Mozambican author Mia Couto is an exquisite prose stylist who frequently delves into the history and traditions of his country to construct compelling narratives that speak of the colonial condition and the struggle for freedom. His latest novel, the first in a projected trilogy, is set at the start of the 19th century in the State of Gaza, which covered the southern half of what is now Mozambique. Ngungunyane, one of the last powerful African rulers, is engaged in a desperate effort to maintain his empire in the face of the encroaching Portuguese colonizers.
The story is told from the alternating viewpoints of Imani, a young girl of the VaChopi people, and Germano de Melo, a Portuguese sergeant sent to fortify an isolated military outpost. Both individuals are deeply conflicted. Imani struggles to reconcile her place within her traditional family culture with her new role as translator to the Portuguese. Germano is well aware of his duties as the official face of the occupying force but he is tormented by memories of his radical, anti-monarchist past, leading him to question his own conduct and that of his country.
