On 1994
Rwanda has been torn by ethnic genocide. Now in 2000, six years after the
tragedy, the survivors are still in traumatic condition. Distrust and fear are
still thickly clouding their daily lives. In this condition, the Turangaza
family move in from Tanzania, and live in an apartment. Angel Tungaraza is a professional
cake baker, and through this business Angel spread to the neighborhood the
spirit of reconciliation. Reconciliation of the two ethnics that were fighting
in the genocide: the Tutsis and the Hutus, as well as personal reconciliation
with each of their pasts.
In Kigali,
seems that everyone has experienced the losing (at least) a family member.
Although coming from Tanzania (and did not experience the genocide), Angel and
her husband, Pius, are also victims of traumatic experience of losing their
children by death. AIDS, as we all know, is another deathly terror in Africa at
that time besides Rwandan genocide. The Tungarazas’ children have died of AIDS,
and now Angel and Pius must raise their grandchildren (five of them!) by
themselves. Fortunately, in the time of resurgent after the tragedy, there are
plenty of things to be celebrated. And, what is a celebration without a cake?
Since the
best cake in Kigali is Angel’s, her business springs, and people from all
background come to her apartment to order cakes. Gaile Parkin described the
cakes to tiny details in every chapter, and that—apart from the people struggles—gives
the book its unique attraction. Each chapter portrays each cake, each event of
celebration, each individual, with each problem. Angel’s cakes are not only delicious
in taste, but they are also impressive in decoration. The cakes are rich in
colors (as the African like it) and they are tailor-made to the celebration
itself (or the person who is celebrating it). But Angel does not run the
business only for money, more than that, she helps her customers to regain
happiness in her own simple way.
When customers
come, Angel would let them sit down, and gives them her portfolio for their
reference, while she is preparing her Tanzanian spiced tea, accompanied with
cupcakes. She never runs out of these cupcakes because she used to make them
from what’s left of the cakes she makes for customers. Over the tea and
cupcakes—and most of all, her friendly but professional manner—Angel would
drive her customers to tell their success—or bitter—stories of life. Being a
good listener with tender heart, Angel often brings hope—if not solution—to them.
And, as a bonus, she gets the order, plus the happiness of baking and
decorating beautiful cakes, which is her passion.
Her most
achievement is facilitating the marriage between Modeste, a guard in the
apartment complex, and Leocadie, a girl who opens a local store. Their marriage
symbolizes the reconciliation of the two hostile ethnic in the genocide: the
Hutus (Leocadie) and the Tutsi (Modeste). The event seems to express that the Banyarwanda (Rwandans) are now ready to
forget the past hostility, and begin a new life in peace, trust, and love. And
in the end, the spirit of reconciliation and new hope are not only for the
Rwandans, but it applies for all Africans (including Angel and Pius), and all
of us wherever we live, to reconcile with the dark past, and realize that God
offers us love and hope of a new life.
For a debut,
Gaile Parkin has written a tremendous work. Angel’s Cake (Indonesian
translation of ‘Baking Cakes in Kigali’) is a sweet and pleasant reading which
bears a serious theme. It flows naturally and conveniently, offers sweetness
(from the cakes things), a bit of mystery (from Angel’s traumatic past), and a
lot of humanity aspects (love, racialism, freedom, etc.). I love it from the
beginning, and the book certainly made me craving for cupcakes! :)
Four and a
half stars for Angel’s Cake and Gaile Parkin!
~~~~~~~~~~
I read the Indonesian translation from Qanita (Mizan
Publishing group)
This book is counted
as:
5th book for 2014 TBR Pile Challenge
