Napolo, the mythical serpent that lives under mountains and is associated with landslides, earthquakes, and floods in Malawi, inspired the poems in this collection. Napolo lives on and still has an impact on Malawians today, as evidenced by a recent reggae hit about the great Python. Napolo also lives on in the poems of Steve Chimombo.
Consisting of 2 epics, more poetry and other writing, this beautifully written Malawian book captures the heights and falls to the depths. Lots of local terms are used and there are 2 glossaries in different parts of the text (the latter I discovered after reading the rest of the book). Overall, worth the experience. Recommended to be read in bars playing African music!