Old Drift

A Zambian debut novel that follows three generations of three families, telling the story of a nation, and of the grand sweep of time

On the banks of the Zambezi River, a few miles from the majestic Victoria Falls, there was once a colonial settlement called The Old Drift. Here begins the story of a small African nation, told by a swarm-like chorus that calls itself man’s greatest nemesis.

In 1904, in a smoky room at the hotel across the river, an Old Drifter named Percy M. Clark, foggy with fever, makes a mistake that entangles the fates of an Italian hotelier and an African busboy. This sets off a cycle of unwitting retribution between three Zambian families (black, white, brown) as they collide and converge over the course of the century, into the present and beyond. As the generations pass, their lives – their triumphs, errors, losses and hopes – form a symphony about what it means to be human.

From a woman covered with hair and another plagued with endless tears, to forbidden love affairs and fiery political ones, to homegrown technological marvels like Afronauts, microdrones and viral vaccines – this novel sweeps over the years and the globe.

Un roman de debut zambian care urmareste trei generatii de trei familii, spunand povestea unei natiuni si a marelui timp al malului raului Zambezi, la cativa kilometri de maiestuosele cascade Victoria, a fost odata o asezare coloniala numita Vechea deriva. Aici incepe povestea unei mici natiuni africane, povestita de un cor asemanator unui roi care se numeste cel mai mare dusman al omului.