I was eight when independence happened. I remember my mum and dad getting dressed up to go to the independence concert to go listen to Bob Marley. Independence was such a wonderful time; we had so many expectations of the kind of country we would become. The vision of the government then was a wonderful vision. -Petina Gappah Independence
People always ask me how I manage to find humor in so much bleakness. I think this is almost a necessary skill to have. -Petina Gappah Humor
If I truly had the courage of my convictions, I would be a full-blown comic novelist. -Petina Gappah Courage
I was one of the first six black kids to integrate a formerly all-white school. I remember being looked at all the time and people laughing at my hair. I was also very self-conscious about the food I had for lunch. I had egg sandwiches, and the other mothers gave kids fancy stuff like bologna and Marmite. It took about a year to settle in. -Petina Gappah Food
