The Sacred Passage is the story of one man’s relentless pursuit of power, the questionable tactics he uses to achieve greatness, and the destruction he leaves in his wake. Where did the idea for this novel come from?

Post-colonial Africa has witnessed a trend of leaders aspiring to be among some of the longest-serving presidents hanging on to power through dubious means and some of the examples are: Bongo, Biya, Dos Santos, Nguema, Museveni, and Nguesso. The idea was born out of this trend.

What were some of the emotional and moral guidelines you followed when developing your characters?

In my local language, we say, ‘Chikomo shata divi rimwe ritambire pwere.’ So I made sure that there must always be room for some goodness in an evil character. While an evil character has been developed in the book, I always moderated it by bringing in some good elements in an attempt to pacify a reader and lessen emotions.

What are some things that you find interesting about the human condition that you think make for great fiction?

It is the expectation of having a hero, a villain. or a happy ending which I find as a common theme. This must be spiced up with an exciting storyline. Based on the readers’ expectations, the work of fiction is cut out for a writer and what remains is which storyline will excite a reader. Is it a love story, action-packed story, family feud. or war?

What is the next book you are working on, and when will it be available?

The next book will be available for publication review in about three months. It is about a dispossessed people fighting against the oppressor to regain what they lost. Countless lives are sacrificed as a war is waged to achieve their goal. The oppressor relentlessly fights back to maintain his oppressive position.

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