In celebration of International Women’s Day 2025, we take a look at Zambian female authors are spearheading the revival of Zambian fiction. Through the genre, they demonstrate how literature can be both a pleasurable pursuit and an avenue to convey critical life observations.
Fiction writing is more than a source of literary entertainment. More often than not, it is a gateway for readers to experience the world coloured by an author’s perspective. Weighty social commentary is conveyed through seemingly light and humorous dialogue, and meaningful reflections on life are woven into mundane descriptions of a character’s everyday life. Zambia’s fiction industry is experiencing a renaissance, with Zambian woman authors at the helm.
Zambian Literature’s Founding Mothers
Zambian women have not always been afforded publishing opportunities in the same way as their male counterparts. This is made glaringly obvious by the fact that Susan Chitabanta was the first woman to have a novel published by the Kenneth Kaunda Foundation in 1988, two decades after the publication of Andreya Masiye’s Before Dawn. Her novel, Behind the Closed Door, is the story of a young woman who marries her rapist out of religious conviction. Her rapist turns away from a life of crime and adopts a pious lifestyle, but he meets his untimely end at the hands of one of his past criminal friends. This ending could be read as a critique of Florence’s marriage to her abuser and wider societal expectations.
In response to the scant participation of women in the literary arts, the Zambia Women Writers Association was formed. Norah Mumba was instrumental in the founding of ZAWWA. She came into prominence after the publication of her biography, A Song in the Night: A Personal Account of Widowhood in Zambia. This book was well received and Norah was instrumental in the passing of the Intestate Succession Act Chapter 59 of 1989 and the Wills and Administration of Testate Estates Act, which grants protections to individuals and their children after the passing of their spouse. ZAWWA’s first publication was a collection of short stories called The Heart of a Woman, and they continue to provide a platform for Zambian women authors to convene and publish their work. Their most recent publication is The Budding Writer: An Anthology of Twenty Stories, released in 2018.
Contemporary Zambian Literary Giants
Contemporary Zambian literature is marked by both female dominance and increased visibility on the continent and across the globe. Since the early 2000s, literary prizes have been instrumental in launching the careers of numerous African writers. Ellen Banda-Aaku is one such writer. She has been the recipient of awards such as the 2004 Macmillan Writer’s Prize for Africa for Wandi’s Little Voice, the 2007 Commonwealth Short Story Competition for Sozi’s Box and the 2010 Penguin Prize for arguably her most notable book, Patchwork. Through the inter-generational story of three women, Patchwork interrogates issues such as rape and the HIV/AIDS pandemic in the Zambian context.
Namwali Serpell also gained increased notoriety from winning awards that include, the 2011 Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers’ Award and the 2015 AKO Caine Prize for African Writing for The Sack. She also penned the critically acclaimed novel, The Old Drift, which has been referred to as ‘the great Zambian novel.’ The Old Drift is a genre-bending text that explores Zambia’s extensive history from precolonial days to the 2010s, via the stories of three intersecting families. It explores themes such as racism, Afro-futurism and Eco-criticism.
Mubanga Kalimamukwento’s debut novel, The Mourning Bird, was similarly met with glowing reviews. The novel won the Dinanne Debut Fiction Award and was amongst the 15 most notable books of 2019 by Brittle Paper. The Mourning Bird gives an account of the lives of two children who are forced to live on the streets after the death of their parents who succumbed to HIV/AIDS complications. Their lives quickly went downhill after the death of their father, whose relatives grabbed all the property they owned. This illustrates life in Zambia before protections for widows and their children were enshrined in the law. Mubanga also won the 2019 Kalemba Short Story Prize for Inswa and was shortlisted for the 2022 Commonwealth Short Story Prize for Thandiwe.
Natasha Omokhodion’s first novel, No Be From Hia, was a Graywold Africa Press finalist in 2019 and a well-received offering from the author. The novel details the lives of two girls, one with Zambian-Nigerian heritage and the other with Zambian-Jamaican heritage, who are on a quest for their identities, love and acceptance. Natasha’s most recent book, Even if the Stars Should Fall, was published by her publishing company, Copper Monstera. It details the life of a couple, Angie and Luka, as they navigate a changing political landscape and is set in colonial-era Zambia. It engages with important aspects of Zambian history, including Alice Leshina’s Lumpa church.
Mulenga Kapwepwe is a well-versed writer and patron of the arts, amongst other things. She is the co-founder of the Women’s History Museum of Zambia and Lubuto Libraries. Mulenga has authored countless poems and plays and has been the recipient of many awards. She was recognised as one of the Top 100 most influential Women by the BBC. Mulenga’s most recent book, Perfect Marriage, is the story of two Zambians living in America who return to Zambia for their marriage rites. Their relationship experiences strain because of the demands of their cultural expectations. Perfect Marriage provides an insightful glimpse into Zambia’s rich cultural heritage, through the lens of Bemba cultural practices and belief systems.
Writers on the Rise
Zambia’s literary culture is vivacious and robust, with its development being tended to by a host of incredibly talented individuals. Writers like Mukandi Siame, Mali Kambandu and Mbozi Haimbe have made delightful contributions to the literary arts with their small but growing bibliographies. Their outputs and accolades have already cemented them as forces to be reckoned with.
Mukandi Siame won the inaugural Ubwali Literary Prize for her essay, Like Mother. The essay is tender and profound, exploring the relationship between a mother and daughter. The intricacies of their relationships give way to an engagement with Zambian cultural expectations and their effects on women.
Mbozi Haimbe equally engages with Zambian cultural expectations in her story, Madam’s Sister, which won the 2019 Commonwealth Short Story Prize for Africa region. The story provides an account of a woman’s return to Zambia from the diaspora, focalised through the eyes of her sister’s male gardener. His perspectives explore cultural conceptions of proper womanhood and the effects of immigration on the displaced subject.
Mali Kambandu won the inaugural Kalemba Short Story Prize for A Hand to Hold, a story which is centred around the kitchen party of a young woman and her relationships with her mother and their former house help. Themes explored in the story include motherhood and the challenges working mothers experience. Mali was also featured as Brittle Paper’s June 2022 writer of the month.
Creative Futures
Despite the significant lack of fiction production by Zambian women in early post-independence Zambia, their present-day prominence demonstrates their high aptitude and willingness to participate in the crafting of Zambia’s creative futures. This Women’s Day, we celebrate Zambian women authors and their contribution to developing Zambia’s literary culture.
Where to buy Books by Zambian Authors:
Norah Mumba: The book is available at the link.
Ellen Banda-Aaku: Purchase the book here.
Namwali Serpell: The Old Drift available here.
Mubanga Kalimamukwento: Buy it online.
Mulenga Kapwepwe: Purchase at the link.
Read more Short Stories by Zambian Female Authors
Mukandi Siame: https://www.ubwali.com/essays/like-mother
Mbozi Haimbe: https://www.addastories.org/madams-sister/
Mali Kambandu: https://kalemba-shortstory-prize.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/ahandtoholdfinal.pdf
