283:, the main character, Ochola, falls under a mysterious illness which cannot be cured through medical intervention. Eventually, he turns to a medicine man to be healed. Ogot explains such thought processes as exemplary of the blending of traditional and modern understandings, "Many of the stories I have told are based on day-to-day life… And in the final analysis, when the Church fails and the hospital fails, these people will always slip into something they trust, something within their own cultural background. It may appear to us mere superstition, but those who do believe in it do get healed. In day-to-day life in some communities in Kenya, both the modern and the traditional cures coexist."
296:"The Empty Basket", where the bravery of the main female character, Aloo, is contrasted by the failings of the male characters. Though her wits and self-assertion, Aloo overcomes a perilous situation with a snake, while the men are stricken by panic. It is only after she rebukes and shames the men that they are roused to destroy the snake. In Ogot’s short stories, the women portrayed often have a strong sense of duty, as demonstrated in "The Rain Came", and her works regularly emphasise the need for understanding in relationships between men and women.
279:, mythologies, and oral traditions. This theme is at the forefront in "The Rain Came", a tale that was related to Ogot in her youth by her grandmother, whereby a chief's daughter must be sacrificed to bring rain. Furthermore, Ogot’s short stories juxtapose traditional and modern themes and notions, demonstrating the conflicts and convergences that exist between the old ways of thought and the new. In
307:. They really couldn't understand how a Christian woman could write such stories, involved with sacrifices, traditional medicines and all, instead of writing about Salvation and Christianity. Thus, quite a few writers received no encouragement from colonial publishers who were perhaps afraid of turning out radical writers critical of the colonial regime."
230:, who had organised the earlier mentioned conference on African Literature at Makerere University in Uganda in 1962. "The Rain Came" was a reworked version of "A Year of Sacrifice" but considerably shortened and with a different beginning and ending. Also in 1964, the short story "Ward Nine" was published in the journal
295:
have suggested that Ogot's emphasis on the importance of the female marital role, as well as her portrayal of women in traditional roles, creates an overwhelmingly patriarchal tone in her stories. However, others have suggested that women in Ogot’s works also demonstrate strength and integrity, as in
215:
In 1968, Grace Ogot read her short story "A Year of
Sacrifice" at a conference on African Literature at Makerere University in Uganda. After discovering that there was no other work presented or displayed from East African writers, Ogot became motivated to publish her works, which she subsequently
286:
Another theme that often appears throughout Ogot’s works is that of womanhood and the female role. Throughout her stories, Ogot demonstrates an interest in family matters, revealing both traditional and modern female gender roles followed by women, especially within the context of marriage and
33:
202:, a Luo from Gem Location, and later became the mother of four children. Her proclivity for storytelling and her husband's interest in the oral tradition and history of the Luo peoples would later be combined in her writing career. Ogot died on 18 March 2015.
303:, while Kenya was still under a colonial regime, Ogot experienced difficulties in her initial attempts to have her stories published: "I remember taking some of my short stories to the manager , including the one which was later published in
186:. That year, she chaired and helped found the Writers' Association of Kenya. In 1983, she became one of only a handful of women to serve as a member of parliament and the only woman assistant minister in the cabinet of then President
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247:, in search of fertile land and wealth. The story also focused on themes of tribal hatred, materialism, and traditional notions of femininity and wifely duties. 1968 saw the publishing of
133:
ethnic group. Her father, Joseph
Nyanduga, was one of the first men in the village of Asembo to obtain a Western education. He converted early on to the Anglican Church, and taught at the
243:, set in the 1930s, was published in 1966 and focused on Luo emigration and the problems that arise through migration. Her main protagonists emigrate from Nyanza to northern
291:, in which the notions both of mothers as the ultimate protectors of their children and of dominant patriarchal husband-wife relationships feature heavily. Critics such as
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318:, no. 23). The Library of Congress has a copy of the broadcast tape and the unedited original interview. The broadcast transcript appears in the 1981 book
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did both in the Luo language and in
English. "A Year of Sacrifice" appeared in print as Ogot's first published work in the African journal
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and it was from her grandmother that Ogot learned the traditional folk tales of the area from which she would later draw inspiration.
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156:. She later worked in London, England, at St. Thomas Hospital for Mothers and Babies. She returned to the African nursing English.
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and the traditions of the Luo people. One theme that features prominently within Ogot's work is the importance of traditional Luo
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female Kenyan writer to be published. She was one of the first Kenyan members of parliament and she became an assistant minister.
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105:(née Akinyi; 15 May 1930 – 18 March 2015) was a Kenyan author, nurse, journalist, politician and diplomat. Together with
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In addition to her experience in healthcare, Ogot gained experience in multiple different areas, working for the
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251:, a collection of short stories set in ancient Luoland. Ogot's descriptions, literary tools, and storylines in
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171:, working as an officer of community development in Kisumu County and as a public relations officer for the
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throughout her youth. From 1949 to 1953, she trained as a nurse at the
Nursing Training Hospital in
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589:"Grace Ogot: One Of Africa'S Finest Writers And The First Woman To Publish Novel In East Africa"
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offer a valuable insight into Luo culture in pre-colonial East Africa. Her other works include
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in 1963. In 1964, her short story "The Rain Came" was published as part of the collection
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radio broadcast that was aired between 1975 and 1979 (Voice of
America radio series
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Three novels by her were posthumously published, launched by her husband in 2018.
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875:"Conceptions of Ideal Womanhood: The Example of Bessie Head and Grace Ogot"
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Gender Voices and
Choices: Redefining Women in Contemporary African Fiction
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Ogot was born Grace Emily Akinyi to a
Christian family on 15 May 1930 in
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182:. Subsequently, in 1976, she became a member of the Kenyan delegation to
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In 1975, Ogot worked as a Kenyan delegate to the general assembly of the
137:’s Ng'iya Girls’ School. From her father, she learned the stories of the
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129:, Kenya – a village highly populated by the predominantly Christian
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Overseas
Service as a script-writer and announcer on the programme
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773:
Black
Orpheus, Transition and Modern Cultural Awakening in Africa
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From the collection of the
Library of Congress, Washington, DC:
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Grace Ogot's background was very interesting. Ogot attended the
894:, Minnesota: University of Minnesota Press, 1974, pp. 130–131.
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Many of her stories are set against the scenic background of
906:(Washington, D.C.: Voice of America, 1981), p. 207–216.
917:"Author Grace Ogot won’t keep her pen down, even in death"
400:, 1983) by Okoth Okombo; Nairobi: Heinemann Kenya, 1989.
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Permanent Representatives of Kenya to the United Nations
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Bernth Lindfors, "Interview with Grace Ogot", 1979, in
482:, 18 March 2015, The Insider.org, Retrieved 14 May 2016
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Talking Gender: Conversations with Kenyan Women Writers
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Bernth Lindfors "Interview with Grace Ogot", 1981, in
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Christian traditions. Such an emphasis can be seen in
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World Literature Written in English 18(1), pp. 60–62.
615:"Grace Ogot chronicles her life in new autobiography"
834:, Fourth Dimension Publishing Co., 1995, pp. 60–62.
817:Bernth Lindfors "Interview with Grace Ogot", 1979,
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639:"Ex-Assistant Minister and author Grace Ogot dies"
396:, translated from Dholuo (originally published as
96:Author, nurse, journalist, politician and diplomat
726:, Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2001, p. 103.
310:She was interviewed in 1974 by Lee Nichols for a
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493:"Grace Ogot took the African Story to the World"
775:, University of California Press, 1986, p. 127.
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390:, Nairobi: East African Publishing House, 1966.
364:, Nairobi: East African Publishing House, 1968.
167:, operating a prominent radio programme in the
655:Everline Okewo; Silas Apollo (18 March 2025).
198:In 1969, Grace Ogot married history professor
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358:(short stories), Nairobi: Uzima Press, 1980.
892:African Literature in the Twentieth Century
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1004:Members of the National Assembly (Kenya)
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382:The Other Woman: Selected Short Stories
1009:Permanent delegates of Kenya to UNESCO
495:, Standard Digital, 10 September 2013.
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165:London Calling East and Central Africa
954:20th-century Kenyan women politicians
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805:, London: Vintage, 1993, pp.365–371.
709:World Literature Written in English
657:"Author Grace Ogot dies in Nairobi"
562:World Literature Written in English
362:Land Without Thunder; short stories
904:Conversations with African Writers
851:, January 1996, 9(2): pp. 145–168.
762:(London: Faber & Faber, 1964).
320:Conversations with African Writers
316:Conversations with African Writers
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746:. Volume 34. 2012. Detroit: Gale.
723:Meditations on African Literature
411:Simbi Nyaima - the Lake that Sank
436:Luo people of Kenya and Tanzania
949:20th-century Kenyan politicians
849:African Languages and Cultures
370:(in Luo), 1983; translated as
1:
994:Kenyan women radio presenters
473:Kenyan Writer Grace Ogor Dies
384:, Nairobi: Transafrica, 1976.
352:, Nairobi: Uzima Press, 1980.
787:, African Books Collective.
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964:20th-century women writers
744:Short Stories for Students
388:The Promised Land: a novel
862:Gender Voices and Choices
758:, ed. Ellis A. Comey and
740:"Overview: The Rain Came"
135:Church Missionary Society
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16:Kenyan author (1930–2015)
738:Sarah Constantakis, ed.
460:, 2003. PJ-Kenya, p. 71.
979:Kenyan radio presenters
510:Encyclopædia Britannica
989:Kenyan women novelists
984:Kenyan women diplomats
959:20th-century novelists
756:Modern African Stories
224:Modern African Stories
173:Air India Corporation
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999:Kenyan women writers
881:, 2005 19(2): p. 95.
873:Grace Ify Achufusi,
785:"The Promised Land"
620:3 March 2016 at the
491:Peter Ngangi Nguli,
267:The Island of Tears.
253:Land Without Thunder
249:Land Without Thunder
146:Ng'iya Girls' School
802:Daughters of Africa
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301:Kenyan Independence
239:Ogot's first novel
200:Bethwell Allan Ogot
830:Gloria Chukukere,
595:. 13 December 2017
338:Aloo kod Apul-Apul
257:The Strange Bride,
150:Butere High School
109:she was the first
44:Grace Emily Akinyi
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687:Britannica
593:Wundef.com
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693:18 June
667:18 June
663:. Kenya
344:Ber wat
79:, Kenya
77:Nairobi
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378:(1989)
184:UNESCO
154:Uganda
127:Nyanza
123:Asembo
88:Kenyan
55:Nyanza
51:Asembo
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506:"Luo"
398:Miaha
368:Miaha
59:Kenya
695:2024
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601:2022
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517:2015
402:ISBN
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