George Kasonde, author of The Padre and the Pagans of Ituna, revealed that his new novel aims to narrate Bemba history to a Zambian audience. Speaking at the Henry Tayali Art Gallery on 13 October 2026, he explained that his book offers an alternative to European accounts of African history.
“With my book, what I tried to do was to present history from our own point of view,” Kasonde said in the gallery at the Lusaka Showgrounds.
The novelist also observed that African history is often written for Western consumption. However, The Padre and the Pagans of Ituna targets Zambians who want to know more about their own heritage.
“My book was not written so that the Western world could approve it,” Kasonde disclosed. “I knew that they would not approve it, and they wouldn’t even publish it.”
Kasonde’s remarks were made during a seminar convened by Gadsden Publishers and facilitated by John Corley. Statements made during the seminar will be used to inform Corley’s research on postcolonial literature.
The seminar participants included poet Nicholas Kawinga, 5fm journalist Esnart Lungu, creative writer Chiseche Mutale, storyteller Anthony Lupeke, artist Ruth Hartley, as well as editors and publishers from the Zambian Reprographic Rights Society, the Zambia Women Writers Association, Pen Zambia, and the National Writers Association of Zambia.
When sharing his position on postcolonial writing, Kasonde divulged that the scarcity of historical fiction for Zambian audiences motivated him to deliver The Padre and the Pagans of Ituna.
“I thought that the time had come for us to write our own history from our own perspective,” Kasonde said. “So when you read that book, you are reading history as told by ourselves.”
Kasonde’s readers will gather at The Mocha Puddle Café on Saturday 17 October from 14:30 to 15:30 to discuss Chapter 1 of The Padre and the Pagans of Ituna.
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