My intention is to continue writing for children though. One day I read an excerpt of it to my class mates in the master’s degree in creative writing at the University of Cape Town, and they all said it had an adult tone, so I changed it to an adult novel. I started the manuscript of Patchwork as a book for young teens. The decision to write a book for adults was not intentional. Ellen Banda-Aaku (born ) is a Zambian author, radio drama and film producer who was born in the UK and grew up in Africa. What made you take the leap from children’s books to adult literature? However, it is a human story before it is African because it is about human beings – and that makes it universal It is also told from an African perspective, and the characters are all African. It is an African story in that it is set in Africa. The selections aim to cover a diverse range of literature that captures a broad view of the continent. There are modern classics and some lesser known hidden gems too. Do you agree, or do you perceive it to be a story that any woman, regardless of location, can relate to? There is a mixture of fiction and memoirs, written by nationals and expats, that span topics such as colonial rule, conflict and migration alike. Wonderfully written with a keen eye for the absurd and poignant, this is a unique work by a very talented author. Your work has been described as an “African story”. Ellen Banda-Aaku conveys in vivid detail the experience of being an outsider looking into a world that you don't feel that you belong in. Banda-Aaku talks about the relationship between the different characters in her novel and what it was like making the leap from writing children’s fiction, to writing a novel for adults: Ellen Banda-Aaku, author of Patchwork, was interviewed by Tendai Maidza in The Afropolitan.

Patchwork by Ellen Banda-Aaku