A Bulawayo-born writer living in Australia is preparing to launch a digital publication celebrating African cultures, histories and achievements, inspired by her own journey to reconnect with her Zimbabwean roots.
Charmaine Nyathi, founder of The Black African Family (TBAF), said the publication grew out of her experience of losing touch with her language, culture and history after moving to Australia as a child.
The publication, which is scheduled to launch on 1 January 2027, will explore Black African life across the continent and its diaspora through researched, long-form essays, each accompanied by an audio edition narrated by Nyathi.
Speaking to CITE, Nyathi said her relationship with books began after her family moved to Australia in 2008, when she was nine years old and struggling to adjust to life in a new country.
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“I was born in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, in 1999, and I moved to Australia in 2008. I grew up on the Central Coast of New South Wales, and my love of reading actually began after we moved. I remember wandering through my school library as a library monitor, still feeling very out of place even after my second or third year in a new country, when I discovered the Dork Diaries series and the Percy Jackson books. That was when I learned to find refuge in stories, and the rest is history,” Nyathi said.
Her passion for writing developed during her final two years of high school, when she studied Advanced English and immersed herself in literature, film analysis and creative writing.
“I didn’t fall in love with writing itself until my final two years of high school, when I studied Advanced English for my HSC. We spent so much time reading, analysing literature and films, writing essays, exploring creative writing, and I absolutely loved it. I don’t remember ever loving anything quite as much as I’ve loved the written word, so looking back, I’m not surprised that I’ve ended up here,” she said.
Nyathi said the idea for TBAF emerged as she began rebuilding her connection to Zimbabwe and exploring the wider Black African experience.
“It’s been nearly two decades since I’ve been to Zimbabwe. I’ve forgotten how to speak isiNdebele, my memories of home have faded, and I’ve lost much of my connection to my culture and history. For a long time, that made me incredibly depressed. Then one day, I did myself the favour of remembering that I’m a grown woman now. I had no control over leaving Zimbabwe as a child, but I do have control over what happens next. If I want to rebuild and maintain that connection, it’s my sole responsibility to do so,” she said.
She initially began documenting what she was learning for herself but later realised that others might also want to explore African cultures and reconnect with their heritage.
“That’s really how The Black African Family came about. I wanted to use writing to document what I was learning as I rebuilt those cultural bridges, and then I thought, surely there are other people who would enjoy coming along, who want to rebuild those bridges too? It didn’t feel like enough to ease my cultural loneliness and my cultural loneliness alone. After all, sharing is caring,” Nyathi said.
The publication aims to highlight positive stories about Black African life, complementing existing accounts of the continent’s painful histories and experiences.
“I wish I could find more spaces devoted to the good and great things about the global Black African family. We’ve been through a lot over the last four to five centuries, but after a while, it hurts to be known for and defined only by the pain you’ve endured,” she said.
Nyathi said TBAF would explore the continent’s cultural diversity, including its languages, landscapes, music, art, dance, fashion, architecture, literature and food.
“I want to document our joys, pleasures, achievements and delights alongside all the other stories being told about us. I’m not trying to replace anything. I’m just hoping to add a missing colour to an already stunning rainbow,” she said.
The publication will feature one researched, long-form essay each month, with subjects driven by Nyathi’s interests and discoveries.
“Each issue will follow my curiosity into some corner of Black African life, culture, creativity or history, wherever I happen to find something I’m too excited not to share,” she said.
She hopes the publication will provide a welcoming space where readers can discover cultures and histories they might not otherwise encounter.
“That’s why the motto is: ‘Come in. Sit down. Let me show you something delightful.’” she said.
Ahead of the launch, Nyathi is running a project titled 100 Books by 100 Black African Authors in 100 Days, which introduces readers to literature by Black African writers from across the continent and the diaspora.
The project began on her Instagram account before moving to Substack, where she started featuring a book by a different Black African author each day in the run-up to TBAF’s launch.
Nyathi said the publication had attracted more than 200 subscribers in just over a month.
“TBAF has gained more than 200 subscribers in just over a month, some from countries I never even dreamt of having readers in. We’re still welcoming new readers every day, even though we’re only at Day 37, with more than two months still to go before the first issue,” she said.
She selects books by exploring countries she has not yet covered, researching authors from those places and choosing works that reflect the publication’s emphasis on joy and delight.
The project has also introduced her to writers and books she might not otherwise have discovered, while deepening her knowledge of African geography.
Nyathi said readers from Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, the United States and the Caribbean had shown interest in the publication, including people who are not Black African but want to learn more about the continent and its diaspora.
She said she hoped the publication would help people of African heritage reconnect with one another while giving other readers opportunities to explore cultures and experiences beyond their own.
Reflecting on her childhood in Bulawayo, Nyathi said she hoped to return one day and revisit places she remembered from before her family moved to Australia.
“I don’t remember nearly as much of Bulawayo as I’d like. I remember the house I grew up in, my school, playing with my friends in the street and all the fruit we had growing around our house. And, of course, I remember the day I left Zimbabwe. It was very early in the morning, and I didn’t really understand that I was leaving for good. What I remember most vividly is being on a plane for the first time and seeing the clouds. I’d love to return to Bulawayo someday and see those familiar places again,” she said.
Beyond publishing, Nyathi hopes to use the project’s future financial success to support Black African students through scholarship endowments, help libraries make more African literature available and contribute to the future of African film.
“My ambition is to establish as many of these as I can, so that even after my time on this earth is up, the family can continue benefiting from what I’ve built. I’d also love to support libraries in making more Black African literature available to readers, and contribute to the future of African film,” she said.
Nyathi said she hoped the publication would eventually create opportunities for future generations while allowing her to continue researching and sharing stories about African cultures and experiences.
“If I can spend my life doing something I love, learning about my family and sharing those discoveries, and then eventually turn that work into opportunities for generations I’ll never meet, I can’t imagine a better gift to leave behind for us,” she said.
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