Our Lady of the Nile

Our Lady of the Nile (French: Notre-Dame du Nil) is a French-language novel by Rwanda-born writer Scholastique Mukasonga, originally published in 2012 by Éditions Gallimard. It is Mukasonga's fourth book and first novel. The English-language translation, published in the United States in 2014 by Archipelago Books, was done by Melanie Mauthner, a poet and writer from the United Kingdom.
The story is about life at a Catholic boarding secondary school in Nyambinombe District, Rwanda, circa 1980, prior to the Rwandan genocide of 1994.
Christine Rousseau of Le Monde wrote that "With bitter and tense writing, Our Lady of the Nile depicts a society walking inexorably towards horror." Brian P. Kelly of The New Criterion wrote that the book "is a snapshot of the social and racial conflicts that eventually led to the 1994 massacres." Madeleine LaRue of Music & Literature wrote that "The West has indeed too often dismissed suffering in Africa, but books like Our Lady of the Nile remind us why we must not be dismissive, why we must not look away."
In 2022, the novel was included on the "Big Jubilee Read" list of 70 books by Commonwealth authors, selected to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II.
The story takes place at an all-girls lycée at the top of a hill, near the source of the Nile River. Most of the students are children of prominent government officials or wealthy businessmen. The story is set during Hutu rule, and the school has a quota that limits Tutsi students to 10% of the student body (two students per class year). Each chapter focuses on a particular event or series of events in and around the school, following the perspectives of several different students in their final year of high school.
These students and their stories include:
Other characters:
Christopher Byrd of Barnes & Noble Review stated that the novel uses a context leading up to the Rwandan massacre while also maintaining "a universal texture to the resentment, envy, and opportunism that are a part of any student body." Nick DiMartino wrote in Three Percent that Mukasonga included "chuckling good humor" and was "playful" in her writing. The novel uses many Kinyarwanda words, a feature retained in the English translation; LaRue stated that many writers in post-colonial countries intersperse words of indigenous languages into texts written in European languages, which is "interrupting" the colonial language. The English version also retains usage of some French words, such as lycée, adding what LaRue describes as "another layer of 'foreignness' to the text".
Tom Zoellner of Chapman University argued that the beginning of the novel is "too preoccupied with stage-setting".
The reviewer for Publishers Weekly wrote that the characters are distinct and that a few characters "lack overt motivation for their nastiness", and LaRue argued that some characters are "too schematic".
The book won the 2012 Prix Ahmadou-Kourouma. It also won the Prix Renaudot, the French Voices Award, and the Océans France Ô prize. Judith Rosen of Publishers Weekly ranked it as one of "The Big Indie Books of Fall 2014." In 2016, the English translation was on the shortlist for the International Dublin Literary Award.
Publishers Weekly wrote that Mukasonga "fully draws readers into the tensions, spirituality, and culture of Rwandan life from page one."
Byrd stated that the novel has an "air of foreboding consequence that imparts urgency to almost every page," and that "Mukasonga is a gifted storyteller with a sure sense of plot construction, and an aptitude for crafting piquant descriptions." However, Byrd also criticised the novel for the use of character archetypes, and for dialogue that "skews too much to blatant declarations."
Rousseau wrote that the book was "poignant and harsh."
Tom Zoellner of Chapman University stated that the book is an "outstanding work of African fiction," and that "Mukasonga is dead on target." Like Byrd, Zoellner felt that "Mukasonga’s strength is generally not in dialogue," as characters sometimes spoke in "stentorian proclamations that no self-respecting adolescent girl would attempt."
LaRue stated that "we should [...] welcome the opportunity to read Mukasonga’s work in English," despite its minor flaws (again, citing "occasionally clumsy" dialogue, as well as exposition).
John Taylor wrote in The Arts Fuse that Our Lady of the Nile is "well-constructed."
In 2014, Charlotte Casiraghi bought the film rights to the book and will be one of the producers of the novel's film adaptation. "Chapter 2," the production company run by Casiraghi's partner Dimitri Rassam, released the film Our Lady of the Nile in partnership with Les Films du Tambour, run by Marie Legrand and Rani Massalha.
The film was directed by Atiq Rahimi and stars Amanda Santa Mugabekazi, Albina Sydney Kirenga, Malaika Uwamahoro, Clariella Bizimana, Belinda Rubango Simbi, and Pascal Greggory. Its world premiere is scheduled for 5 September 2019 at the Toronto International Film Festival, where the film has been designated "Contemporary World Cinema Opening Film." It was released in the United States on May 3, 2022.
(in French)