Books from Zambia

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.