A mischievous feminist who became Head of Production at a TV station at 25. An actor who caused a scandal by playing Jesus Christ barechested. And a nest of writers, most of whom started publishing in their teens. Meet the SFF writers of Malawi
You can read through the whole chapter by following the "next" links at the end of each interview, or jump to a specific interview by using the links below. Start with the introduction. You can always return to this chapter index by clicking on the "100 African Writers of SF—Part Four" link at the top of each interview, and return to the overall project index by clicking on the 100African category, or clicking here.
Malawi is a nest of science fiction. Not just science fiction, but a rather literary SF.
“When I read something I would think 'If I can be this thrilled by a story, maybe I could do this for someone else!'”
“We have written a lot of short stories about the past and our traditions, and I think it’s time for technology to come up.”
“That’s what I hope—that our techno-crazed culture will have a popular fiction with a context that reflects our own identities.”
“I’m currently researching for two stories. I’m working on a fantasy about a mouse and a forest of magical baobabs, that came to me during a bout of psychedelic malaria. And the other is about youth unemployment.”
“As writers, it’s not really our responsibility but we envision, create, and so we can think about the future. There’s a quote that I put in the book from Abraham Lincoln that says ‘If you want the future then create it yourself.’”
“I knew pretty early on that I was going to be a writer or storyteller in some form.”
“I write more on sex precisely because it is considered a taboo, so I want to defy the odds. Things that people are uncomfortable speaking about that what I want to write about.”
What I learned in Malawi was this. African SFF owes almost nothing to Western science fiction.
