Mia Couto

Mia Couto's new novel, Imani, is set in the Gaza Empire of the late 19th century and African history, a history of war, violence and oppression that continues to shape the continent today.

The Portuguese officer Germano is supposed to stop the advance of the great ruler Ngungunyane against the colonial masters. Because the local girl Imani knows the language and customs of the Europeans, she has to support him and soon becomes indispensable to him. Meanwhile, Imani's village is caught between the fronts - her brothers are fighting on different sides, her uncle and father are fighting for supremacy. The country is ravaged by the war of men, at a time when a woman's word doesn't count. But the women in Imani's family use powers of their own to guide the men's steps....

Mia Couto, born in 1955 to Portuguese immigrants in Beira, Mozambique, is considered one of Africa's most important writers. He has been awarded the Prémio Camões (2013) and the Neustadt Prize for Literature (2014), among others, for his multi-voiced work. He lives in Maputo.