Godfrey Setti In 1984 Godfrey Setti asked me if he could exhibit his paintings at Mpapa Gallery. I remember that occasion so well. Godfrey was a gentle and charming young 26-year-old and I had just begun work as manager and was finding out exactly what that entailed. We were both facing new experiences, though coincidentally we had each just completed […]
Reviews, more writing and the next books
Writing a series: What happens after Chipo and Chibwe save their green valley? I started writing a story about the importance of trees for my grandson, Stephen Kupakwesu, in 1993 and that book evolved into Dust and Rain, but it hasn’t ended there. I planned a series of children’s books and experimented with various formats from one huge book to […]
Climate change poem
Falling sky Who thought this could happen? Who thought that the sky would fall on our heads? It’s not what they said. We’ll be drowning they said. We’ll be swimming they said In sobbing seas with the flavour of tears. In oceans of wavelets lap-lapping our heads. Look what’s happened instead. Its not what they said. When the ice caps […]
Goodreads, dry gardens, and a visit from Trinity
A delightful visitor – the best of my readers and reviewers I had an unexpected and delightful visit yesterday from Trinity. She arrived holding my book Dust and Rain. She is busy reading it and wanted to ask me some questions. Let me tell you that this is one of the best things that can happen to a writer. We […]
Fear, anger and the attempted murder of Salman Rushdie
The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie was banned in Zambia In Zambia, The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie was a lump hidden under a towel in my bedside cupboard. It wasn’t a very effective hiding place. I knew that. I was afraid and angry every time I opened the cupboard door. I was afraid one of my house staff would […]