Zam-Zam - Paperback

by Eugène Ebodé (Author)

A vibrant, provocative fable that blends prose and poetry to explore a world where imagination literally takes power. Melantalgia - a toxic cocktail of melancholy and nostalgia -swept through humans, beasts, and even the untouchable, unravelling reason itself. Now, as the world rushes to forget, the survivor writes to remember, stitching clarity from ruin and silence. In a desperate bid to keep the populace from descending into a fatal despair, the Sultan issues a radical royal decree: laughter is now mandatory, and even the number of people allowed at funerals is strictly limited to prevent the spread of sorrow.

"Beyond its satirical surface, Zam-Zam is a profound meditation on the power of storytelling to heal wounds and compensate for loss. Ebodé uses the novel to propose a new social convention between humans - one where history and imagination serve as the foundational 'articles' of peace. From diplomatic disputes over the cultural significance of 'sauce feuille' (leaf sauce) to mandatory bouts of joy, the book is an 'enchanting' interrogation of our era, delivered with Ebodé's signature irony and tenderness." Bill F. Ndi, President of Pan African Writers Association (PAWA) and University Professor at Tuskegee University, Alabama USA