SHARJAH, 17th January, 2026 (WAM) -- Rwandan author Scholastique Mukasonga has spoken about how the 1994 events in Rwanda and the loss of 37 members of her family led her to write her first novel, Our Lady of the Nile, during an in-conversation session at the second edition of the Sharjah Festival of African Literature (SFAL).

Titled after the novel, the session highlighted how Mukasonga turned to writing as a way to preserve memory and confront trauma. Set in a girls' boarding school in Rwanda in the early 1970s, the novel explores ethnic divisions, education, womanhood and belonging, rather than directly addressing the conflict itself.

Born in Rwanda in 1956, Mukasonga grew up amid ethnic tensions that forced her family into exile in the Bugesera region. She later fled to Burundi before settling in France in 1992. Our Lady of the Nile won several major literary awards, including the Renaudot Prize in 2012, and was adapted into an award-winning film in 2019.

Speaking to session moderator Abdul Karim Hanif, Mukasonga said she feared losing details of memory and needed an outlet, despite having no formal background in novel writing. Drawing on Rwanda's oral storytelling traditions, she developed her literary voice and encouraged others to follow a similar path. She added that the success of her work continues to motivate her to write biographies and short stories, noting that she now visits Rwanda annually.

On the same day, a panel titled The Book Beyond Borders: African Stories in Translation examined the global reach of contemporary African literature. Panellists Kola Tubosun and Ayalneh Mulatu Abeje discussed the influence of African voices worldwide and the challenges translators face in preserving cultural context. The session was moderated by Toyin Akanni.

Another panel discussion focused on The Publishing Industry in Africa and the UAE, with Goretti Kyomuhendo and Ali Al Shaali addressing issues including distribution, funding, international partnerships and digital transformation in publishing.

Held under the theme The African Way, the Sharjah Festival of African Literature 2026 is organised by the Sharjah Book Authority and runs from 14th to 18th January at University Hall Square in Sharjah.