This Time, Tomorrow

About the Book

This Time, Tomorrow is an anthology of poems composed by the late Mwange Kauseni—one of the most outstanding Zambian journalists of his generation. Published and presented here for the first time, the poems are a legacy of his past and span more than two decades of creative process. The poems depict experiences and allusions of the African continent, Asia, and Latin America, where the poet worked as a journalist. For the international audience who enjoyed and appreciated Mwange’s stories and columns in magazines and newspapers, however, this collection will come as a surprise to most. Yet, in these pages, we present to the world the side of Mwange Kauseni that most people hardly suspected ever existed. As a poet, therefore, Mwange echoes the plight of the downtrodden and marginalized and taunts the excesses and foibles of the postcolonial-African political elites. In some of his work, though, the poet eulogizes his connections with his past and cultural roots and decries the advent of modernity. He urges poets never to give up their craft but to create verses for the masses. Even though the poems were created from personal experiences, This Time, Tomorrow is indeed Pan-Africanist in character.

About the Author

Mwange Kauseni was born in the Samfya District of Zambia in 1960, the son of a primary school teacher. He started formal schooling at Kasaba Mission and, in 1978, completed his secondary education at St. Clement’s. His dream of becoming a Catholic priest was frustrated when, barely a few weeks before he was to be ordained a deacon in his fifth year of training, his superiors imposed an indefinite probation on him. In 1982, not too daunted by the turn of events, Mwange became a class teacher at St. Charles Lwanga and Lubushi Junior Seminaries, respectively. He then pursued a journalistic path at Mindolo Ecumenical Foundation in Kitwe and set out to become one of the most distinguished and respected Zambian-born journalists of his generation. In recognition of his contribution to journalism in Africa, the International Network of Young Journalists (INYJ) conferred on Mwange the prestigious Journalist of the Year Award for Africa, in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1989. Mwange worked both in his home country, Zambia, and Botswana as a features writer, editor, content designer, and media consultant. He traveled extensively around the globe. Mwange died at the age of forty-six and is survived by his wife, Pamela, and three children.