Houghton & Mackay’s freelance columnist Emily-Rose takes a peek behind the scenes with inspiring children’s author Kalenga Augustine Mulenga aka K.A. Mulenga. He tells us of his motivation for writing, latest works and an initiative to help under-resourced schools in South Africa.

Mulenga is the author of more than thirty children’s books available on Amazon and several other online platforms. Mulenga began writing at the age of ten, and this was re-ignited later in life by his own eleven-year old son. His son had been invited to participate in a writing competition at school and Mulenga offered to help as he had written a few books when he was younger. His family was surprised as he was an accountant at the time. However, this paved the way for his first published book in 2020: ‘Donk and the Stubborn Donkeys’, he said: ‘I dug up my old book that was still in my head after all these years and voila!’

Writing as a profession has its ups and downs and overall what’s needed is a genuine love of the craft, as it may take years for recognition.

It is important to stay humble and focused too, and to never stop learning. Mulenga stated: ‘I have learned a lot and I am still learning’.

There is a great importance in passing this knowledge on to others as well, and offering opportunities for creativity. Mulenga has recently begun a literary initiative to address the educational needs in South Africa.

He sells his books with a small mark-up on the original price and the profit goes to sending books to children in rural or public schools who don’t have access to literature and resources. Currently about 86% of the schools in South Africa are under-resourced with little or no library so the support goes a long way.

There is a delicate balance between doing everything alone and working with others, especially as writing can often be a solitary craft. Having a team of like-minded individuals and camaraderie with other writers is paramount. ‘I have received a lot of help from fellow writers and have finally found a team I can work with very well’, Mulenga expressed.

Mulenga’s exciting current projects include a graphic novel about a Zambian family of superheroes. In this novel, the kids have the powers, not the parents; an intriguing exploration of themes of power, autonomy, freedom and choice. The story is based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Mulenga would also love for his books to be turned into an animated T.V. series someday.

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When asked what his favourite book was, Mulenga replied emphatically: ‘it has to be Donk and the Stubborn donkeys; this was my first book so it is very close to my heart’. Remarkably, this was the book that began the unraveling of a further thirty books and was the beginning of Mulenga’s re-immersion into a love of literature.

Donk and the Stubborn Donkeys tells the story of a curious donkey who seeks answers to questions which are often brushed off as: ‘that’s just the way it is’. It encourages children to remain curious and ask questions, and also considers the idea of labeling others. It is important for children to question what they see and hear and formulate their own judgements.

Mulenga’s inspiration is the late Roald Dahl; a prolific writer of many well-known children’s books who clearly shared Mulenga’s passion to empower young people and to combine elements of fantasy and thought-provoking morals into his work.

It has been a pleasure to connect with such an inspirational writer and someone with a genuine desire to bring about change. Starting with educating children at a young age is paramount and Mulenga is doing this wonderfully through the ideas and concepts he addresses in his fiction.

To ‘never give up’ is a key message in Mulenga’s work. He has written a six-part series of books with the title: ‘Never Give Up’, which is an inspirational children’s soccer book about a team The Great Reds who play a game of soccer against their rivals in the semi-finals. The message is clear, that it’s important not to become dissatisfied with small losses, but to try again.

Perhaps there’s a project you’ve started and never finished, or an instrument you haven’t picked up in a while. Mulenga is a living example that we can always start something new or pick something up again. The joy is in the doing; to make time in our lives for activities that bring us a sense of joy, meaning and ultimately our contribution to the world.

K. A. Mulenga lives in Johannesburg, South Africa with his wife, two daughters, son, and two dogs.