Review

                                            Caine Prize for African Writing 2023 Stories

Title: Peeling Time

Author: TloTlo Tsamaase

Country: Botswana

Tlotlo Tsamasse
credit: www.caineprize.com

Peeling Time is a short story that is shortlisted for the 2023 edition of the Caine Prize for African Writing. It is written by a Botswanan author, TloTlo Tsamasse.

Motsumi is a failed video producer who has, against the odds, refused to call it quit. He resorts to the use of Muthi-tech to help him defy whatever forces frustrating his success. Muthi is actually black magic that helps you achieve your goals. In West Africa, it would have been called Juju-tech.  In this case, it involves a brew that, when taken, enables the separation of body and soul. Through this, Matsumi enters the body of women, sucks their essence to recharge and build the power that enables him to succeed as a movie producer. But the women will experience problems in their lives such that anything they do fails. Eventually, they end up on life support that drains the finances of relations. In the end, relations cut off the life support so that everyone finds relief. 

Motsumi believes that, given the sophistication of Muthi-tech, he is immortal. The victims of Muthi-tech grow into a nation. They are able to find a basis to believe that Motsumi is mortal. They team up and decide to fight him. Sewela is the most used of the victims. She leads the others to fight and overcome Motsumi.    

The author likens the story to a song. Thus, the plot is broken into intro, pre-chorus, verse, and so on. If a verse discusses Motsumi for instance, it is said to feature Motsumi.

The story draws the strength of its fiction from Muthi-tech, which is delusory or a conspiracy theory of sorts. The author’s creative use of words comes with a monstrous girth and depth.

A previous winner of the prize, Tope Folarin, believes the Caine Prize for African Writing is the best short story competition in the world. It is believed that the prize has recorded a level of success a thousand miles beyond the dream of the founder, Sir Michael Caine.  It is stories like this that give credibility to this belief.  Of the five shortlisted stories, only one stays visible on the radar of history. The judges of the Caine Prize wouldn’t want this story to be forgotten.