Through the Black – Lazarus Panashe Nyagwambo
Through the Black Lazarus Panashe Nyagwambo“There is a certain kind of black, a particularly unbound, untethered absence, the variety of which one’s mind can only wander into and return permanently altered, the kind in which even shadows shudder and the creepy...
If You Need Anything – Amanda Kingsley
If You Need Anything Amanda KingsleyJourney in It is 8.05am on a Monday in March. I get on the central line at Oxford Circus and successfully secure a seat. This is a technical feat, not a sign I am going to have a good day. I am going to have a good day, but because...
In Your Mother’s Kitchen – Daniel Ogba
In Your Mother's Kitchen Daniel OgbaToday is Sunday. After the longer than usual morning devotion, the sun is already breaking in through the curtain when your mother asks you to go into the kitchen and bring down the deep pot from the shelf; she wants to make...
The Funeral – Hiwot Abebe
The Funeral Hiwot AbebeBizuayehu watches four men bring in poles and erect the green khaki tent with practised efficiency. The dullness of the fabric against the gloomy, grey sky will make the day more unbearable. She turns away and walks back inside the house, making...
Maybe We Love Once – Donna Nyakapira
Maybe We Love Once Donna Nyakapira“My shop is just close to the bus stop,” was what the lady who owned the bridal shop told Mimie on the phone, yet they’d walked for about 20 minutes to get there. Dust coated her Nike sneakers and sweat her face. The shop was located...
The Loudest Things About Silence – Azu-Ume Emmanuel
The Loudest Things About Silence Azu-Ume EmmanuelThe boy came forward and stood beside the railway after the train left the little station. He held a bottle of whiskey in his right hand. With his left hand, he bade farewell to the men on the train with a certain kind...
When Crime Goes Viral – Kamsi Archipley
When Crime Goes Viral Kamsi ArchipleyFriday Afternoon | Caption: Thinking of You, but always focusing on me | Likes:20 | Comments: 2 Imagine the perfect picture. The one. The photo where every pixel is in focus, and they all collide together and it’s you. Your hair is...
What They Don’t Tell You – Naledi Mashishi
What They Don’t Tell You Naledi MashishiMum always said that if you want to open your eyes, do community service. I’ve been brought up in the shelter of a delicate cocoon. My life is cushioned by a suburban home with a fridge full of food, a comfortable bedroom with...
Gethsemane – Joshua Chizoma
Gethsemane Joshua Chizoma(For Maku) Solomon is only half-listening to the lecturer when he sees the woman. He leans out of his seat to get a clearer view, but the window's dirty panes make the figures on the other side harder to decipher. He whispers to his classmate,...
Here’s to Less Mimbo, No? – Ngansop A. Roy
Here’s to Less Mimbo, No? Ngansop A. RoyNwebya calls me names. He will call me out in class come Monday should I not honour his invitation to a club tonight. Everyone will laugh, because if you've not started drinking mimbo by late adolescence, you are a failure or...
Follow, Follow – RJ Mustafa
Follow, Follow RJ Mustafa“Hey, ready to go?” Aziz dropped the tube hidden between his fingers at the sudden interruption. His heart fluttering behind the wine-coloured button-up he’d chosen for tonight, he clasped his eyes shut for a moment. Campus should have been...
The Jacket Seen on Tal Street – Ndawedwa Denga Hanghuwo
The Jacket Seen on Tal Street Ndawedwa Denga HanghuwoGrace slipped off her heels and wore her flip flops. The last bell of the day had just rung and she was getting ready to walk home. She lived near Khomas High School in Windhoek, where she taught English. She was a...