as a comedian influence the writing of this novel?
They are interrelated. They are different aspects of the same thing. I’d say they complement each other and reach different people. A lot of my humour comes from painful places and where there’s pain there’s humour. Even in Mũkami’s predicament.
Mũkami’s story is set against a backdrop of societal judgement and threats. How do you navigate the balance between storytelling and addressing serious societal issues in your work?
The two aspects do coexist in the same arena. Often people are in insecure living conditions whilst overcoming some other crisis be it disease or other misfortune. Those caught up in housing crises are not immune to other life hustles. Housing crisis affects all countries round the world. For most, we are one paycheck or natural disaster away from homelessness. The one thing that unifies different societies is judgment. People are inherently judgemental.
You’ve performed across Europe, Africa and the Middle East. How has your global perspective influenced the narrative in Rinsing Mũkami’s Soul? And what unique elements do you believe you bring to African storytelling?
My travel has illuminated the commonality of global issues. Women round the world whether in America, Kenya, Afghanistan, Iran, are bound by their struggles. The best narrator of the story is the person who has lived it. I have lived breathed life in Kenya therefore bring authenticity and a perspective rare allowed to be seen.
Your debut novel comes after your critically acclaimed memoir Through the Leopards Gaze. How did your experiences, both personal and professional, share the creation of this novel, and do you see any common threads between the two works?
Absolutely. Both are 2 sides of the same coin. The research that I did with my memoir was relevant to Mũkami’s story. Writing my first book illuminated the creative process I never thought I possessed. It also gave me the confidence to run with the story. I’d overcome a barrier in people’s minds which stops them from writing. And that’s whether anyone will read the book. I knew from my experience that there’ll always be someone interested in hearing your story.
The novel’s protagonist, faces a complex moral dilemma. Without giving away too much, can you discuss the evolution of her character and the decisions she makes in the story?
Every experience we encounter in life alters our perception in some way or another. People can have staunch believes of certain things and it’s only when they are confronted with scenarios out of their comfort zone do they begin to see things in a whole new light.
