In a Zimbabwe village, in the late nineteenth century, amidst disturbing reports of strangers on their land, people gather to perform ceremonies to wecome a new-born. They call her Nehanda, and she had come bearing signs of specialness. When Nehanda grows into a young woman the nature of her gift finaly becomes evident. She has been chosen by the ancestral spirits to inspire a war against the invaders, who have attined a strangehold on the land. And so the course of events unfolds, leading to its inevitable conclusion.

Told in beautifully lucid and evocative prose, this is the story of a people's first meeting with colonialism.

"... crisp and touching ... restrained and well-focused, Nehanda is a careful presentation of the powers of leadership and continuity which come to the fore in threatening times."
- Spehen Gray, The Weekly Mail & Guardian (South Africa)

"A stunning, beautiful and poetric novel." - The Herald (Zimbabwe)