A cover illustration and design for a short story, “Consolata,” written by Beata Umubyeyi Mairesse.

By: Beata Umubyeyi Mairesse
Narrated by: Dorcas Sowunmi
Series: Audible Original Stories, Afrolit Now
Length: 1 hr and 3 mins
Original Recording Audiobook

A moving story of an old woman reckoning with memories - both cherished and heartbreaking - of her past, from French Rwandan author Beata Umubyeyi Mairesse, winner of the 2020 Prix des Cinq Continents de la Francophonie.  

In childhood, Consolata was permanently separated from her family by French colonizers in her Rwandan village. Now, nearing the end of her life in an assisted-living facility, she starts losing her French language skills and can only remember her mother tongue, to the confusion of care workers. Oscillating between moments in assisted living and vivid childhood memories with family in Rwanda, Consolota is a poignant story of heritage, memory, and bonds that can never be broken.

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Audible