Click here to DOWNLOAD the Mombera Rising Anthology.
What is Mombera Rising?
Mombera Rising is a FREE digital anthology of speculative eco-fiction stories envisioning a Ngoni future over the next century, written by Malawian writers Ekari Mbvundula Chirombo and Muthi Nhlema.
This anthology was made possible by the support of the Swedish Research Council, Formas Project No 2020-00670 and the Future Ecosystems For Africa programme at the University of the Witwatersrand in partnership with Oppenheimer Generations Research and Conservation.
Eco-fiction stories envisioning a Ngoni future over the next century
Set in a futuristic Malawi, Mombera Rising consists of three captivating stories, each inviting readers to imagine a preferable future where an indigenous people (the Ngoni tribe of Northern Malawi in this case) have the agency to step away from colonial notions of progress and modernity to manage their natural environments on their own terms, recalling their own knowledge and belief systems.
Straddling the intersection of nature, culture and technology, this anthology is the culmination of over a year’s worth of collaboration, conversation and even some contestation between scientists, writers, artists and the Ngoni community.
What has been created hopefully gives creative voices from the Global South a platform to illuminate alternative paths towards sustainable futures and engage with issues of sustainability from a local, African context.
Download The Mombera Rising Anthology
One anthology. Three Incredible stories.
All Artwork by Simon Banda II
Podcasts
Mombera Rising was as much a journey for the creative team as it was for the characters in the stories. Listen to the podcast series below and find out how the world of Mombera Rising was created and how the experience challenged the assumptions of everyone involved.
Reviews
Through three stories, we are introduced to different visions of how societies can relate to the natural world in more harmonious ways than we are currently. Each works hard to preserve aspects of traditional culture to show that such alternative societal configurations can coexist with solid climate science. The authors are careful to present robust depictions of conservation, reclamation and reforestation within the context of the existing ecosystem…..they all feature strong characters and immersive plots that draw you in and keep you reading to the end. This anthology is a great place to start if you’re interested in eco-fiction from the African continent.
Creating a sustainable future requires new stories. By using the Nature Futures Framework as a touchstone this anthology connects culture, society, and nature to illuminate alternative paths towards sustainable futures in Malawi. These stories can serve as a model for other collaborations between scientists and artists, and I hope that other people will be inspired to imagine new stories for their places.
Storytelling is one of the most powerful ways we have of engaging with big issues, to make it personal, to make it feel real. I’m so excited by these kinds of collaborations and hope there will be many more!
The Writers and Artist