Smitta’s '2063 Last Mile Bet' unveiled

It takes sheer brilliance and wild imagination to write a futuristic novel. The writer transcends beyond the familiar as he attempts to predict what the future holds.

Take for instance the famous novelist, George Orwell who published the book 1984 in the year 1948. Shockingly enough, the revelations in that book continue to unfold in present day, 70years after it was published.

The concept of the ever watchful Big Brother, the oppression and rampant ‘doublethink’ among people in power; these continue to thrive just as predicted by George Orwell. I bet it is true what they say then; the more things change the more they remain the same.

Prolific writer and columnist Tony Mochama aka Smitta has unveiled his latest novel called 2063 Last Mile Bet. The unveil took place last week at Arfa Lounge 20th Century Building where a neat gathering of creatives turned up for the event.

2063 is a futuristic novel based on the year 2063 which is 45 years away from now.

The book is about an old gambler called Chamaroche (Chamaroche means ‘a man of the river’ in Ekegusii). It is a narrative about the future as seen in 88 -year old Chamaroche’s eyes. He has spent the last 46 years riddled with a gambling addiction. Strained relations with his son and his childless lesbian daughter paint the grim picture of his family life. The pain of losing his darling wife adds on to the misery.

His is a life whiled away with tormenting flashbacks laced with dark humour. It is in this year,2063, that Morgan strives to roll the dice one more time because he owes the dragons- Italian gangster Marco Gabazza and his psychotic sidekick, Washushu was Nugu- tens of millions in casino debt and they need it back. In 44 hours to be precise.

The dragons do not play- not where their money is concerned anyway. In The stake for Morgan’s last desperate throw of the dice are high as it is not just his life but also his servile caretaker’s, Nana Mutheu.

Public reading of sections of the book by renown creatives had the gathering spell-bound. The question of where we would be in 2063 hung thick in the air.

“Where do you see yourself in 2063?”

There was a nervous murmur and the courageous ones among us shot up their hands to share on what they thought 2063 would look like.

Activist Boniface Mwangi, also a good friend to Mr. Mochama, cracked us up by stating that in 2063 we won’t have activists instead there will be freedom fighters.

Some said that 2063 would be a time of increased technology allowing us to spend endless hours by the beach as machines took care of chores.

Film director Shan Bartley took it a notch higher by saying it would be the year when technology would raise children. I loved one ‘prediction’ which stated that in the year 2063, there would be tiny pills which when swallowed would keep us satiated for hours on end; no cooking or washing dishes or dieting aha!

Tony Mochama divulged that the main reason why he chose to write the book 2063 was because he was ever acutely aware of his mortality.

“My parents died quite young. My mother was 48 and my father was only 56. When you lose your parents as such a young age, it makes you measure your own mortality. In retrospect, my grandparents have lived well into their 80s. This ambitious novel is a talisman of my desire to live well into my 80s too.”

2063 Last Mile Bet is published by the brilliant Matunda Nyanchama from Nsemia Inc Publishers.

Speaking during the unveil, Mr. Matunda stated that the wild imagination is what first pulled him to Smitta’s manuscript following an ongoing call for manuscripts at the publishing firm.

“I found the story very relatable. Look around; gambling is a sad reality. Through the story of Chamaroche we can draw lessons that will help us solve future problems by decisions we make today. The other thing I liked about the story is the imagination. It sparks deep curiosity; where will I be in 2063?”

Mr. Matunda also addressed upcoming writers urging them to take a bold step and get published.

He shared his concern that so many stories remain unwritten as budding writers shy away from perceived financial burden of publishing. He added that the call for manuscripts by Nsemia Publishers was precisely to tap into these fresh and untold stories and appealed to upcoming writers to heed the call.

In his closing remarks, he emphasised on the importance of having a generation that read avidly and widely.

“If you do not read, you cannot grow. If you do not read, you will never know what lies beyond your world. Read widely and when you have read all you can, read some more.”

2063-Last Mile Bet will be officially launched soon and you can grab yourself a copy and drift into the future. Going by his past works, I bet Smitta’s new book will leave you completely…smitten!