Harare Review of Books

35 pages. Published May 1, 2025 by StoryTime Publishing. Short fiction.

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ZamaShort is a new project from StoryTime Publishing which aims to bring to readers one short story a month from an African author. Muthi Nhlema’s Piss Corpse, a snappy (short, but salty rather than sweet, and you’ll soon see why) story set in Malawi, is the first to be released.

Charlotte is in the Piss Corpse [sic] and has been deployed to Malawi to teach English. Mbumba is her local guide or chaperone, impatient with Charlotte’s odd, mzungu ways. Mbumba is the ‘right’ kind of Black, and so the envy of all of Charlotte’s cohort—she’s ‘authentic,’ ‘unsullied,’ ‘not a coconut’. She’s also deeply religious, and so she’s completely delighted when Charlotte agrees to visit the House of Gad with her one Sunday (it’s next to 39 Missed Calls Bottle Store).

This is, of course, satire—sharp in some ways, but always light-hearted. Mbumba is earnest and yes, rather earthy, but so endearingly commonsensical. Cigarette-smoking, feminism-on-her-sleeve Charlotte is also a bit of a caricature, but she’s well-meaning; there’s no malice in her. So Piss Corpse is a humorous short story about the meeting of two very different worlds that lightly mocks both worlds to entertaining effect.

Thanks to Storytime and Ivor Hartmann for DRC access!

• Check out this fun Q and A with Muthi Nhlema about Piss Corpse and more here.
• Find out how to purchase Piss Corpse here.