Borniface Kanyamuna writes fiction about Zambia's music industry. In this interactive webinar, you will have the opportunity to ask questions and find out how Borniface captures the essence of Zambian music in his books.&nbsp;All are welcome to the webinar. Please invite others.Webinar: Stories of Zambian Music with Borniface KanyamunaDate: Sunday 15 November 2026Time: 16:00 to 17:30 CATLink:&nbsp;https://meet.google.com/kpu-ezyg-gtaEntry: Free for everyoneBorniface Kanyamuna, author of Chasing Stardom (2021), will release Fortunaire: A Novella this November. Kanyamuna will read from Fortunaire and discuss how he wrote this novella about Zambian hip-hop.ABOUT FORTUNAIRE: A NOVELLAFortunaire dominates Zambian hip-hop. To his fans, he is the award-winning Rap Lightning. To his family, he is an absent father, an unfaithful husband. His fed-up wife Kafwani is determined to leave the country, and Fortunaire vows to follow her so as to save the marriage that he treasures.But first… he must end his music career with thunderbolts. Fortunaire promises that he will focus on family after releasing his final album, The Last Roar. What will be the cost of producing the biggest album ever in Zambian music history?Release date: 28 November 2026&nbsp;Pre-order the book now by contacting 0974997403 or 0760810873.

Borniface Kanyamuna will read from Fortunaire and discuss how he wrote this novella about Zambian hip-hop.

Stories of Zambian Music with Borniface Kanyamuna

<h1>Nsembe Technologies enters gaming with Kopala beta</h1>A Zambian technology company is taking its next experiment beyond finance, education and data — into video games.Nsembe Technologies has launched the beta version of <a href="https://www.kopala.space/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Kopala</a>, an open-world game set in Chingola on Zambia’s Copperbelt, marking the first release from its new game development division, <a href="https://www.nsembe.online/games" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Nsembe Games</a>.The game is being opened to early players for testing as the company develops what it describes as a series of “street stories from Zambia.”Kopala puts players in the fictional role of Chola, who arrives in Chingola from Lusaka carrying little more than a bag, a debt and unfinished business.From there, the game draws on everyday life around the Copperbelt: copper dumps, minibus ranks, football pitches, markets, neighbourhoods and the informal economy surrounding the mines.The setting is deliberately recognisable.Rather than creating an imaginary African city, Nsembe Games is attempting to turn real Zambian urban environments into playable spaces — starting with Chingola before expanding the story to other cities.<blockquote>“Street stories from Zambia.”</blockquote>That is the broader idea behind Nsembe Games.The company says future instalments will take Chola's story to Lusaka and Kitwe, with planned settings including Kamwala Market, Cairo Road, Lusaka's minibus stations, Nkana and Chimwemwe.The approach is interesting because Zambia has produced plenty of music, film and digital content rooted in local culture, but relatively little commercially developed video-game content built around recognisable Zambian places and everyday life.Kopala is an attempt to explore that gap.It is also a different direction for Nsembe Technologies, whose existing work has centred largely on institutional software, financial intelligence, education systems and data infrastructure.The game therefore appears to be both a creative project and a technology experiment.For now, Nsembe is keeping the release deliberately small. Kopala is in beta, with the company inviting early players to test the game and provide feedback before further development.The current version runs directly in a web browser and is designed primarily for computers with a keyboard.Nsembe says the game is fiction: the places are real, but the characters and story are invented.That distinction matters, particularly with a game that draws heavily on recognisable communities, occupations and urban experiences.For Nsembe, however, the larger ambition appears to be straightforward: build games that feel like they could only have been made in Zambia.Kopala is the first test.If the experiment works, Chingola may only be the beginning.Kopala is available for early testing at <a href="https://www.kopala.space/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">kopala.space</a>.

Nsembe Technologies Launches Kopala, a New Zambian Open-World Game Set in Chingola

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

What does Lusaka look like inside a video game?For Japhet Gondwe, the answer involves more than putting a few Zambian street names on a fictional map.Gondwe is the founder of Redcode Studios, a Lusaka-based creative technology studio working across software, games, digital art and 3D design.Its latest and most ambitious experiment is Jila, a driving game being built in Zambia and around Zambia.Instead of creating another fictional city modelled loosely on familiar Western game environments, Redcode chose a place its developers know firsthand.Lusaka.That means recreating roads, buildings, bus stops, markets, vehicles, roadside stalls and other details that give the capital its visual character.Players can race, compete for leaderboard times, work taxi routes, drive buses or simply cruise around the city.But Jila is also becoming something beyond a game.It is an exercise in digital art, 3D modelling and local visual storytelling.The team has been creating vehicles, characters, buildings, signs and environments while testing how much detail the game can handle.Some of those experiments have involved deliberately pushing scenes with thousands of vehicles to find the point where the technology begins to struggle.Jila reached Google Play in September 2026 and remains under active development.<a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.redcodestudios.jila" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jila website</a><h3>From games to business software</h3>Jila may be Redcode's most visually distinctive project, but it is far from the studio's only experiment.Before the game, much of its work focused on solving more conventional business problems.Inkline is a business management and accounting platform covering invoices, expenses, customers, suppliers, stock and financial records.The premise is relatively straightforward: smaller businesses still need useful management information, but do not necessarily need systems designed around the complexity of multinational corporations.<a href="https://inklinehq.web.app/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Inkline</a>Then there is ByteMart, which began as a marketplace before expanding into tools for sellers, including digital catalogues, inventory management and structured product information.The team has experimented with turning information from handwritten stock lists and WhatsApp catalogues into usable digital product data.It is a practical response to a common problem: businesses may already have the information they need, but it is often trapped in formats that are difficult for software to process.<a href="https://bytemart.web.app/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ByteMart</a><h3>Making property discovery less fragmented</h3>Redcode has also ventured into property technology with Bondi.The platform was built around a familiar experience for Zambian property seekers — moving between Facebook posts, WhatsApp groups, agents and word of mouth in search of a house, apartment, piece of land or commercial property.Bondi brings listings into a searchable platform while allowing landlords, owners and agents to publish properties.Verification indicators, reporting tools and warnings around unverified listings form part of the platform's approach to safety.Bondi has surpassed 1,000 downloads on Google Play.<a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.redcode.bondi&amp;utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bondi on Google Play</a><h3>An experimental history</h3>Redcode did not begin with Jila.Earlier projects included Loc'd In, a community-focused application centred around locs and natural hair, Abekala Chalo, and the colour game I Choose Hue.Not every experiment became a major product.But that appears to be part of the studio's philosophy.Build something. Release it. See how people use it. Learn what does not work. Then carry those lessons into the next project.The studio's Google Play catalogue effectively documents that evolution.<h3>Where software meets art</h3>The word "Studios" in Redcode's name is deliberate.The company works across software engineering and creative production, including UI/UX design, branding, illustration, digital artwork, 3D modelling and environment design.Jila has brought these disciplines together particularly clearly.A game set in Lusaka creates questions that cannot be solved with code alone.What should a Zambian market stall look like?Which vehicles belong on a particular road?How should a roadside environment be represented?What makes a digital character feel like they belong in the setting?Each becomes a design problem as well as a technical one.That intersection of technology, art and local context is increasingly becoming part of Redcode's identity. <h2>In Conversation with Japhet Gondwe</h2>KSJ: Redcode describes itself as more than a software company. What does being a creative technology studio mean to you?Japhet Gondwe: For us, software is only one part of the work. We are interested in the combination of code, design, art, storytelling and experimentation. Sometimes that leads to business software, sometimes a marketplace, and sometimes a game. We don't want to limit ourselves to one category.KSJ: Why was it important to build Jila around Lusaka?Gondwe: We know Lusaka. It is the environment we live in, so we thought it would be interesting to see what happens when we build a game around a place we actually understand instead of creating another generic fictional city. It also gives us an opportunity to explore what Zambia can look like in a digital world.KSJ: What has surprised you most about developing Jila?Gondwe: The amount of work involved in making a place feel authentic. It is not just about putting roads on a map. You start thinking about buildings, signs, vehicles, market stalls, lighting and all the small things people normally don't notice. It becomes a huge art and technical project.KSJ: Redcode has worked on several very different products. How do you decide what to build next?Gondwe: A lot of it starts with curiosity. If we think something would be interesting or useful to exist, we ask whether we can build it. We experiment, release things and learn from what happens. Some ideas work better than others, but the process itself teaches us something.KSJ: What do you think is missing from the way technology is built in Zambia?Gondwe: I think there is room for more experimentation. We don't always have to start by asking what has already worked somewhere else and then reproduce it here. We can also start with our own environment and ask what technology makes sense from where we are.KSJ: Where do you see Redcode going from here?Gondwe: We want to keep building and experimenting across software, games and creative technology. Jila is still developing, and there are always new things we want to try. The main thing is to keep making things and learning from them.<h3>Building from Zambia</h3>That philosophy perhaps explains Redcode better than any individual product.It is not simply trying to reproduce Silicon Valley products with a Zambian label.Its approach is more grounded in local problems, local environments and the curiosity to see what can be built.A property platform because property discovery is fragmented.Accounting software because small businesses need better tools.A marketplace because sellers need more than a place to list products.And a driving game because someone wondered what Lusaka would look like as a digital world.For a small studio in Lusaka, the ambition is notable not because every experiment will necessarily succeed, but because the studio is willing to build, release, test and try again.Sometimes innovation is a new piece of technology.Sometimes it is simply taking something familiar and asking:What if we built it ourselves?For Japhet Gondwe and Redcode Studios, that question has already produced a growing collection of software, games and digital worlds — increasingly shaped by the place from which they are being built.Redcode Studios — Lusaka, Zambia<a href="https://redcodestudios.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Redcode Studios</a><a href="https://zm.linkedin.com/in/japhet-gondwe-95b790194?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Japhet Gondwe on LinkedIn</a>

Japhet Gondwe and the Lusaka Studio Building Zambia in Code

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

For many young people growing up in rural Zambia, education represents a route towards a different life. It promises opportunity, mobility and a chance to move beyond the economic circumstances into which one was born.But getting an education does not necessarily mean the struggle is over.That is the starting point for Preparing the Ground: Zakeyo’s Struggle for Education and Freedom, a literary novel by Zambian author Penias Phiri.The novel follows Zakeyo, a young man from the rural community of Kalikongwe, whose determination to pursue education takes him from village life to university and eventually into the difficult reality that follows graduation.Zakeyo's journey begins with the familiar hope that education can change the trajectory of his life. But as the story develops, that promise meets the realities of unemployment, financial hardship, difficult relationships and limited opportunities.In this sense, the novel moves beyond the familiar narrative of education as an automatic pathway to success.Zakeyo earns his education, but the next stage of his life presents another set of challenges. The transition from university into the wider economy becomes a test of resilience, particularly in an environment where qualifications do not always translate into employment or financial security.The story also remains connected to the community Zakeyo comes from.Traditional beliefs, cultural expectations, jealousy and conflicts within the community continue to shape his experiences. His movement into university and the wider world does not completely separate him from the social environment that formed him.This gives the novel two dimensions: it is both the story of one young man's attempt to build a better life and an exploration of some of the pressures surrounding education, poverty and social mobility.Phiri also draws on African oral traditions and village life, giving the story a distinctly Zambian setting while engaging with contemporary issues.Questions around unemployment, education, poverty, cultural identity, love and the search for opportunity run through Zakeyo's journey.The title itself offers an important clue to the novel's central idea.Preparing the Ground suggests that progress is often preceded by a long period of work that may not immediately produce visible results. The effort invested in education, personal development and perseverance may take time before its value becomes apparent.That idea gives the novel relevance beyond Zakeyo's individual story.For many young people, particularly those from communities where economic opportunities are limited, education can represent years of sacrifice and expectation. Yet the transition from education to independence can bring another period of uncertainty.Preparing the Ground explores that space between aspiration and reality.Rather than presenting success as a straight line, Phiri's novel follows a young man through setbacks, relationships, social pressures and economic difficulties as he continues trying to find his place.For readers interested in contemporary Zambian fiction, the novel offers a story grounded in rural life while engaging with questions that extend well beyond the village — what education can and cannot provide, what happens after graduation, and how much persistence is required when the promised opportunities do not arrive immediately.Preparing the Ground: Zakeyo’s Struggle for Education and Freedom is available through Sotrane Publishers for ZMW 350.Book Spotlight is a KSJ editorial feature highlighting books by Zambian and African authors and the ideas, experiences and social questions explored in their work.

When Education Is Only the Beginning: Penias Phiri’s Preparing the Ground