Kololo Hill

Product Information

Today, Kololo is a vibrant neighborhood renowned for its serene beauty, its diplomatic community and its variety of cultural attractions.

I loved the characters, comprising newly married Pran and Asha, Pran’s brother and Pran’s parents. Shah explores the dynamics of these relationships with great sensitivity. Asha and Pran’s marriage is already complicated by the keeping of secrets and this plays beautifully into the growing tensions. I particularly enjoyed Jaya, Pran’s mother, and the layered relationship she had with their loyal houseboy. How do you learn to navigate new landscapes and languages, building alternative lives to the ones they've always known? I’m drawn to the themes of home and belonging. I want to explore what it’s like to have your heart and your mind in more than one culture or country yet feel like you’re part of them both. I find that I also write a lot about freedom, independence and what it is to be an outsider How do you wind down?

Tracing her ancestry Jaya reflects on the halcyon days of life in Kololo identifying the harmony across religions in Kampala, that is quite unlike the situation in Gujarat, India A Toni Morrison quote has also spurred me on to write: ‘If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.’⁠ A moving portrayal of a family uprooted from a life they have worked so hard for. At times devastating, I found myself gripped to this story rooted in our history yet scarily still relevant.' - Louise Hare, author of This Lovely City Utterly heartbreaking and so moving... a thoughtful reflection on what home and belonging mean.' - Haleh Agar, author of Out of Touch

The writing is even-handed yet moving, telling the tale of young Jean Campbell who is arrested for being seen throwing her baby in the River Clyde. It's based on a landmark case and brings the period to life incredibly well, I felt I was walking the streets of Edinburgh and Glasgow alongside the characters! If they had a choice, in 1972, to either remain Ugandan and stay in their much-loved homes or retain their British passports and leave – would they have chosen to stay? Academic, I know. Kololo Hill offers a glimpse into a terrifying and fascinating period of history. Neema Shah evokes Amin's Uganda and early 1970s suburban England with both nuance and a fresh and wonderful vivacity. This is a book with a huge amount of heart; I was entirely captured by the stories of Asha, Jaya and Vijay. Their dreams and dilemmas resonate with many of today's key questions around culture, identity and the places - and people - we can each call 'home'.' - Joanne Sefton, author of The Guilty Friend I used to be a one-book woman. When I started writing, that all changed. I tend to have a research book on the go, plus a few novels. Right now, I’m reading the 7 Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid, People Like Us by Louise Fein, Elevator Pitch by Linwood Barclay and I recently finished Monster Souls by Rebecca Kelly. What do Ugandans know about the lives of Indians in Uganda before they were expelled by Idi Amin in 1972? Very little, if at all. A few that do will probably reference Mira Nair’s 1991 film Mississippi Masala , which tells the story of an Indian family’s travails in the USA after leaving Uganda.Shah’s book has been lauded for its description of what it means to be uprooted from one’s home, and have to start again in a strange land. But what kind of home was it? When Uganda became independent in 1962, Asians were given the choice to become either citizens of Uganda, or Britain. Allegedly, he cried out in Luo, “An atye kany kololo,” translating to “I am here alone,” expressing his lamentation at being abandoned in the wilderness far from home. The captors and the Baganda, influenced by Awich’s words, adopted the term “Kololo” to refer to the location and the hill. That’s how this upscale neighbourhood in Kampala persisted to this day. Also read: COP28: What’s at stake for Africa at the UN Climate Summit Contributions should be travel related. The most helpful contributions are detailed and help others make better decisions. Please don’t include personal, political, ethical, or religious commentary. Promotional content will be removed and issues concerning Booking.com’s services should be routed to our Customer Service or Accommodation Service teams.

This is a novel about home, about belonging and exile; a compelling and complex insight into a recent past that still resonates.'- Irish Times I loved the way the family dynamics were portrayed in this book, I felt like because the Gujrati tradition is so close to my own tradition, I enjoyed it a lot more. I even absolutely loved Asha’s character, everything about her character is just *chef’s kiss* because the way she confronted things and moved forward was commendable. I loved the book until 50% and after that quite a few things went down the hill for me.Kololo is in Central Division in Kampala. It is Uganda’s most prestigious neighbourhood housing a huge number of high-ranking expats. Wealthy Ugandans reside here. Conclusion The mall is a few meters away from the hub, known as Kisimenti, which is the location of Krsna Mart Complex, a mall that has a Millennium Supermarket; a number of shopping clubs, including Sky Lounge and Cielo Lounge; and a variety of restaurants, such as Que Pasa, which serves Mexican fare, and Meza, which is known for its shawarma, kebabs and falafel. It is 1972 and Uganda’s ruthless leader, Idi Amin, has decreed that all Ugandan Asians have to leave the country in 90 days. Kololo Hill explores this real-life crisis through the experience of a fictional family, from the perspectives of the three key characters, Asha, Vijay and Jaya.

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It serves Thai food and has a sheesha (hookah) lounge as well,” Ms. Bandali said. “The food is consistently good, and service is up to the mark.” neemashahauthor beautifully captures the lives of immigrants, their emotions while leaving everything behind and adapting to a new culture and country. Her words will keep you hooked from the beginning, take you on a trip to the radiant land of Uganda and make you wonder what home really means to you.