Today we talk about Ghost Marriage and Widow Inheritance, a book by Deng Kuek, published with our publishing house Europe Books.
Europe Books had the pleasure of interviewing the author Deng Kuek to get to know him better, where he found the inspiration to write his book Ghost Marriage and Widow Inheritance, as well as how he chose the title of his book.
Below you can find our interview. Take a seat and enjoy your reading!!!
- When and where did you find inspiration to write your book?
I was inspired in 2020 in Cairo, Egypt during COVID-19 shutdown. Ghost marriage and widow inheritance is common in South Sudan Communities. For example my grandfather Kuek Atem was a product of ghost marriage, his real biological father was his uncle Biar Kuek, and his ghost father Atem Kuek died as a bachelor when he was a young man dating his girlfriend, and when he died, his older brother Biar Kuek married a wife for him. I have been affected by this tribal traditional customs in my life, and for this reason I wrote about it. When I became a Christian I discovered that, this tribal traditional customs oppose biblical teaching and spiritual growth in the Church because they are widely practiced by individuals, communities and even some church members. To the Nilotic tribes this traditional customs is very important because it binds the living and dead family members and strength brotherly love; it also honors and immortalizes the dead. When the pandemic appeared and claimed many lives, I thought about the tradition of ghost marriage and widow inheritance and about the metaphysical world or the world of the spirits, I found myself inspired to write this book.
- What do you want to communicate to readers with this work?
What I want to convey to the readers is the danger of practicing certain traditional, cultural, and tribal customs that are imposed on individuals and communities, including Christian leaders and Christian community. In other words, loyalties to the tribe simply because most of the people prefer or fear the tribal leaders more than God and church leaders and the authority of God. Tribesmen, politicians, and some Christians are very loyal to traditional religious leaders and the reason is to gain influence, power and political and social support from their local communities. This is a challenge to the church as an agent of change and transformation in particular and to the Christian community in General. It is the problem to the church and the new generation, and people must realize that the practice of the certain harmful customs and traditions affects the well-being of the society.
- How did you choose the title of your book?
I chose this title because I thought it was very important to talk about ghost marriage and widow inheritance as one topic. I have combined two topics because they are two sides of the same coin and because this tribal traditional customs is the most widely practiced tradition and customs among the Nilotic tribes of South Sudan, Sudan and east Africa. I thought about what the readers want to know and how catchy the title would be to get their attention. I thing this title is the most appropriate title for this book because the book is about ghost marriage and widow inheritance. My goal is to make it easier to the readers to understand the subject of the book. It was not easy to choose the title, but I decided to select it because it reflects one of the most popular cultures in South Sudan.
- How did it feel to see your book published?
Great! I am overwhelmed with a strong feeling of happiness that the book will reach its intended readers and will add valuable information to the readers. Publishing a book means achieving its goals and ensuring that the message communicated to the readers and change makers. I felt like I did something useful for the readers of different cultures in the world. I thank God so much because I believe God made it possible. It was not easy for me to write a book and find a budget to finance the book project. I am thankful and grateful to God who made this possible. I would like to thank my best friend for supporting me to achieve this goal. I thank and appreciate Europe Books selector for choosing my book for publication. I also felt like I could do something for people who love to read and write books. I want to say, I am so excited. The publication of the book encouraged me to write more books.
- Are you planning to write more books on the same topic? If so, can you anticipate us something?
Yes! I am planning to write more books on this topic. You can expect a book on the subject before the end of this year, because I recently submitted my second book to Europe books to be published. I started writing a book on this topic last month, and I am still working on it now. These types of books are very time consuming because it is not easy to collect data, stories and other reliable sources but you can have word and anticipate the book. I have devoted myself to writing more books on different topics, and will talk about them in due course. The forthcoming book will be the third book and will address fundamental aspects of traditional cultural practices of marriage and family in Nilotic communities in South Sudan and east Africa.
Europe Books thanks the author Deng Kuek once again for taking the time and answering our questions. We are really pleased to have walked alongside him on the editorial path that led to the publication of his book Ghost Marriage and Widow Inheritance. We wish him the best of luck for his book and for his future works.
To you, my dear reader, I hope that the knowledge of some tribal traditions that are imposed on individuals and communities will lead you to reflect and allow you to connect and empathize with a world so distant from our daily life.
So, my dear reader, all I have to say is to enjoy your reading!
Your editor!