TARWA

TARWA is a hauntingly lyrical historical novel that journeys through exile, memory, and myth to illuminate the soul of African heritage. Set against the backdrop of colonial upheaval, it tells the story of a boy marked by destiny and shaped by ancestral fire.

Born in the mist-shrouded mountains of refuge, in a kingdom nestled somewhere north of Great Zimbabwe, Tarwa is the last surviving heir of King Chokwedu. His father's realm-Matonganyika-was shattered by the white hurricane of Gatling guns, dynamite, and colonial conquest. Tarwa's only inheritance: the indelible royal mark etched into his left palm, a symbol of legacy and loss.

As an infant, Tarwa is carried south by his mother and Chamboko, the king's most trusted servant, to the land of Chiweshe-Chamboko's homeland. Raised on a tobacco farm, Tarwa becomes an orphan at fifteen. Fearing the sorcery that haunts the land, Chamboko sends him away to Salisbury, where Tarwa builds a modest life working for the colonial settlers. Though he finds success and saves enough to start a family, a restless yearning stirs within him-the pull of memory and myth.

Guided once more by Chamboko, Tarwa embarks on a journey to reclaim Matonganyika. Along the way, he encounters magical phenomena that shatter his youthful illusions and awaken his connection to ancestral spirits. The lost kingdom is a mystical realm veiled in mist, sorrow, and sacred customs. Shadowed by a lion that stalks both his fears and his fate, Tarwa's journey becomes a rite of passage-a transformation from boy to man, servant to prince.

He must confront the ghosts of war, the silence of exile, and the fire of remembrance to reclaim not just a kingdom, but his identity.

This is the tale of an African boy who becomes a prince-not by birthright alone, but by courage, vision, and the call of destiny