Cry of the Owl
Deng, F.M. (1989). Cry of the Owl
. New York City: Lillian Barber Press.
OVERVIEW
(Download Cry of the Owl overview as a PDF)
Issues in this novel include cultural, religious, and political conflict, tribalism, intercultural marriage and blood ties, and future hope for African unity.
The central character, Bol Malek, is the surviving son of a southern Sudanese chief. Captured along with his mother by marauding Northerners, Bol grows up knowing his own and his tribal identity, sufferings, and aspirations.
Though lamed for life, Bol is sent to missionary schools in the South and North because of his keen intelligence. His contact with Christianity and Muslim produce in him a forward-looking, unique, and unorthodox view of life.
Bol’s love affair with the fascinating Fadheela, who comes from the renowned family of a Northern politician, complements his own views and complicates his life. Youthful impetuousness and family misunderstandings bring them to near ruin.
Poverty and attending complications of cultural and civil strife, found in many countries like Sudan, are graphically described in this story. The book’s surprising ending highlights struggle and hope—the painful legacy of cultural animosities and ignorance that must be overcome in order to achieve a unified, secure, and prosperous future for the new societies of Africa.
- The issues and problems of Africa must be felt before they may be properly understood and discussed. Knowledge without feeling and perspective is dangerous—as is passion without reason. Crosscultural understanding can be deepened by reading this book.
- For those who are interested in more of the Dinkan and Sudanese conflict, several books by Francis Mading Deng are recommended:
- Deng, F.M. (1987, 2nd ed.). Tradition and Modernization: A Challenge for Law Among the Dinka of Sudan. New Haven & London: Yale University Press.
- Deng, F.M. (1986). Seed of Redemption: A Political Novel. NewYork City: Lilian Barber Press.
- Deng, F.M. (1987). Search for Peace & Unity in the Sudan.
- Deng, F.M. (1988). The Man Called Deng Majok
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