FOR Véronique Ahyi-Hoesle, writing is about imagination and experience. Her novels and characters draw heavily from life events – places she has been or people she has met. The slightest nuance in a stranger’s voice can compel and inspire the development of a new character.On Monday, Ahyi-Hoesle’s first novel, Ayélé, fille de l’ombre, brought alive the stage in Kacyiru – a suburb of Kigali City. Four readers read aloud portions of the novel, which follows the story of Ayélé, a young girl of mixed French and Senegalese descent who suffers sexual abuse and navigates the racism and exclusion she faces in both Europe and Africa. "To make it real, it must be grounded in something that really exists,” said Ahyi-Hoesle. Born in France to a French mother and a Togolese father, Ahyi-Hoesle has experienced first-hand the questions of identity that Ayélé struggles to resolve in the novel. Ahyi-Hoesle first worked as a journalist for 20 years in Senegal, where she also set up the country’s first public relations agency and began to write her novel. Then, she moved to Laos and Vietnam where repression of the media allowed her to dedicate more time to writing since it was difficult to continue her career as a journalist. Now, she currently resides in Burundi.She acknowledges the many autobiographical elements within the novel and discusses how the publisher initially pushed her to discard the first draft. "The publisher told me ‘‘your book is interesting, but it would be better if you forget this book because you are too close to the book”, said Ahyi-Hoesle, "He said you need distance from the book.”Ahyi-Hoesle abandoned the draft and began rewriting the novel when she left Senegal and moved to a new country and continent. Although there are many similarities between herself and the protagonist, Ahyi-Hoesle distinguishes her own life and flourishing career from the sense of hopelessness and despair of Ayélé. The novel carries a dark sense of humour, but Ahyi-Hoesle still considers it an optimistic story. "In the journey of being a half-caste and accepting your identity,” said Ahyi-Hoesle, "At a certain point, you don’t wonder whether you are black or you’re white – you just accept it.”The protagonist experiences suffering and discrimination in France and decides to move to Senegal, but quickly discovers that racism in Senegal is even worse. Yet, by linking the suffering in both her experiences, Ayélé brings together both cultures and ultimately accepts her identity as a half-caste. Ahyi-Hoesle hopes that her novel will help  sensitise readers and provoke questions regarding race and identity. The realism of her writing intends to put readers within the situations of the novel. Ahyi-Hoesle’s next novel, titled Les Cindres d’Emilie, will examine female alcoholism and depression through the story of a young woman who meticulously prepares the details of her suicide.Ahyi-Hoesle’s novel was presented as part of the Ishyo Arts Centre’s Café Littéraire, which promotes literature and new writing in Rwanda.