Captive: New Short Fiction from Africa

Writers: Abba Amissah Asibon (Ghana) | Doreen Anyango (Uganda)| Emily Pensulo (Zambia) | Josephen Sokan (Nigeria/UK) | Kabubu Mutua (Kenya) | Khumbo Mhone (Malawi) | Moso Sematlane (Lesotho) | N.A. Dawn (South Africa) | Salma Abdulatif Yusuf (Kenya) | Sola Njoku (Nigeria) | Zanta Nkumane (Eswatini)Mentors: Tochukwu Okafor, Karen Jennings, TJ Benson, Doreen Baingana, Olumide Popoola and Emma ShercliffEdited by Rachel Zadok and Helen Moffett

• Part 1: Claustrophobia, Inescapable Obsession1. If the Honey is Sweet, Why Does the Bee Sting? – Salma YusufWhen Swafiya's husband tells her he wants to take a second wife, she is at an impasse -- until a visit to a mysterious woman who lives in a cave on the beach gives her the courage to make the best decision for herself and her daughter.2. The Sting – Sola Njoku A new mother discovers the sting of her husband’s betrayal in a clothing store dressing room and begins to obsess over their relationship and his affairs.3. Wednesday’s Delight – Aba Asibon Wednesday lunch dates with a daughter he never knew existed give a retired gentleman a new lease on life, yet he grapples with the meaning of fatherhood and how to connect with her. 4. On Chancellor’s Street – Kabubu MutuaTwo students negotiate their shared space while friendship and love blossom during a coup in Kenya.5. In Madam’s House – Emily Pensulo A young woman, who was raised to believe failure is in her DNA, is seduced by material luxuries and envies the life of her Madam while she is away in the Maldives. 6. Manifesting – Doreen AnyangoAn up-and-coming professional Ugandan couple find that the dream house they've been sacrificing for years to build, and the "perfect life" they strive to present to the public, are increasingly meaningless as the wife struggles with the aftermath of a miscarriage and her growing dread that her husband is unfaithful.7. The Third Commandment – Khumbo MhoneWhen Upile sends her second-born away to hide her existence from the Sons of the Nation and save her life, the weight of her secret alienates her oldest daughter and fractures the family.8. My little darling won’t you dance/eat with me? – Yovanka Paquete PerdigaoOmar is delighted when he is unexpectedly recruited to a virtual reality company, but when he tests their new L<3VE app, he discovers that love can devour you.9. The Day the City Wept – Moso Sematlane In post-apocalyptic Maseru, where AI Sentients seek to use emotion to control humans, a revolutionary televises his final act of rebellion while his lover watches.10. Girl’s Best Friend – N.A. DawnWhile fleeing her predatory babysitter, fourteen-year-old Joana finds herself face-to-face with the paranormal.11. Good Things Come – Josephine Sokan A neurodiverse young woman steals love on a London bus to the beats of Tom Jones.12. Heaven’s Mouth – Zanta Nkumane A man returns to his home town, where time stagnates, so he can move on with his life.Part 2: Metamorphosis, Cycles and Identity1. Vanishing – Kabubu MutuaA young man is left standing at the altar when the love of his life leaves town with his dowry.2. I Am What I Am Not – N.A. DawnAn all-knowing cosmic intelligence relishes the creative process of spawning a universe, but finds itself longing for a more human experience than godhood allows.3. Exodus – Emily Pensulo Lucia loses her faith after her pastor's unexpected indiscretion.4. Prayer Times – Salma YusufThis unusual story takes the form of a long poem, which weaves together the prayer rituals of the Muslim faith, the role played by gender expectations in Mombasa families, the tradition of daf-drumming, and the influence of social media in the life of the young woman narrator, who makes a small but significant stand for herself.5. The River – Moso Sematlane A group of childhood friends is scarred and forever altered when a man sits down to watch their wrestling match, and after they left a friend walk home alone.6. Corpse Driver – Khumbo MhoneIn New Blantyre, a futuristic taxi transports bodies to their graves in the sugar district with mysterious consequences.7. Gray – Sola NjokuA footloose middle-aged woman’s infatuation consumes a young man who crosses her path. 8. Mvelicanti's Gift – Zanta Nkumane Nkosi, a two-legged prince, faces the prejudices of his people in a tale that turns the ideas of what it means to be able-bodied on its head.9. Akua’ba – Aba AsibonTano grapples with the cultural expectations placed on and neglects the fertility Akua’ba her mother had crafted for her.10. Ẹlẹ́dẹ̀ Kekere (Little Pig) – Josephine Sokan On Ibukan's 18th birthday he starts to transform into a lizard and see things he shouldn't.11. Nankya’s Ghost – Doreen AnyangoA mother's gift (passed down from her own mother) for telling her daughter folk tales comes alive when she returns from death as a dragonfly. In this guise, she is able to protect her child and home from her abusive former husband and the woman with whom he has replaced her.Part 3: Self-awareness, Illusion, Delusion and Deception1. Pasture – Aba AsibonA male nurse leaves home and his fiancée for greener pastures in New York, only to discover that the life of an immigrant is not as wonderful as his cousin made it out to be.2. Sleight of Hand – Josephine SokanA woman's stealing to fill the void of loneliness becomes a demon that can never be purged.3. The Darkness Wins Sometimes – Doreen Anyango This story, in the form of a spontaneous letter from a woman to her best friend, is a powerful and poignant tribute to the strength of friendships between women. It traces a history of support and sharing -- from boarding school adventures to romantic disasters with the wrong men, abortion, struggles with alcohol, early widowhood and more -- that will ring true for many.4. N’ganga – Emily PensuloHenry's neighbour suggests he visits a N'ganga to heal a persistent cough with unexpected results.5. Section 47 – Sola NjokuA mother's anxiety for her child in a prejudiced world brings her greatest fear to pass. 6. Elsewhere – Kabubu MutuaTwo workers from Kenya live in the Arabian Peninsula, seduced by the luxury and the sand that cleans their lungs, until an enticing ghost appears, and their very existence comes under threat.7. Petals – Zanta Nkumane A drone bee has an existential crisis, longing to break free of biological destiny.8. The Girl with Three Faces – Khumbo MhoneIn a retelling of well-known fairy tales, Sindi discovers a magic wish-granting mirror, and discovers that the only true way to find adventure is to venture into the world herself.9. Changes in Ownership – Moso Sematlane A furniture store clerk in a small town soothes his loneliness and broken soul in the unwilling arms of a man who cannot love him.10. With Open Palms Barred – N.A. DawnA dying dignitary ruminates on the life he's led and opportunities missed.11. The Circle of History – Salma YusufIn this story of intergenerational betrayal, loss and restoration, Narman's grandmother finally tells her the truth about her origins, in an eerie tale set on the East African coast and its islands.

"Literary fiction at its best, with over 400 pages stuffed with important themes, entertaining motifs, and heart-wrenching events. [...] Zadok and Moffett have gathered some seriously skilled, insightful authors. Those authors have poured unflinching and intense visions into these pages. The journeys awaiting you are profound." — Lightspeed Magazine"Relationships—nurtured and betrayed, challenged and discarded—dominate the bulk of the narratives, presented in various genres, including contemporary, dystopic, speculative, even the story-in-verse." — Booklist"Fascinating from the onset… Captive is an unusual medley of phenomenal stories that are not all speculative but showcase darn good storytelling layered with texture, specificity, and the authenticity of a personal touch. This anthology offers Afrocentric fiction, stories beautifully canvassed and etched out with the finest strokes that sometimes coat stories within stories."— Locus Magazine"Short Story Day Africa once again showcases what is at the heart of African writing — bold creativity and diversity, proudly unapologetic, and deserving of being read across the globe."— Karen Jennings, 2021 Booker Prize longlisted author of An Island"With Captive, Short Story Day Africa upends our expectations of how a short fiction anthology should be put together. In here, all good things come in three. We linger—even luxuriate—in the writers' imaginations for longer than a single story, witnessing in real time the thrilling shapeshifting of craft, vision, and preoccupation. Televised suicide pacts unfold in unliveable presents. Lovers leave because they want to stay. Girls with three faces defy the limits of space and time. In coastal towns, mountaintop villages, and frazzled memories: stories within stories within stories unfurl in wondrous heres and hereafters. The stories in this anthology, like all good stories, defy cursory summary. And like all good stories: they require digging-into. What a wonderful addition to the literary landscape, what a delectable survey of the breadth, and indeed depth, of the African literary imaginary." — Idza Luhumyo, 2022 Caine Prize winning author of "Five Years Next Sunday"Praise for Disruption: New Short Fiction from Africa (2021)"50 Notable African Books of 2021"—Brittle Paper"60 Best Books of 2021"—Open Country Magazine"An electric collection of stories that seethes with horror and beauty."—Lauren Beukes, author of The Shining Girls and Afterland"A must-read. This book features a number of brilliant speculative pieces by African authors. . . . Learn their names, spread the word."—Lightspeed Magazine"The beautiful and the ugly, grief and hope, warnings from our past and for our future—Disruption captures [it] all.—Shelf Unbound"This anthology runs ahead of us and we need, now more than ever, to catch up."—Mukoma Wa Ngugi, Associate Professor of Literatures in English, Cornell University"[A] brilliant and diverse collection of stories . . . [Disruption] carries so much soul."—Isele Magazine"Every year I look forward to the release of Short Story Day Africa’s newest anthology, which brings together the newest writing from some of the most exhilarating and talented writers on the continent. . . . Exquisite, expansive . . . eerily prescient."—Kelsey McFaul, Center for the Art of Translation"This dynamic anthology from Short Story Day Africa features some of the brightest new writers across Africa and the diaspora. Creative and candid, sharp and speculative, the stories in this collection represent Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Lesotho, Nigeria, Zambia and more." — Ms. Magazine