As Zambia celebrates its independence, its literature offers a way to reckon with the country’s history, its political and cultural complexities, and the lives of the people who have shaped it. From the legacies of colonialism in Namwali Serpell’s The Old Drift to the social realities of 1990s Zambia in Mubanga Kalimamukwento’s The Mourning Bird, Zambian writers have explored the forces that shape the nation and the people who call it home. 

These five books offer a starting point for discovering Zambia through its literature, tracing the country’s past and present through stories of political power, cultural expectations, family and everyday life.