The Zulu translation of Frantz Fanon’s The Wretched of the Earth is now available in stores! Translated from English by Makhosazana Xaba and published by Inkani Books on May 1, the isiZulu version of the book is titled Izimpabanga Zomhlaba.

Frantz Fanon was a French Afro-Caribbean psychiatrist, political philosopher, and Marxist from the French colony of Martinique. He was an important voice of 20th-century colonialism discourse, and his seminal works, such as Black Skin, White Masks and The Wretched of the Earth shaped postcolonial studies and liberation movements significantly. His writing critically examined the dehumanization of colonized peoples and the historical context of their oppression, emphasizing the intersection of race and colonialism, and the global struggle for freedom.

The Wretched of the Earth is a foundational text remains a vital reference on social justice, decolonization, and the solidarity of oppressed peoples worldwide. In this 1961 book, Fanon provides a psychoanalysis of the dehumanizing effects of colonization upon the individual and the nation, and discusses the broader social, cultural, and political implications of establishing a social movement for the decolonization of a person and of a people.

This is a monumental milestone in the history of translation and postcolonial studies. The new Zulu translation introduces Fanon’s work to a fresh generation of students and ensures that his work continues to stay alive in the minds of readers.

Makhosazana Xaba was a fellow at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study during the final stages of translating this book. As a South African poet, Xaba has authored three collections of poetry, including these hands, Tongues of their Mothers, and The Alkalinity of Bottled Water. Her debut collection of short stories, Running and Other Stories, received the 2014 South African Literary Award and the Nadine Gordimer Short Story Award. Xaba has also edited several anthologies.

Buy a copy of the Zulu translation of The Wretched of the Earth here.