By Monica Nathan
For our last reading challenge, we end the year as we began, with the belief in literature’s ability to build bridges, foster empathy, and spark crucial conversations. This month, we’re showcasing books by Congolese and Sudanese writers. They shed light on the experiences of those currently enduring war, displacement, food insecurity, and widespread human rights violations.
Since April 2023, Sudan has been experiencing a civil war; a power struggle between the country’s military-run government and a powerful paramilitary group that has led to the world’s “largest displacement crises” according to the United Nations.
The global quest for “clean energy” means a high demand for natural resources like cobalt which is used to power our devices. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has 75% of the world’s cobalt and right now, the country is in the middle of a humanitarian crisis. As a result of the global demand for cobalt, the people of the DRC have experienced forced evictions, forced labour, and deaths to operate the mines.
These stories by Congolese and Sudanese authors reveal the deep-seated issues of colonial legacies, resource exploitation, and ethnic tensions that underpin the humanitarian crisis affecting the region today. We invite you to pick up these titles and gain a better understanding of Congo and Sudan’s rich cultural histories, their landscapes, and the lives that exist at the centre of these crises.
1) Son of Elsewhere by Elamin Abdelmahmoud (Ballantine Books) — Available on Audible
A heartfelt and witty memoir chronicling the struggles of adapting to a new culture.
After moving from Sudan to Canada at the age of twelve, Abdelmahmoud reflects on his experiences as a Black, Muslim immigrant navigating adolescence in a predominantly white suburban neighborhood. Through a blend of personal anecdotes and poignant social commentary, Abdelmahmoud explores how music, pop culture, race, and religion shape his identity, while exploring the tension between familial expectations and the desire to forge his
own path.
Each essay is infused with humour and vulnerability, making these stories not only profoundly contemplative but also deeply relatable. Son of Elsewhere is a powerful read that challenges cultural norms while also celebrating the beauty of self-discovery.
2) The Book of Khartoum: A City in Short Fiction by Bushra al-Fadil, Isa al-Hilu, Ali al-Makk, Ahmed al-Malik, Abdel Aziz Baraka Sakin, Bawadir Bashir, Mamoun Eltlib, Arthur Gabriel Yak, Rania Mamoun, and Hammour Ziada (Comma Press)
An intimate portrait of Khartoum through a collection of short fiction.
The Book of Khartoum, translated from its original Arabic, provides a vivid and layered portrait of Sudan’s capital city, as told through the diverse literary styles of ten Sudanese writers. Through evocative storytelling and a brevity that lends a propulsive energy to each story, this anthology gives a sense of Khartoum’s deep cultural roots and complex history shaped by colonialism and modern-day conflicts.
This collection reveals the universality of love and loss while conveying the personal struggles of its citizens. It’s not only a tribute to the resilience of Khartoum’s people but also a window into the enduring spirit of those who call this city home.
3) Bird Summons by Leila Aboulela (Grove Press, Black Cat) — Available on Audible
A spiritual journey of faith, friendship, and the desire for something more.
Bird Summons is a thoughtful and imaginative novel that follows the struggles of three Muslim women, each longing to break free from their status quo. As they embark on a pilgrimage to the Scottish Highlands, they set aside their everyday obligations, absorbed instead with their individual desires – a return to first love, an abandoned career, and a longing for independence.
Aboulela’s novel seamlessly blends realism with the mystical, giving this story a fairy-tale-like quality. Both lush and tender, Bird Summons reveals the profound challenges of living as a woman of faith when confronted with individual ambition.
4) Home Is Not a Country by Safia Elhillo (HarperAvenue) — Available on Audible
A lyrical novel in verse that explores a young woman’s desire for an alternate identity.
Attempting to straddle two cultures, Nima, a second-generation teenager, struggles with feelings of alienation from both family and community. Consumed with what ifs and yearning to return to her roots, she becomes preoccupied with the life she could have had if her mother had never left her homeland.
Home Is Not a Country is a deeply emotional and introspective story that explores fraught family dynamics, the meaning of home, and the messy route towards self-acceptance. Told through dynamic poetry, this narrative evokes the complex feelings of existing between two worlds.
5) Shut Up You’re Pretty by Téa Mutonji (HarperAvenue) — Available on Audible
A no-holds-barred short story collection exploring identity and womanhood.
Through a series of raw and unflinching short stories, Shut Up You’re Pretty follows Loli, a Congolese immigrant, as she maneuvers the turbulence of adolescence, friendship, and self-worth in Scarborough, Ontario. Each vignette focuses on a different stage of Loli’s life, examining complex issues around sexuality and womanhood.
Told with bold detail and deep empathy, Shut Up You’re Pretty speaks to the ways in which culture, environment, and societal expectations can shape a young woman’s identity.
6) In the Belly of the Congo by Blaise Ndala (Simon & Schuster) — Available on Audible
A gripping family saga that delves into the heart of Congo’s violent colonial history.
In the Belly of the Congo brings to life the haunting imperialistic relationship between Belgium and the Congo through the story of Princess Tshala. Tshala, daughter of a Congolese king, is forcibly installed at a human zoo for an exhibit purported to be a “Congolese village” at the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair. Decades later, Tshala’s niece embarks on a journey to uncover the truth behind her aunt’s disappearance, unearthing family secrets and a nation’s trauma.
Ndala weaves intense historical detail with beautifully crafted fiction to bring the ugly legacies of colonialism to the fore, touching on heartbreak, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope.
7) Black Moses by Alain Mabanckou (Simon & Schuster) — Available on Audible
A darkly comedic madcap through post-colonial Congo.
In 1970’s Congo, we meet Moses, a young boy growing up under bleak circumstances at an orphanage in the coastal town of Pointe-Noire. Escaping in the middle of the night, Moses negotiates the chaotic underbelly of Pointe-Noire with two other runaways, surviving off petty crime while wrestling with his own moral compass.
Through encounters with a colorful array of characters, from criminals to corrupt politicians, this novel explores complex themes around identity, power, and resilience. Mabanckou deftly combines absurdity with social commentary, painting a vivid portrait of the political upheaval that plagued Congo in the 70’s and 80’s.
8) The Villain’s Dance by Fiston Mwanza Mujila (Deep Vellum Publishing) — Available on Audible
A vibrant novel exploring power and morality in a border land.
Set in the final tumultuous years of Mobutu’s dictatorship in the late 1990’s, The Villain’s Dance introduces readers to the instability and chaos that existed in the borderlands between Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) and Angola. Through a sweeping cast of diverse characters, including street kids, nightclub owners, politicians, and gangsters, Mujila explores morality during a desperate era.
With electrifying language, full of pulse and movement reminiscent of African Jazz, Mujila evokes the unpredictability of a land mired by economic collapse and political corruption—where a talent for improvisation may prove the only means of survival.
Hudson Lin