Fictional journey into the world of Swazi magic and ritual, where tangoma (diviners) keep the world in balance by expressing the will of the Ancestors through prophecy and ritual, while batsakatsi (wizards) ride on baboons, strike at their enemies with lightning, and seek to steal the souls of the living as a sacrifice to their dark masters, the Ancient Ones. A young apprentice sangoma (diviner) is chosen by the Ancestors to oppose the witchcraft that threatens the Swazi nation. Mandla, whose name means 'strength', must first find the muti bag that contains his spiritual inheritance of courage, imagination and truth. Then he must capture a bird of heaven and use its power to destroy the forces of darkness. 192pp, SOUTH AFRICA. KWELA BOOKS.

First novel, by a South African writer. Set in Swaziland, it explores the landscape of childhood on two levels: at the surface, the life of a young white child and her brother in an English colonial environment and, beneath, the current of traditional African values, change and upheaval. 188pp, SOUTH AFRICA. DAVID PHILIP.

Play set in Swaziland , exploring issues of male dominance, rape, AIDS and female rebellion. Gloss, 80pp, USA. AFRICA WORLD PRESS.