Gemma Ray asked Sibusiso Sambo:

How do you balance exploring complex social issues like climate justice and power structures within a speculative fiction narrative?

Sibusiso Sambo As Sibusiso, I believe speculative fiction is not just about imagining distant futures or alternate realities—it's a powerful tool to reveal the truth about today. When I explore complex social issues like climate justice or power structures, I don’t start with fantasy—I start with reality, especially the lived experiences of people in places like rural South Africa or the forgotten corners of the Global South.

Balancing these issues in a narrative means I use fiction to make visible what is often ignored. Climate justice, for example, becomes more than rising temperatures—it becomes a question of who survives, who decides, and whose voices are heard. Power structures are explored not only through governments or corporations, but also through cultural traditions, spiritual knowledge, and community resilience.

In The New Equation, I try to blend the speculative with the moral. I draw from African wisdom, current injustices, and technological potential to ask: What kind of world are we building—and for whom?

So for me, the balance comes by grounding the fiction in truth, and letting the imagination push the limits of what justice, hope, and humanity can look like.

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