With a background in IT, she now writes about feminism
What you need to know:
- When she joined the University of Nairobi, Dommie got to discover her passion in environmental activism and feminism.
- During her second year, she joined a school-backed club called Liberal Alliance for Development Africa, where together with other members, they would engage in activities such as tree planting and donation of sanitary pads to needy girls in the society.
To be a good writer, one must also be an ardent reader. This is a concept well engrained in the life of Lyna Dommie Namasaka. The 26-year-old with a professional background in IT and finance wears many hats, but today she wears that of author and activist.
“I have had a passion for books for as long as I can remember,” she begins our engagement. “I read my fair share of literature works growing up, I still do, but if I had to pick a childhood favourite I would go with Chinua Achebe’s books.”
Besides reading, Dommie says she practiced writing from a tender age as well, and she recounts one of the highlights of her childhood writing works.
“When I was in Class Five, the school I was attending organised a writing competition that was to be graced by popular Kiswahili author and scholar, Wallah bin Wallah. We used to read text books written by him at the time, so excitement was running high. The competition was open to the whole school and he would be given the best compositions and inshas from each class. So imagine my joy when I turned out to be the winner for best composition overall!”
When she joined the University of Nairobi, Dommie got to discover her passion in environmental activism and feminism. During her second year, she joined a school-backed club called Liberal Alliance for Development Africa, where together with other members, they would engage in activities such as tree planting and donation of sanitary pads to needy girls in the society.
“I kept writing, even through my high school years. I would write whatever came to mind, whether it was fiction or the personal experiences I was going through, or just social topics that piqued my interest. I had written a few articles on the topic of feminism, and when in third year, I decided to submit one to a Ghana-based publication when there was an opening. They liked the piece and that was the beginning of my writing journey on the topic.”
On February 15 this year, as she was celebrating her birthday, Dommie released her first published book titled Because We Are People (for the African feminist discourse). It is a book explaining the very existent African misogynistic structures, and their social, economic and political effects on men and women. It explains how these societal creations are founded on the base belief that women aren’t people deserving of the humanity accorded to men, and how socialisation is the way to entirely alter these dynamics.
“This book is just something I had to get off my chest. I find arguments for or against feminism to be quite shallow sometimes. We especially tend to overlook arguments for feminism, ones that disparage men rather than champion for the uplifting of women, and I felt the need to address this.
“I also wanted to portray how our socialisation is the basis of all social inequalities, and not just those affecting women but society as a whole.” She adds that the book was inspired and shaped by personal experiences, as well as conversations and information she picked along the way, for instance, debates among her friends on feminism.
Besides the focus on the feminist discourse, Dommie believes she is a fictional writer at heart, and she has been working on her first fictional novel which is to be released in September this year.
“I grew up reading stories about the African society, but fiction stories nonetheless. Drawing on this as inspiration, I started working on a book, That Rollercoaster Ride. Then in November 2020, I saw calls to submit manuscripts for possible publication by an international company. I took a chance and submitted the first three chapters alongside the other details they had requested, and two months later they reached out to say they were interested in my book! At that time I had not even finished writing it, but right now the book is in its final stages of development and publication.”
The book is a fictional love story that is based in the 80’s Kenya and features two main characters – a military man and his lover. It follows their journey as it unfolds, leading up to some treacherous and questionable decisions.
“I want to tell African stories in a fun way, and my desire is to connect with people through fictional stories. So I believe and hope that this is just a first step in a long journey ahead.”
On the place of authors in our society, Dommie says, “I do not think a lot of people in Kenya value writing as a talent. I’d attribute this to the lack of understanding on just how much it takes to actually come up with a written piece. The time, the energy, the reworks and editing. We also face a major challenge in terms of copyright. Many people buy books off the street without bothering whether they are copyrighted or not.”
Dommie notes that there are savvy writers out there. “All that is lacking for these talented minds to rise to the pedestals that they actually deserve to be on is support.”
