The Dragonfly Sea: The Sea, The Land and One African Woman’s Voyage-in

The Dragonfly Sea (2019), is a novel set on the Kenyan Coastal Island of Pate. A single mother in a Muslim community raises its main character, Ayaana. Ayaana’s quest for a father leads her to connect with a stranger, Muhidin, whom she claims and adopts as her own father. The geographical setting of her home exposes her to outgoings of waves, of ships and of strangers. Ayaana lives within the sight of the sea, and within the constant hearing of the sound and ebb of the sea waves. She eventually yields to her context: she takes off and sails to Turkey and to China. She sails back to her home after many years. The Dragonfly Sea narrative is plotted on the land and sea, bringing the issues of global warming, rising sea levels and sinking islands into our purview. Through the metaphor of journey, the novel takes us to the Indian oceans, highlighting the historical and contemporary connections of Africa and Asia. The novel examines major current themes such as the United States of America’s war on terror, religious radicalisation, migration and dislocation, Chinese neo-colonisation and infiltration into Africa. Through a blend of Narrative Criticism, African Women Theologies and Ecofeminism lens, this chapter analyses the dramatic ship’s journey of Ayaana to China and back. The main aim is to create the possibility for highlighting important current themes of gender, migration, religion and climate change.