Diaspora Dreams, a debut novella by Andrew Chatora, offers a refreshing and relevant voice on the immigrant experience. In a masterclass tour de force journey, the Zimbabwean-born author takes us through the challenges that arise from settling in different countries without any pre-existing social capital or other sources of support. Diaspora Dreams lays bare the harsh economic realities and subtle racial barriers faced by recent migrants. The demands of family, the disintegration of families, and mental health issues are prominent features of these experiences, and Chatora paints these lived experiences brilliantly, showcasing his sublime skills as the consummate wordsmith.

• Patrick Masiyakurima, Author, Leicester University, United Kingdom.

Diaspora Dreams is Andrew Chatora’s debut novella. It details the life and struggles of Kundai Mafirakureva, a Zimbabwean immigrant living in the United Kingdom. When Kundai departs a failing Zimbabwe for the greener pastures of England, he is convinced that his luck will immediately change. Yet what he finds in the UK convinces him that all that glitters is not always gold.

Chatora takes us on a journey that acquaints us with Thames Valley, where Kundai must negotiate his place and his voice in a world where African men are not welcome. Set against the backdrop of petty classroom squabbles that constantly remind Kundai of his lower status as an immigrant, Diaspora Dreams exposes the tensions of working in the diaspora. The pressures of Britain also bear down on Kundai’s family and relationships, threatening, in the words of du Bois, to tear his soul asunder.

Endorsement:

Chatora gives us an honest account of the migrant’s experiences in a world that seeks to silence him. Diaspora Dreams is simultaneously suffocating and isolating. Battle after battle, the reader is constantly thrown into the unforgiving world of a black man in a white man’s world.

• Tariro Ndoro, Author Agringada: Like a Gringa, Like a Foreigner.

Diaspora Dreams, a debut novella by Andrew Chatora, offers a refreshing and relevant voice on the immigrant experience. In a masterclass tour de force journey, the Zimbabwean-born author takes us through the challenges that arise from settling in different countries without any pre-existing social capital or other sources of support.

Diaspora Dreams lays bare the harsh economic realities and subtle racial barriers faced by recent migrants. The demands of family, the disintegration of families, and mental health issues are prominent features of these experiences, and Chatora paints these lived experiences brilliantly, showcasing his sublime skills as the consummate wordsmith.

• Patrick Masiyakurima, Author, Leicester University, United Kingdom.

About the Author:

Andrew Chatora is a Zimbabwean writer resident in England. He received an MA in Media, Culture, and Communication from UCL. Andrew has written and published widely on topical issues with This is Africa publication. He is principally interested in the global politics of inequality which he interrogates through his writing. Diaspora Dreams is his debut novella. When he is not writing, he is working on his PhD thesis on Digital Piracy, with Birmingham City University’s School of Media and English.