Obligations to the Wounded
Zambia

Obligations to the Wounded

by Mubanga Kalimamukwento

Society & Class Literary Fiction 2024

Summary

In Obligations to the Wounded, Mubanga Kalimamukwento presents a collection of interconnected stories exploring the burdens, expectations, and contradictions that shape the lives of Zambian women and girls. Spanning different generations and geographical settings, the stories portray women negotiating the demands of family, religion, tradition, and community while struggling to preserve their individuality.

Through formally inventive storytelling, Kalimamukwento explores subjects including intimate partner violence, migration, racial discrimination, the loss of language, sexuality, and the complicated relationships between mothers and daughters. Her characters inhabit worlds where inherited customs can offer a sense of belonging while simultaneously restricting personal freedom. Some seek escape; others attempt to reconcile their desires with the obligations imposed upon them.

Moving between personal experiences and broader social questions, the collection examines what women owe their families and communities—and what they owe themselves. Kalimamukwento combines emotional sensitivity with sharp social observation, revealing how pain can be passed between generations but also how solidarity and self-determination can create possibilities for change. The result is a nuanced portrait of contemporary Zambian womanhood, including the experiences of Zambian women living abroad.

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Country
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Africa
About the author
Mubanga Kalimamukwento
Mubanga Kalimamukwento

Mubanga Kalimamukwento is a Zambian writer and attorney whose fiction explores social inequality, gender, family, and the experiences of people living on the margins of society. She gained recognition with her debut novel, The Mourning Bird (2019), which won the Dinaane Debut Fiction Award and was praised for its unflinching portrayal of vulnerable children growing up amid Zambia’s social and political turmoil. Kalimamukwento’s writing draws attention to the pressures placed on women and girls by cultural traditions, religious expectations, and unequal social structures. Her short fiction has appeared in international literary journals, and she has received several awards for her work. In 2024, she won the prestigious Drue Heinz Literature Prize for Obligations to the Wounded, becoming the first African writer to receive the award. Alongside her literary career, she serves as a fiction editor for Doek! and mentors writers through the Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop.

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Details
Published
2024
Author
Mubanga Kalimamukwento