E H Kana

Grains of Sand E H Kana

E. H Kana is the pen name, the nom de plume, the nom de guerre of the author, E. H Mutubuki. The experiences, the incidents and characters described though based on real events and people, are all fictitious. So any coincidence in name or character is mere accident and not intended. So noone should take offence at all. All the same, there is a lot of the author himself in the lively, dynamic and indomitable character of Dumba. For very few people commit their experiences, their memories to paper, or tell them to others. And it is from these that the essence of the horrendous life experiences as well as the joys can be distilled. As the Chinese saying aptly illustrates: a good memory is not as good as a little ink. The hardship is there, and also the heartache, but it can be muted. The overiding theme is one of exhilaration, of opportunities not to be missed, of character tempered in a crucible of adversity. Though as a human being the author, through the main character Dumba, sports inconsistency and contains every possible contradiction, those who find him vain, extravagant, obstinate, talkative, complaining and pained are no less right than those who think that he is modest, courageous, intelligent and full of finesse. This is the writer's temperament, allowing him to depict every condition of the human experience, of the human heart. Whilst the name Dumba epitomises shelter, hospitality, comfort in the face of hostile natural and human-made elements, the name Una constitutes the four-sum of the African cherished qualities of unity, purity, uprightness, humility, vis-a-vis strength in the turbulance of life. Both names draw a lot from the good emulative qualities of the universal ideal personality: selfless, humble, wise, resilient, humorous, patient, incorruptable, exemplary, loyal yet totally independent. The two names epitomise the capability to withstand and endure tempests, the harsh weather, the storms and hurricanes of life. And on top of it the capacity to win against all odds and to celebrate the inevitable success that comes to the brave and valiant.