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.&nbsp;“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.&nbsp;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.&nbsp;“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. Queries: +260977954869

Rewriting Bemba history through Zambian fiction

George Kasonde Writes for Zambians

John Corley was born in 1943 in Somerset, UK. He worked as a lorry driver’s mate and technical translator in the aviation industry before becoming a quantity surveyor (building economist). He carried out this role for most of his career, finishing as a contract manager, having worked and lived in the UK, South Africa, and Belgium.In 1997, he started working on an MBA (Bath), followed by an MPhil (Cranfield) and BA (Northampton). Corley gained a DBA and a PhD in Management, both in Switzerland.He married Ruth Hartley, a painter and writer, and they travelled around Europe, covering 30,000 km and 27 countries. They settled into a village in Southwest France.After editing all 10 of Hartley’s books, John decided to do an MA in English Literature at Unicaf University in Zambia.Corley is currently in Lusaka to visit his Zambian family and attend his MA graduation at Unicaf on 15 October. While in Zambia, he is also undertaking preliminary research for his PhD in English Literature.Corley will give a seminar based on his research on Tuesday 13 October from 15:00 to 17:00 at the Henry Tayali Art Gallery. The seminar will examine how local publishing economics and the migration of authors abroad create a disconnect between writers and their subjects.Corley will unpack the ongoing influence of colonial perspectives, the tension between writing for local versus foreign audiences, and the unique challenge of capturing authentic precolonial oral traditions in written forms.Readers, writers, publishers, and academics are invited to share their insights on these critical themes.Entry is free and all are welcome for an afternoon of reflection with John Corley, DipMan, BA, MBA, MA, MPhil, PhD, DBA, FRSA.Topic: Crisis of Identity in Postcolonial WritingDate: Tuesday 13 October 2026Time: 15:00–17:00 hrsVenue: Henry Tayali Art GalleryAddress: Lion Lane Street, Lusaka Showgrounds Seminar queries: +260977954869 (Anna Zgambo, Licensed Arts Promoter)

John Corley will give a seminar based on his research on Tuesday 13 October from 15:00 to 17:00 at the Henry Tayali Art Gallery. 

John Corley Visits Zambia

Join John Corley for a thought-provoking seminar exploring the complex dynamics shaping contemporary literature.Topic: Crisis of Identity in Postcolonial WritingSpeaker: John CorleyDate: Tuesday 13 October 2026Time: 15:00–17:00 hrsVenue: Henry Tayali Art GalleryAddress: Lion Lane Street, Lusaka ShowgroundsEntry: Free for everyoneBased on his research, this discussion will examine how local publishing economics and the migration of authors abroad create a disconnect between writers and their subjects. We will unpack the ongoing influence of colonial perspectives, the tension between writing for local versus foreign audiences, and the unique challenge of capturing authentic precolonial oral traditions in written forms.Readers, writers, publishers, and academics are invited to share their insights on these critical themes. Entry is free and all are welcome.Queries: +260977954869 (Anna Zgambo, Licensed Arts Promoter)

Are African writers facing an identity crisis? 

Crisis of Identity in Postcolonial Writing

<h3>At 18, Helena Mbilima is turning the night sky into poetry</h3>At 18 years old, Helena Mbilima has already achieved something many aspiring writers spend years working towards: publishing her first book.Crowned Zambia’s youngest self-published author by ZNBC, Mbilima launched her debut book, Where Stars Are Born to Die, on 22 August 2026. What began as a fascination with the night sky has become a collection of poetry, prose and personal reflections about the human experience.The book begins with Jupiter—the failed star.A giant often described as having the ingredients to become a star, but which never became one.For Mbilima, the idea becomes a metaphor for wasted potential.The question running through the book is simple: what happens when something destined to shine never gets the chance?Where Stars Are Born to Die draws parallels between the universe and the human heart, exploring self-sabotage, pressure, grief, gratitude, failure, expectations, second chances, denial and the gradual loss of self.Mbilima says the title reflects her belief that people are “born to rise, taught to fall.” In her view, children begin life surrounded by hope, dreams and possibilities, but those possibilities can become smaller as society teaches them to fear failure, doubt themselves and conform.The “death” in the title, she explains, is not about the physical body. It is about what can happen to the human mind long before the body dies.<h3>From Grade Four to a published book</h3>Mbilima has been writing since Grade Four, when she began creating stories about subjects including ocean pollution and HIV stigma.Over time, she discovered creative writing and eventually poetry.She became drawn to poetry because it gave her a way to package complicated emotions into words. Years of writing and experimentation eventually produced Where Stars Are Born to Die.Her fascination with the cosmos goes back even further.As a child, she would often look at the night sky from her balcony, imagining what existed beyond the darkness. Eventually, those stars became more than something to observe—they became the inspiration for her writing.“I always wanted to be an author,” she says, recalling how often she spoke about the ambition without necessarily being taken seriously.The result is a book that Mbilima describes as a poetry collection, although readers have told her it extends beyond that description. Alongside the poetry are prose pieces, stories and personal reflections, including an author’s note that has itself attracted praise from reviewers.<h3>From 150 copies to hundreds of readers</h3>At her launch, Mbilima saw more than 150 copies of her book in front of her.Since then, she says she has sold between 400 and 500 copies—a significant early audience for a self-published debut.But the book has also become part of a wider mission around literacy.Following the launch, Mbilima has worked with Thrive Aid and Lions Club, visiting schools around Zambia to speak about literacy and the importance of reading. She has also donated copies through the organisations’ “Old Books for New Eyes” campaign.Those interactions have given her an opportunity to meet young readers who have told her that her story has encouraged them to pursue their own ambitions.She has also pursued public speaking independently, visiting schools and orphanages and offering assistance where possible. More recently, she worked with pupils at Kabulonga Primary School as they prepared for a poetry competition.Her growing public profile has included three appearances on ZNBC radio, with further talk-show appearances planned. She has also been invited to participate in World Literacy Day activities and to judge literacy competitions at Lions Den at Showgrounds.For Mbilima, writing and public speaking are increasingly connected: one allows her to put ideas on paper, while the other allows her to take those ideas directly to young people.<h3>A book about the stars—and ourselves</h3>At its core, Where Stars Are Born to Die is less about astronomy than it is about what the universe can teach us about ourselves.The stars provide Mbilima with a language for talking about human vulnerability: the pressure to succeed, the fear of failure, dreams that disappear, and the possibility of finding one's way back.It is also a reflection of the writer herself—a young author who spent years looking at the stars and wondering what was beyond them, before realising that some of the answers she was searching for were already within her own experiences.For an 18-year-old author, Where Stars Are Born to Die is both a debut and the beginning of a larger literary journey.Mbilima hopes to continue writing, speaking and inspiring other young people to read, create and take their own ambitions seriously.And perhaps that is the book’s central message: sometimes the stars we are looking for are not above us. They are the possibilities within us.<h3>Where to find the book</h3>Where Stars Are Born to Die is available as an e-book and paperback through Amazon worldwide.For physical copies in Zambia, readers can contact Helena directly:WhatsApp: +260 771 697 048 / +44 7940 557507Email: <a href="mailto:hmbilima9@icloud.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">hmbilima9@icloud.com</a>Local delivery can be arranged through Yango.Helena is currently studying in the UK and is also exploring publishing the book there. She is available for selected public-speaking and engagement bookings.Social media:Instagram: @hearttofapoet / @.helena.aaFacebook: Heart PoemTikTok: @heartofapoet.Substack: @heyhelenaa

Helena Mbilima Looks to the Stars in Her Debut Book

For T-Sean, the new music is not simply another release.It is a way of putting grief into words.The Zambian musician, songwriter and producer has released Woke Up Missing You, a five-track EP dedicated to the memory of his late wife, Sharai Mulonda Mulenga, who died on July 27, 2026.Released on September 29, the project brings together songs shaped by loss, remembrance and the difficult process of adjusting to life without someone who has been part of it.The EP includes “Missing You,” “Mutima Wakana,” “Tears and Tequila Shots,” “Nkosheni,” and “Chimanibaba.”What makes the project particularly personal is how some of the material began.According to T-Sean, some of the lyrics started as notes typed into his phone during late nights, while others appeared as WhatsApp statuses as he tried to process the loss. Those fragments eventually became songs.That gives Woke Up Missing You a different starting point from the usual studio project. It is music emerging from a very specific moment in the artist's life rather than a collection built primarily around charts, collaborations or commercial release cycles.T-Sean has spent more than a decade moving between dancehall, Afropop, R&amp;B and songwriting, building a catalogue that includes albums such as 90 Days, Time-bomb, Grateful and Purpose.But this EP occupies a different space.There is no need to turn grief into something polished for an audience. The title itself — Woke Up Missing You — captures the repetitive nature of loss: waking up, remembering, and having to confront the absence all over again.For listeners who have experienced loss themselves, that feeling may be more familiar than any particular genre.The project also arrives on what would have been Sharai's birthday, adding another layer to an already deeply personal release.In that sense, Woke Up Missing You is less about presenting a new side of T-Sean and more about documenting where he is right now.Sometimes music is made for the audience.Sometimes it is simply how an artist gets through something.This appears to be the latter. Listen here: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPVS4jEPuh8" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(15, 15, 15);">T-Sean – Woke Up Missing You | In Loving Memory of Sharai</a>

T-Sean Turns Grief Into Music on ‘Woke Up Missing You’

I am writing to invite you to a virtual Meet the Novelist session with Penias Phiri, author of Preparing the Ground. The author will discuss his life story, read from his debut novel, and answer your questions.&nbsp;Penias Phiri, born in 1997, grew up in rural Chadiza and is still based in Zambia's Eastern Province.&nbsp;The worldviews in Preparing the Ground astonished me, and I was astounded by Penias Phiri's account of village life in Chadiza. I was particularly stunned by how the novel depicted the widespread belief in witchcraft.&nbsp;I believe that we should do more to support writers from rural Zambia. That is why I'm organizing this virtual event to give Penias Phiri a platform to reach a wider audience.Do join us on Saturday 3 October from 16:30 to 17:30 hours CAT.&nbsp;Entry is free and all are welcome. Do invite other lovers of Zambian literature.Novel: Preparing the GroundAuthor: Penias PhiriYear: 2026Publisher:<a href="https://sotranepublishers.com/shop" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204); background-color: transparent;"> Sotrane Publishers</a>Licensed Promoter:<a href="https://annazgambo.com/biography" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;"> Anna Zgambo</a> Preparing the Ground follows Zakeyo, an ambitious young man navigating life in the village of Kalikongwe, where traditional customs meet modern challenges. Facing hardship, village dangers, and family struggles, Zakeyo relies on community support, hope, and his childhood sweetheart, Zilile, as he fights for his education and survival.﻿Order the paperback at K350: +260770621881<a href="https://a.co/d/0bPk6QNZ" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">Get the ebook at $9.99</a>

Meet the Novelist: Penias Phiri

Sometimes leaving home is the beginning of a new life. Sometimes, it is also the beginning of a few wrong turns.That tension runs through Lost in the City, a young adult novel by Lusaka-born writer Kelvin Siabunkululu.The story follows Mapenzi, a young man who leaves Nyawa in Southern Province for Lusaka, hoping to make something of himself. He has a clear ambition: to study medicine at the University of Zambia and build a future his parents can be proud of.But life in the city introduces him to a different set of influences. Mapenzi falls in with bad company, and the consequences are eventually severe. His journey takes an unexpected turn when he finds himself being pushed through the corridors of Levy Mwanawasa Teaching Hospital on a gurney after suffering a gunshot wound.For someone whose future had been centred on becoming a doctor, the moment is a sobering one.But Lost in the City is not only about the dramatic events that happen to Mapenzi. It is about the decisions that lead him there.It is about friendship, parental advice, ambition and what can happen when a young person is trying to find their identity away from home.<h3>In Conversation with Kelvin Siabunkululu</h3>KSJ: Where did the idea for Lost in the City come from?Kelvin Siabunkululu: I have always been interested in people and the way we live. I wanted to write something that young people could actually see themselves in. The idea developed around a young person leaving home, coming to the city and trying to find his way.KSJ: Why Mapenzi? What attracted you to his story?Siabunkululu: I think Mapenzi represents a lot of young people. He has dreams. He wants to succeed. He wants to become something. But along the way, he meets people who influence him, and things start changing.I wanted to show that sometimes it is not the absence of ambition that gets someone into trouble. You can have very good intentions and still make wrong choices.KSJ: And why move the story from Nyawa to Lusaka?Siabunkululu: I liked the contrast. You have this young man coming from a small village into a much bigger environment. Everything is different—the people, the opportunities, the pressures.Lusaka can be exciting, but it can also expose you to things you have never encountered before. I thought that made it an interesting setting for Mapenzi's journey.KSJ: His parents try to guide him. Was that an important part of the story for you?Siabunkululu: Very much. Parents don't always get everything right, but most parents want to see their children do well. Sometimes young people think their parents are simply restricting them, when actually they are trying to protect them.With Mapenzi, the tragedy is that he had been warned. He had people telling him to be careful, but he did not listen.KSJ: There is quite a dramatic turn when Mapenzi ends up at Levy Mwanawasa Teaching Hospital. Why take the story there?Siabunkululu: I wanted the consequences to feel real. It wasn't enough for him to simply get into trouble and then walk away from it.The gunshot wound shows how serious things have become. At that point, you start wondering what will happen to his education and his future. This is someone who wanted to become a doctor, and now he is lying on a hospital bed.KSJ: What would you like a young reader to think about after finishing the book?Siabunkululu: I would like them to think about the people they surround themselves with and the decisions they make.But I don't want the book to feel like someone is preaching to them. It is a story. They should enjoy the story first, and hopefully some of those things will stay with them afterwards.KSJ: What keeps you interested in writing?Siabunkululu: People, really. Humanity. Leadership. Family. I enjoy seeing people succeed, and I think stories give us a way of understanding each other a little better.<h3>The Author</h3>Born in Lusaka, Siabunkululu describes himself as passionate about humanity, leadership and family life. He is married to Catherine T. C. Siabunkululu, and they have a daughter, Gianna Siabunkululu.With Lost in the City, he turns those interests towards a young man's difficult transition from the familiarity of home to the uncertainty of city life.The result is a distinctly Zambian coming-of-age story—one that moves from Nyawa to Lusaka, from university ambitions to difficult consequences, and from parental warnings to lessons that may come too late.<h3>Where to Find Lost in the City</h3>Lost in the City is available at Bookworld, Manda Hill Branch, for K150.Countrywide delivery is available through a courier service of the buyer's choice.Kelvin Siabunkululu📞 +260 979 263 000✉️ <a href="mailto:ksiabunkululu3@gmail.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ksiabunkululu3@gmail.com</a>

Kelvin Siabunkululu on Youth, Choices and the Road to Finding Oneself

There is no shortage of conversations about Zambia’s development. The harder question is what we do with those conversations.In Perspectives: A Critical Analysis on Many Views, writer Clement Mumba takes familiar questions about development, poverty, resourcefulness and the future of Zambia and approaches them from multiple angles.Rather than presenting well-known ideas as simple answers, Mumba uses different perspectives to challenge readers to think more deeply about the problems facing the country — and what might be done differently.At the heart of the book is an argument that development requires more than discussion. It requires ideas that can eventually translate into action.Mumba’s approach is deliberately broad. His writing brings together questions around governance, identity, entrepreneurship, philosophy and the wider Zambian experience, allowing readers to consider development from different viewpoints.The result is a book that is less about offering a single formula and more about encouraging readers to question assumptions.For a country that has spent decades discussing how to move more people out of poverty and make better use of its resources, that conversation remains relevant.<h3>Beyond familiar answers</h3>Much of the development debate in Zambia is built around familiar themes: education, jobs, entrepreneurship, natural resources, good governance and economic opportunity.Mumba does not necessarily present these ideas as new. Instead, Perspectives attempts to examine them in a way that accommodates different interpretations and encourages readers to connect the dots.That distinction matters.Development challenges rarely have one cause, and they rarely have one solution. The relationship between institutions, individuals, businesses, government and communities is complicated.By bringing different perspectives into the discussion, Mumba invites readers to look beyond individual problems and consider how they fit into a bigger picture.<h3>A book about resourcefulness</h3>One of the underlying ideas running through Mumba’s work is the possibility of moving Zambia from a position of simply identifying its challenges to one of making better use of what it already has.That includes human capital, natural resources, entrepreneurship, institutions and ideas.The book therefore speaks to a broader question: what would it take for Zambia to become more resourceful — not simply in terms of its natural resources, but in how it uses its people, institutions and opportunities?It is a question without an easy answer.And perhaps that is precisely why Mumba approaches it through multiple perspectives rather than a single prescription.<h3>From ideas to action</h3>Ultimately, Perspectives is built around a simple tension: Zambia has no shortage of ideas about development, but ideas only become meaningful when they influence what people and institutions actually do.Mumba’s book contributes to that conversation by asking readers to think, question and consider alternatives.Whether every reader agrees with the perspectives presented is less important than engaging with the questions.Because development is not only an economic project. It is also a process of deciding what kind of society a country wants to build — and what it is prepared to do to get there.Book: Perspectives: A Critical Analysis on Many ViewsAuthor: Clement MumbaFind out more: <a href="https://www.clementmumba.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Clement Mumba’s website</a>

Clement Mumba’s Perspectives: Rethinking Zambia’s Development Story

Crime fiction has long relied on familiar ingredients — money, power, betrayal, violence, loyalty and characters caught between competing worlds.For Zambian author Richard Sakala, those ingredients do not have to belong to distant cities or fictional foreign landscapes.His 2025 Ngoma Award-winning novel, Loyalty: To the Girl or to the Gang?, brings the crime thriller into a distinctly Zambian setting, following a young man whose life in Lusaka's criminal underworld is thrown into uncertainty when love offers him a possible way out.At the centre of the story is Hardric.Rescued from the slums of Lusaka and taken under the wing of a powerful gangster kingpin, Hardric grows into a ruthless and calculating figure. He has money, influence and the respect of the gang — as well as ambitions of eventually running the criminal empire himself.Then comes Maureen.A bold law student, Maureen wants to leave the criminal underworld behind and challenges Hardric to do the same.The resulting conflict is not simply about choosing between a woman and a gang. It is about whether someone can walk away from the world that shaped them.<h3>When loyalty becomes a trap</h3>For Sakala, loyalty is the central currency of the world he has created.In the streets, loyalty provides belonging and protection. But the same loyalty can eventually become a trap.That idea runs through the novel as Hardric finds himself caught between the criminal organisation that gave him his identity and the possibility of a different life with Maureen.The result is a story that combines crime, romance and suspense while examining the consequences of allegiance.In Sakala's fictional world, loyalty can keep you alive.It can also get you killed. <h2>THE INTERVIEW</h2><h3>Richard Sakala on crime fiction, Hardric and writing from Zambia</h3>KSJ: What is Loyalty: To the Girl or to the Gang? about?Richard Sakala: Loyalty: To the Girl or to the Gang? is a 2025 Ngoma Award-winning Zambian crime thriller about a high-stakes clash between criminal underworld allegiance and romantic love.At its centre is Hardric, a ruthless and brilliant gang leader in Lusaka who was rescued from the slums and shaped by a crime kingpin.He has everything he believes the streets promised him — respect, money and a path towards power.Then Maureen enters his life.She is a bold law student who wants out of the criminal underworld and wants Hardric to come with her.The story follows his struggle between the loyalty he owes to the gang and his love for Maureen and the possibility of a clean future.KSJ: What is the central conflict in the story?Richard Sakala: The central conflict is Hardric's dilemma.On one side is the gang and the streets that raised him. On the other is Maureen and the possibility of leaving that life behind.Hardric has built his identity around the criminal world, so walking away is not a simple decision.He has to decide what matters more — the streets that saved him or the woman who challenges him to leave everything behind.KSJ: What themes were you interested in exploring through the novel?Richard Sakala: The major theme is loyalty.In the streets, loyalty is everything. It is the defining currency.But absolute loyalty can also become the ultimate trap. Something that initially gives you protection and belonging can eventually lead to destruction.That is one of the contradictions I wanted to explore through the story.KSJ: You describe yourself as the “King of Zambia's Crime Fiction.” Why?Richard Sakala: I use the title because I see myself as a pioneer in a relatively new literary space in Zambia.Zambia has a rich literary tradition, but crime fiction has historically been underrepresented.I want to help establish Zambia's crime fiction as a genre in its own right.The idea is to create stories rooted in our own environment and experiences while using the conventions of crime fiction.For me, it is about pioneering a new literary genre in Zambia. <h2>Building a local crime-fiction identity</h2>Sakala's description of himself as the “King of Zambia's Crime Fiction” is deliberately ambitious.But underneath the branding is a more straightforward literary argument: there is room for more Zambian stories told through the crime-fiction lens.The genre provides plenty of possibilities in a city such as Lusaka, where questions of money, ambition, inequality, relationships, influence and survival can all become material for fiction.For local readers, there is also something different about seeing familiar places and social realities used as the backdrop for a thriller.Sakala's project is therefore not simply about writing crime stories.It is also about establishing a recognisable Zambian voice within a genre that has traditionally been dominated by international authors and settings.<h3>What comes next?</h3>Loyalty: To the Girl or to the Gang? is the first book in the Loyalty Series, leaving room for Hardric's story — and Sakala's wider crime-fiction project — to develop further.For a Zambian literary scene increasingly populated by authors experimenting with different genres, the emergence of locally rooted crime fiction is an interesting development.Sakala is betting that there is an audience for it.And with his first book already receiving recognition at the Ngoma Awards, the experiment has moved beyond the manuscript and onto the shelves.<h3>Where to find the book</h3>The paperback is available for K250, inclusive of delivery within Zambia, through Anna Zgambo.The e-book is available through:<ul><li>Amazon</li><li>Utushimi</li><li>AIMBUC Gallery</li><li>DL Bookstore</li></ul>Richard Sakala📞 +260 766 850 045📧 <a href="mailto:richardsakala310@gmail.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">richardsakala310@gmail.com</a>Facebook: Richard SakalaLinkedIn: Richard SakalaKatondo Street Journal's Author Spotlight features Zambian writers, their books and the ideas shaping the country's literary scene.

Richard Sakala Is Taking Zambia’s Crime Fiction to the Streets

A new Zambian novel is using the story of one child to examine some of the less visible challenges facing families and communities.Under the Mango Tree, the first published book by Zambian writer and filmmaker Yoweli Chungu, follows Junior, an autistic child growing up in Chibolya.The novel explores autism through the experiences of Junior and his family, but its subject is broader. It touches on childhood, poverty, family, faith, community life, disability and the difficulty of understanding people whose experiences do not fit familiar expectations.Chibolya is central to the story.Rather than using the compound simply as a setting for hardship, Chungu presents it as a community with its own relationships, beliefs, humour, conflicts and aspirations.That approach gives the story a distinctly Zambian setting while allowing it to examine issues that extend beyond one community.<h3>A mother searching for answers</h3>In one of the early chapters, "A Different Child," Junior's mother Hildah begins to recognise that her son is developing differently from other children.She notices his fascination with light, shadows and particular sounds. He observes people differently and does not always respond to faces or his name in the way she expects.When some of the few words he has begun using disappear, her concern deepens.But Hildah initially has no clear explanation for what she is seeing.The uncertainty becomes part of her own struggle. She begins questioning whether something during pregnancy or early childhood could have caused the changes she is seeing.Her mother-in-law, Ba Ruth, challenges that guilt, telling her that the child's condition is not the result of her mistakes.It is a small family exchange, but it captures one of the themes running through the novel: the burden parents can carry when they do not have enough information to understand what is happening to their children.<h3>When information is limited</h3>As Hildah searches for answers, the community offers its own explanations.Some interpret Junior's behaviour through traditional beliefs. Others see it through a religious or spiritual lens.Hildah eventually seeks help from a church, hoping that prayer might provide an answer. Instead, the experience leaves her confronting the limits of explanations based solely on faith.The novel uses this part of the story to explore a difficult reality: when reliable information about disability and developmental conditions is limited, families may turn to whatever explanations are available to them.That can include family advice, traditional beliefs, religious interpretations or other community explanations.For Hildah, the turning point is the realisation that what she needs is knowledge and a language through which she can understand her son.<h3>Beyond the autism story</h3>This is what makes Under the Mango Tree broader than a story about one child's condition.Junior's experience is connected to the circumstances around him.His family has its own pressures. The community has its own beliefs. Poverty shapes the choices available to people. Faith provides both comfort and explanations. And traditional ideas continue to coexist with modern life.The novel therefore places autism within the everyday realities of a Zambian community rather than treating it as an isolated medical or social issue.It also raises questions about how society responds to difference.What happens when a child behaves differently but the people around him do not understand why?How does a family respond when professional information is difficult to access?And how much can a child's experience be shaped by the assumptions of the people around him?These questions give the novel relevance beyond its fictional setting.<h3>Chibolya as a community</h3>The choice of Chibolya is also worth noting.Zambian compounds are often represented in public discussions primarily through poverty, crime or inadequate infrastructure. Chungu's story takes a wider view.Chibolya becomes a social environment — a place where people raise children, form relationships, hold religious beliefs, deal with conflict and find ways to survive.That allows the novel to present the community with both its difficulties and its humanity.It is also part of what makes the story recognisably Zambian. The setting is not simply a backdrop to Junior's life; it influences the people around him and the explanations they use to make sense of the world.<h3>A conversation about disability and understanding</h3>At its centre, Under the Mango Tree is concerned with the gap between difference and understanding.Junior experiences the world differently. The people around him must decide how to respond to that difference.The book consequently opens a wider conversation about autism and disability in African communities, including the role of family, faith, cultural beliefs and access to information.For Chungu, the book also represents a move from filmmaking into fiction.That shift gives him a different space in which to explore a subject that is difficult to capture through headlines or statistics: the private experience of a family trying to understand a child.The result is a story rooted in Chibolya but dealing with questions that will be familiar to many families — how we understand children, how communities explain difference, and what happens when love is present but knowledge is limited.Under the Mango Tree is Chungu's first published book.It is available through Booklovers Namibia.Purchase the book:<a href="https://booklovers-namibia.com/shop/under-the-mango-tree?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Booklovers Namibia — Under the Mango Tree</a>KSJ Book Spotlight is an editorial feature highlighting books by Zambian and African authors and the social, economic and cultural questions explored in their work.#UnderTheMangoTree #YoweliChungu #ZambianLiterature #AfricanLiterature #ZambianWriters #ZambianStories #AfricanStorytelling #AutismAwareness #DisabilityInclusion #Chibolya #Lusaka #BookSpotlight #KatondoStreetJournal

Beneath the Mango Tree: Yoweli Chungu’s Story of Childhood, Autism and Belonging

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