Analyse af 'He Would Tweet His Death'

William Mangunga’s short story “He Would Tweet His Death” revolves around the young man Philip Kasonde, who dreams of becoming a famous rapper. Philip lives in Nairobi, where he has been producing music for a year. However, his music has barely had any success, leaving him quite dissatisfied. One day he is contacted by the radio station Mambo FM, where he is invited to an interview concerning his music. Philip takes a matatu to get to the radio station. He is seated next to a man, who shows great concern, that their driver is under the influence. Phillip does not initially consider this to be true, but soon the driver starts driving recklessly. A brief moment of inattention leads the matatu to crash straight into a tree, leaving everybody hurt. Philip's immediate reaction is to get his phone; so that he can tweet his accident, and thus achieve fame. But before he can possibly find his phone, the mautauta had already exploded, leaving everybody dead.

Almost everyone dreams about being famous and popular, at least at some point in life. People want to be recognized, loved, wanted, and in possession of power. They want to go on big world tours, with people screaming their name, participate in interviews, be hunted by paparazzi, and simply excel in life. Some will spend their whole lives chasing this smashing fame, doing whatever it takes. However, only a very small part will be able to make it. This pursuit of fame can drive people to madness and irrational things, which is portrayed in William Mangunga’s short story “He Would Tweet His Death”.