Meet Kafula Mwila: a remarkable and upcoming voice of comtemporary literature

By Winston Muleba II
THE abundance of life does not come to those who have had obstacles removed from their path by others. It develops from within and is rooted in strong mental and moral fibre. 

Today we feature Kafula Mwila, who shares how young people can restore their moral fibre in society. Mwila is a remarkable and upcoming voice in contemporary literature. She is a novelist, poet, educator, historian, playwright and child rights activist. 

Born on September 2, 1969, she grew up in Zambia, for the most part. However, due to her father's job which took him to many places, she ended up at Holloway Primary School in Poona Town, India.

"When we returned to Zambia in 1978, I continued at Mano Primary School in Mufulira but that was short-lived because my father was on the move yet again and we went to Mongu where I wrote my grade seven examination. It is in Mongu that my parents decided that the movements would impact negatively on my education and they opted to leave me at a girls' boarding school. So for five years, I was a pupil at Holy Cross Girls' Secondary School until I completed in 1986," she says.

"I have three beautiful daughters by my first marriage - their father died in 2000 (God rest his soul) - and my hobbies are writing, decorating, watching movies, reading and hiking." 

Mwila says from Holy Cross, she proceeded to the University of Zambia where she studied English language and history, subjects that were to impact strongly on her writing career. 

"My childhood background is well balanced in that I had bad and good moments. In this regard, childhood memories are around my maternal grandmother, a woman who impacted most of my childhood. She stands tall in much of my achievements and has contributed greatly to my skill of storytelling because I remember sleeping in her bosom most evenings and listening to her tell stories. My worst memories were around sports at school. I was quite a fat child and I couldn't run. I was usually the last one when friends were running to go and play or when we were being chased by dogs. I remember that I qualified to take part in the inter-house competition at Mano Primary School, in the egg-and-spoon race. I called my mother to come and watch because it was a very big achievement for me. But just as I was about to reach the finishing line, I tripped and fell. I was embarrassed and had lost the only opportunity of receiving a prize in sports," she says. 

"In 1988 at Holy Cross Girls Secondary School we were very few of us who proceeded to tertiary education having decided what we wanted to study and eventually ended up with that choice. My mother wanted me to study medicine or law, but the mere thought of dead bodies scared me into signing up for the school of education, which most friends at school alluded to as being easy, much easier than law where they magnified the monstrous books that one had to read. So I went on to become a teacher and I am glad I did. It was and will remain the most satisfying career choice I stumbled into for two reasons; I impacted many lives through my work and what I studied has contributed greatly to making me a better writer.

" She explains that she was a regular student at UNZA. "I enjoyed most of my time there because I had to a large extent transitioned with most of my friends from school, so it was fine for me," she says. 

Mwila says she is involved in various activities that relate to her educational career. "First and foremost I write, and I take part in a lot of events that surround what I am so passionate about. I am currently the vice president of the Zambia Women Writers' Association and for me it is an opportunity to not only get my work to other writers but also to link fellow writers to opportunities within and outside the country. Recently I took part in the 14th Residency for African Women Writers and it was a good experience that I feel other women can benefit from - to learn from other people and implement that back in our own country," she says. 

She says she also works with many young people, within and outside Zambia, whom she has mentored to the point of them publishing books. 

"I would like to do that more so that we have a collection of literary art which we can call Zambian genre. I play a very active role in some religious publications as well, mentoring and also editing so that work gets to standard for publishing," she says. 

Mwila explains that she has worked as a teacher of English, literature and history for over 20 years, teaching in public and private schools. 

"I was examiner for the school certificate literature for a long time. I taught both the Zambian and Cambridge syllabus. And thanks to the Cambridge syllabus that inspired my thoughts for my first novel 'Deflowered'. It was from the writings of the poet John Keats that I came across the concept 'deflowered' - the poem 'Eve of St Agnes' to be specific. From teaching, I still work with children but at a different level, in child care and that too is satisfying," she says. 

"The development of my first novel 'Deflowered', was a back-and-forth effort. I remember that there were times when I would shelf it for over a year and then get back to it. However, three years before I published, I became serious and gave a few friends to read the manuscript, just to hear their views. In 2009; I did a self- publication. In my blog, 'Toward a Zambian Genre' (www.kafulamwila.com), I talk about the challenges of publishing in this country; an environment that can be very hostile for an upcoming writer. Of course, I self-published, but my first novel could have been better. The hurdles are numerous and topping the list are the lack of interest by mainline publishers to publish works that have not been approved by the Ministry of Education. They prefer to work with a ready market and are not ready to create new opportunities. There is also the lack of editors to properly edit a manuscript. The poor reading culture can also be a challenge; people would rather buy a drink than invest in a book." 

Mwila, however, says there is hope for the country, because she has noticed that there is a crop of young people, some of whom she works with, who show interest in turning things around. 

"There are book clubs, poetry recitals and all these activities are changing attitudes towards reading. We are still a long way in getting publishers to work with all types of writers. I have published two novels and a collection of short stories; I am glad to have finally found a good publisher for my subsequent work, which I will release sometime in August. I believe that I should add my voice to the many issues that are prevalent in society today; gender-based violence, child defilement and other social issues that many people have chosen to keep quiet about. These are the things that I have written about so far and wish to continue to address. I have a novel that is ready for publishing by Book World Publishers - it is still being refined and then after that I am working on a trilogy. I will talk give details at a later date because I am still far from publishing. I have completed the outline but slowly I will get there," she says. 

She says young people can restore their moral fibre in society because Zambia is mostly a Christian nation, not just by declarations but the majority of the people in the country go to church and that is a good starting point for any form of restoration. 

"When young people connect with God, then they have hope and at the same time become the agents of change in their families, their communities and this of course has a ripple effect. For those who do not have religious inclination, there is what we call the conscience (something we are all born with) and that speaks to you every day to make the right choices and through the right choices, we develop a good moral base that we can use to influence others," she says. 

"The great enemies of moral fibre in society today hinges around alcohol and drug abuse. Unfortunately, young people hardly have anyone to look up to these days. I can encourage young people to make wise choices, including choosing the right friends - those who can strengthen them because the temptation to slip into vices is very high. I can also talk about making reading a strong part of a young person's life. People who read hardly have time to engage in immoral behaviour." 

She says writing is a lot of work and needs a lot of time and costs money to produce. 

"I have a full-time job and that is even more challenging because I could write more given time. So I make use of my free time and forming networks is also very helpful. I have to stay focused on what I want to do, sometimes I write into the early hours of the day and that requires me to be focused. There are many paths to developing a novel/stories and the thought about money should not hinder an upcoming writer from growing their writing career. The most important thing to do first is to develop oneself as a writer and then make sure that the manuscript is up to date. What is important in writing is not to work in isolation but to network and also to attach oneself to a mentor (someone who has published before). This person can provide the necessary guidance," she says. 

Mwila observes that there are many young people with inspiring stories to tell about their past and present experiences but lack the finances to turn their stories into books/novels. 

She urges young people to be courageous enough to stand by their dreams until they achieve them, even if it means going at it alone. 

"You are the only one who can live your dream; nobody else was made for it, and therefore do what you can to achieve it, "she says. Mwila adds that there are many negative things that have been said about Zambia, but believes that young people are the hope that will restore the country's reputation in the social, political, economic spheres. 

"For a change, the older generation is looking to them to make the country better and they will achieve that if they love their country and live a life that will bring praise to Zambia. Young people should consider taking up writing careers because there are two reasons why people write; one is just for interest - those who take it as a hobby - and then there are those who do it for the money. But what is important is to first recognise that you are a writer - that it is a gift that comes to you naturally but can also be developed. More importantly, when you take up writing, do it passionately," she says. 

"Through reading books, I have been inspired and struck by the courage of Maya Angelou who had the courage to write truthfully about her personal experience in 'I know why the caged bird sings'. I also love all her subsequent publications. She inspires me both as a poet and novelist. I am also inspired by Stephen Mpashi who started the literary journey in the colonial era, by writing and getting published and I feel we can only do him justice if we become successful writers in our time." 

Mwila says she would like people to remember her as a person who brought change to the development of literary arts in Zambia. "I want to work with upcoming writers, as a mentor and provide support where I can," she says. 

Can't you do the restoration of your moral fibre in society? Oh yes, you can do it. For comments;mwenyamuleba@gmail.com / 0966 461 943/0950 594 050