Table of Contents
Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi’s A Girl is a Body of Water is a sweeping, multi-generational epic set in Uganda, primarily spanning from the mid-1970s to the early 1980s. The novel follows the life of Kirabo Nnamiiro, a young girl raised by her paternal grandparents in the village of Nattetta, as she searches for her absent mother and tries to understand the mysterious “second self” that seems to fly out of her body. Through Kirabo’s journey, the book explores profound themes of feminism (mwenkanonkano), the “original state” of women, the weight of patriarchal traditions, and the complex, often competitive bonds between women.
Part I: The Witch and the Village of Nattetta (1975)
The story opens in May 1975 in Nattetta, Bugerere. Twelve-year-old Kirabo lives a life defined by the “thick traditional love” of her grandparents, Miiro and Alikisa. Her grandfather is a prominent local figure, a “good man at keeping children in school” and a board governor for local institutions, while her grandmother is renowned for her strict but protective care of the girls in the household. Despite being the kabejja (favorite) of the house, Kirabo is haunted by the absence of her mother. When she asks about her, the family routinely fobs her off, telling her not to think about it and to focus on those who are present.
The “Second Self” and the Search for Nsuuta Kirabo’s longing for her mother is inextricably linked to her “second self” an entity that she feels “fly out of her body” during moments of intense emotion or rebellion. She suspects this “witchery” is the reason her mother abandoned her. Desperate for answers, she decides to consult Nsuuta, the “blind witch” who lives down the road. This is a massive betrayal of her grandmother, Alikisa, as the two women have been locked in a “Mount Kilimanjaro”-sized feud for decades.
Nsuuta, however, does not treat Kirabo’s condition as a curse. Instead, she introduces the girl to the concept of the “original state”. Nsuuta explains that in the beginning, women were not “squeezed” into the shrunken, subservient roles they now occupy; they were “huge, strong, bold, loud, proud, brave, [and] independent”. She claims this state was “bred out” of women because it was too much for the world to handle, but occasionally it is reborn in girls like Kirabo. Nsuuta teaches Kirabo that her “flying” is a manifestation of this original state trying to soothe her.
Folklore and the Power of Stories Central to the village narrative is the storytelling tradition. Kirabo herself is a gifted storyteller, notably recounting the tale of Luzze, a man who demanded his wives only bear sons. The story concludes with the discovery of a girl child, Nnakato, who had been hidden in an anthill to survive her father’s ultimatum. The women of the village in the story are enraged not at the father’s cruelty, but at the mother for the “wickedness” of the concealment. This serves as a metaphor for kweluma the phenomenon Nsuuta describes where oppressed people (women) turn on each other or themselves because they cannot bite their oppressor.
Nsuuta also shares the myth of Nnamazzi, the first woman who allegedly rose from the sea. According to this “untold story,” the ancients used Nnamazzi to claim that women “belonged in water” and thus could not own land, turning them into “rootless” migrants. Nsuuta argues that men created these stories to justify their dominion over the earth and over women.
Part II: The City and the Betrayal (1977)
In January 1977, Kirabo’s father, Tom (Tomusange) Piitu, arrives to take her to Kampala to live with him. This move represents a major transition from the rural “Ganda wealth” of her grandfather (land, livestock) to the “European wealth” of the city (electricity, cars, imported goods).
Life with Nnambi Tom has married Nnambi, a beautiful woman of the Ffumbe clan, with whom he has two children, Mwagale and Junior (Tommy). Nnambi reacts to Kirabo’s arrival like a “car accident,” viewing her as a threat to her own children’s inheritance and the sanctity of her church marriage. The household becomes a “Dog and Leopard” environment defined by a “predatory” silence.
The conflict reaches a breaking point when Nnambi, in a twisted attempt to “fix” her marriage after learning of Kirabo’s history, suggests that Kirabo sleep in Tom’s bed while Nnambi takes Kirabo’s. When Tom discovers this, he realizes the “mujinni” (demon/creature) nature of his wife’s resentment. In a rage, he orders Nnambi to pack her bags and leave. However, the situation is eventually mediated by Grandmother Alikisa, who intervenes on Nnambi’s side, insisting that she stay to bring up the children and that Kirabo instead move in with Aunt Abi. Kirabo feels utterly rejected by the house that was supposed to be her home.
Part III: Utopia – St. Theresa’s Girls’ School (1977–1981)
Kirabo is sent to St. Theresa’s, an elite girls’ boarding school run by nuns. The school is framed as a “body of water” where girls find their depth. It is intended to be a “safe space” for girls to develop their talents without male interference.
School Culture and Conflicts At St. Theresa’s, Kirabo encounters a rigid social hierarchy. Because she comes from a “Third World School” (a rural primary school) and scored slightly below the cut-off mark, she is placed in the lowest academic stream (S.1.E) and mocked by her “Higher” (A-level) peers.
The school is divided by two primary clubs:
- The Homemakers: Focused on childcare, knitting, and religious “non-threatening femininity”.
- The Career Women: Assertive, pretty, and articulate girls who discuss mwenkanonkano (feminism).
Despite the nuns’ efforts to create a utopia, the “shrinking herb” of patriarchal influence persists. This is highlighted by a “man-thief” scandal involving a girl named Angelique, which leads the students to turn on each other in a display of kweluma, reducing themselves to their value as “objects for male consumption”.
The War and the Fall of Amin During Kirabo’s time at St. Theresa’s, the Uganda-Tanzania War breaks out. The school is paralyzed as electricity and communications are cut off. Eventually, “wakomboozi” (liberators) arrive to protect the school. However, the boundaries between the students and the male soldiers quickly break down, leading to “gratitude” that becomes physical and a subsequent crackdown by the school administration. The fall of the regime brings “national revenge,” as the daughters of former officials are plunged into poverty or forced into early motherhood.
Part IV: Sio and the Complexity of Love
The emotional core of Kirabo’s adolescence is her relationship with Sio Kabuye, the son of a wealthy surgeon from the neighboring village of Kamuli. Their connection begins with childhood scowls and evolves into a deep, intense bond after Sio’s father is abducted by the regime.
The Mwenkanonkano Debate Sio is a unique male figure in Kirabo’s life; he claims to believe in mwenkanonkano. He argues that gender equality would set men free too, releasing them from the “entitlement” and financial burdens of patriarchal dating rituals. However, their relationship is tested by cultural differences Sio views labia elongation (a Ganda tradition Kirabo undergoes) as “genital mutilation,” while Kirabo defends it as “enhancement” for women’s own pleasure.
The Betrayal with Giibwa The relationship is shattered when Sio reveals that he made Giibwa, Kirabo’s childhood best friend, pregnant. Sio claims it was a “weak and stupid” mistake born of village rumors that he was “dead in the pants,” but the betrayal is profound for Kirabo. Aunt Abi, showing the kweluma of her generation, tries to minimize Sio’s role, calling Giibwa a “slut” and suggesting that men “sleep with the cheap girls while they wait for the right girl to get ready”.
Part V: Backstory – The Pact of Alikisa and Nsuuta (1934)
A major section of the book (told non-linearly through letters and memories) reveals the origin of the feud between Alikisa and Nsuuta. In June 1934, as ten-year-old girls, they made a “pact” to marry the same man so they could be “friends forever”.
The Rivalry for Miiro Nsuuta was the beautiful, brilliant daughter of a Muluka chief, destined for greatness. Alikisa was the “brusque” catechist’s daughter who managed her expectations severely. Both were “deep in each other’s blood” until Miiro, the son of the wealthy Bulasio Luutu, approached Nsuuta.
Nsuuta, however, chose to pursue her dream of becoming a nurse at Gayaza High School, turning down Miiro’s proposal. She “passed Miiro on” to Alikisa, believing Miiro would always love her more and that she could “wiggle [herself] into the marriage” later. Alikisa married Miiro and became the respected “Muka Miiro,” while Nsuuta became a nurse in Kampala. The letters exchanged between them during the early 1940s track their drifting apart as Alikisa’s guilt and Nsuuta’s resentment grew.
The feud was cemented in 1946 when Nsuuta returned to Nattetta. She and Miiro engaged in a “stolen sex” affair while Miiro’s father was ill in the hospital. When Nsuuta became pregnant, Alikisa’s “head swelled with wrath”. Although rumors claimed Alikisa attacked Nsuuta, causing her to lose the baby, Nsuuta later reveals she actually fell, and Alikisa gave her Tom (Alikisa’s own son) to raise as her own as an act of “thick traditional love”.
Part VI: The Death of Tom and the Truth Unveiled (1983)
The final section of the book begins with the sudden death of Tom Piitu in a car accident in February 1983. His death forces the family to reckon with long-held secrets and the reality of their relationships.
The Revelation of Nnakku Following Tom’s burial, Kirabo’s maternal grandfather, Ssemwaka Kaye, reveals the truth about her mother. Lovinca Nnakku is Nnambi’s sister. Tom had unwittingly married his former lover’s sister. Nnakku had given birth to Kirabo at age thirteen and, out of fear and shame, had refused to acknowledge her. The family had conspired with Tom to keep this from Kirabo to protect her from the feeling of rejection.
The Confrontation in Jinja Kirabo, accompanied by Sio, travels to Jinja to confront Nnakku at her workplace, Nile Breweries. She introduces herself to Nnakku’s husband, Jjumba Luninze, and eventually to Nnakku herself. Nnakku initially denies being her mother, even tearing up the hospital chit Kirabo provides as proof. However, the confrontation ends in tears for both, as Kirabo realizes that Nnakku’s rejection is a product of the “monster” of social expectations and the “anthill” of history.
The Clan Meeting and Female Succession During Tom’s last funeral rites in Nattetta, a clan meeting is held to distribute his property. In a radical move, Aunt Abi proposes that Kirabo, the eldest child, become Tom’s successor. This causes a scandal among the traditional clan heads, who insist that “men succeed men”. Miiro eventually compromises, giving Kirabo the “family seat” Bulasio Luutu’s house as her own “womanly house,” while little Tommy remains the official heir to Tom’s name.
Conclusion: The Final Rain
The novel concludes with a powerful scene of reconciliation. Nsuuta, dying of cancer, and Alikisa finally put aside their decades of “ancient confusion”. In a ritual that mirrors their childhood, the two women run naked together in a thunderstorm in Nsuuta’s backyard.
Kirabo watches them, seeing her grandmother not just as “Muka Miiro” but as Alikisa, a woman with her own desires and history. Nsuuta gives Kirabo a final charge: “Promise me you will pass on the story of the first woman in whatever form you wish”. She emphasizes that telling these origin stories is an act of “resistance”.
Kirabo finally accepts that she does not need the “sweetness” of Nnakku to be whole. She is a product of all these women Alikisa’s “skinny legs,” Aunt Abi’s fierce love, Nsuuta’s radical ideas, and even Nnambi’s flawed humanity. She realizes that her “dream count” is complete not because she found her mother, but because she found her place in a lineage of resisting women. The book ends with Kirabo standing in the crisp, post-storm air of Nattetta, ready to “let Nsuuta go” and face a future where she will be the “best mother ever” to her own children and a sister to her siblings.