By The African Fire (Paperback)

"By the African Fire" is a collection of six short stories for children. The bonfire was always a special place in any homestead. When special feasts had to be marked, the family shared a meal together around this fire; celebrations meant dancing and singing around the bonfire; when death struck, the mourners gathered there to comfort each other; and when it was time to tell a story, or to teach traditions, the younger ones sat down, by the fire, at the feet of the elders. These fiction stories relay the fireside experience that has brought much joy and learning to generations of African children. The richness of the experience with its strong appeal to the imagination is a pleasure to partake again and again. Herein, the reader is invited to share a timeless treasure. Julius Sseremba has been writing since 2002. He is a fellow of the Crossing Borders writing development program. He has written for The Monitor and The New Vision (the two leading dailies in Uganda) and a number of publications inside, and outside, Uganda. He was also part of a core group of Ugandan writers that pioneered Radiophonics, a ground-breaking series of social, radio dramas sponsored by the British Council and broadcast over Radio Sanyu in Kampala. He is presently a writing consultant with Deft Communications, a communications consultancy he started, in Kampala, where he lives. His major interests are fiction (prose/poetry), biographies/journaling and technical writing (science and business). He holds an undergraduate degree in Chemistry from Makerere University. by the african fire is his first published work of fiction.