Great river spirit Nyaminyami dies and is reborn every epoch; this rebalancing time of Rumuko is near.
But Zimbabwe’s cities need electricity, so the giant Kariba Dam will block the Zambezi River soon. That is, if the Italian engineer and her team can get past the problems created as a greedy British manager tries secretly to trap Nyaminyami!
Siku lives with her father and auntie on the river and feels at home under its waters. Her dreams of flood and disaster and a giant snake get stronger – Baba says she must resist them, especially as he goes to work at Kariba.
The 11 year old doesn’t know that when she was a baby, Baba found her in an ancient place behind a waterfall and has continued to ignore the supernatural beings calling for Siku’s help with Rumuko.
River pirates attack Siku’s home just as a floatplane taking the engineer’s son to Kariba stops for fuel! The two young people escape in the plane, following Siku’s beloved river toward the dam, and her visions increase.
Of course, the pirates pursue – even on land! What do they want with Siku?
Evidence of Nyaminyami’s presence behind the near-complete dam is undeniable – can it truly be captured?
The Shonga people will be displaced when the lake begins rising behind the completed dam – can Siku help them stay in their homeland?
Happy book birthday this week to Kariba, another stellar addition to Catalyst Press’ catalog of African books published for North American readers.
What stories are told of the river spirits near you?
**kmm
Book info: Kariba / Daniel & James Clarke. Catalyst Press, 2023 [author & illustrator interview] [publisher site] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.
