Maciel: What inspires me to continue writing at the age of 95 years
Mervyn Maciel.
We all have a book in our mind said American author Kathryn Joyce, and “the first step is to recognise this – writing it is a whole new journey|”
My dream has always been to leave behind – not just for my immediate family, but posterity — a factual record of what life was like for Goans who ventured out into Kenya in the colonial era, especially working in the unknown wilds of what was then referred to as the Northern Frontier District (northern Kenya).
I also wanted to repay a debt to the many ordinary Kenyans whose attitude to life was so different from our own and who taught me a lot – simple people with hearts of gold. They still inspire me.
As I mentioned when I started my first series for the Weekly Review ahead of my 95th birthday in May this year, I joined Kenya’s colonial-era civil service in 1947 and worked for 20 years across the country before relocating to England.
I had heard it said that “the best way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” That’s why I lost no time in making a start.
But my dream was initially shattered by the person who I wanted to contribute the Foreword to my first book. The man was no other than Sir Richard Turnbull, my one-time Provincial Commissioner in the Northern Frontier District. He later became the acting Governor of Kenya, then the Governor of Tanganyika before being appointed the first Governor General of independent Tanganyika (later Tanzania). His last posting was as British High Commissioner to Aden.
He had known me or at least heard of me when I was in Turkana and later in Marsabit.
National newspapers
But contrary to what I had expected, Sir Richard’s response was discouraging. He told me writing a book was no easy task. His remarks put me off and the whole project lay dormant for nearly seven years. I was also in a very stressful job at the time and could give the matter no further thought. Somehow though, there was this nagging feeling within me that I should try again. I am an optimist and refuse to be discouraged so, I plucked up courage and wrote to Sir Richard again, telling him that the thought of my writing a book just won’t go away. In his response, he agreed to my request but insisted that I had to find a reputable publisher. I had never had reason to approach a publisher, but thought that when the time came, I would consult some of the national newspapers who often carried such advertisements.
The arrangement was that I would set the pages in draft form and send them to Sir Richard who was based in Scotland. This was more so that he could advise me if I had got any facts wrong, but I certainly didn’t want him to alter anything I said about the conditions in Kenya, especially the racially-structured civil service.
I must say my wife Elsie must have been very patient to put up with me at the time. Besides, I must have been a disturbance to the children since I would often come down at odd hours of the night and type out pages while my memory was still alive!
One must remember that I was typing on a portable Hermes typewriter – and no knowledge of computers or anything of the kind. It was a laborious process since with a computer, one can correct mistakes by just a click, things were quite different when it came to a portable typewriter!
I was able to finish the book in a matter of a few months. I must mention that while Sir Richard’s comments were, on the whole, encouraging, there were occasions when he would appear quite annoyed when I used words or phrases he felt were not appropriate! I accepted some of his criticism which he made in good faith.
When I had nearly finished my material I received a very encouraging letter from Sir Richard, praising me for my writing style and wishing me well in finding a suitable publisher.
I remembered using a publisher, Merlin Books of Devon, two years earlier when we published my wife’s ‘Goan Cookery Book’ and I thought I would approach the same publisher. In his reply, the publisher replied he had never published any memoirs but was prepared to ‘take a gamble’ with my effort.
Next came negotiations regarding the overall cost and so on which, with the benefit of hindsight, I find was very expensive. But I was determined to publish the book with the encouragement of my wife and children. Whatever savings I had were ploughed into the book and when the publisher heard of this, he expressed concern.
While appreciating his concern, I thought that if I gave up the idea, having come thus far, I may never be encouraged to write again! Finally, I was over the moon when I saw my own work in print ready to be shared with the world at large.
Civil servant
The book, Bwana Karani (1985) — largely about my experiences as a civil servant — was finally launched in London at the spacious Wandsworth Town Hall.
The Kenya High Commissioner, who had accepted my invitation to launch the book, had an urgent commitment and sent in his place his Press Attache Koo Ombati.
Encouraged by family and friends, my first book was born almost thirty years ago. Plaudits from former colleagues in the Kenyan civil service and others encouraged me to persevere. With ‘nudging’ from Mel D’Souza of Canada, my second book, “From Mtoto to Mzee (2014),” appeared.
My hope is that others will come forward to share their own experiences since a great slice of our lives will be lost if we don’t record our past. This will also deprive our children and grandchildren of knowing what life was in our days and how we coped. That is why I continue writing even as I approach the age of 96 years.
Kenya remains close to my heart and I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the many young people who have continued to hold the government and the church to account in their quest for a better country.
