A Walk in the Night by Alex La Guma

Alex La Guma’s 1962 realist novella, A Walk in the Night, is a core text frequently examined in Uganda’s UNEB A-Level Literature in English (Paper 2: Prose and Poetry / African Prose). Written by a prominent anti-apartheid activist, the book provides a brutal, naturalistic portrayal of the moral decay, claustrophobia, and systemic violence engineered by South Africa’s apartheid regime. Set entirely within a single tense night in the slums of District Six, Cape Town, the title serves as a powerful metaphor for the dark, aimless, and perilous psychological journey the oppressed characters must navigate under a system that denies them their humanity.