Dance of the Jakaranda

Kimani reimagines the rise and fall of colonialism in Africa by telling the story of the birth of Kenya's railroad.

“This funny, perceptive and ambitious work of historical fiction by a Kenyan poet and novelist explores his country’s colonial past and its legacy through the stories of three men involved with the building of a railroad linking Lake Victoria and the Indian Ocean — what the Kikuyu called the ‘Iron Snake’ and the British called the ‘Lunatic Express.’” —New York Times Book Review...