A Cowrie of Hope
Zambia

A Cowrie of Hope

by Binwell Sinyangwe

Freedom & Resistance Historical Fiction 2000

Summary

Set in Zambia during the economic hardships of the 1990s, A Cowrie of Hope follows Nasula, a young widow determined to secure a better future for her daughter, Sula. After her husband’s death, Nasula refuses to accept the traditional expectation that she should marry her brother-in-law. Her independence comes at a terrible cost: her in-laws strip her of her possessions, leaving her struggling to survive in an impoverished rural community. Yet Nasula has a clear purpose. She believes that education will give Sula the opportunity to escape poverty and build a life free from the restrictions that have shaped her own. When she discovers that she cannot afford her daughter’s school fees, she travels to Lusaka to sell her last sack of valuable beans. In the city, however, she encounters exploitation and dangers that threaten everything she has worked for. Through Nasula’s determination, Sinyangwe portrays a woman’s struggle against poverty, patriarchy, and social injustice. Tender yet unflinching, the novel celebrates maternal love, female solidarity, and the courage required to imagine a different future.

Reviews

Login to leave a review.

No reviews yet. Be the first!

You might also like

Prodigal
Prodigal
Kayo Chingonyi
Patchwork
Patchwork
Ellen Banda-Aaku
Dead Aid: Why Aid Is Not Working and How There Is Another Way for Africa
Dead Aid: Why Aid Is Not Working and How There Is Another Way for Africa
Dambisa Moyo
Obligations to the Wounded
Obligations to the Wounded
Mubanga Kalimamukwento
Country
Zambia
Africa
About the author
Binwell Sinyangwe
Binwell Sinyangwe

Binwell Sinyangwe (born 1956) is a Zambian novelist who writes in English and is known for exploring social inequality, economic hardship, and the changing realities of Zambian life. Born in Ndola, Zambia, he pursued higher education in economics, earning a master’s degree in industrial economics from the Academy of Economic Sciences in Bucharest, Romania, in 1983. His background in economics informs his fiction, which often examines how poverty, class divisions, and social structures affect ordinary people. His debut novel, Quills of Desire, was published in 1993, followed by A Cowrie of Hope in 2000. The latter became one of his best-known works, earning recognition for its portrayal of women’s resilience and the struggle for educational opportunity. In addition to novels, Sinyangwe has published poetry, short stories, and articles. His writing contributes to the tradition of post-independence African literature that confronts social injustice while celebrating the strength and dignity of individuals determined to change their circumstances.

View author page
Details
Published
2000
Author
Binwell Sinyangwe