•
The room that I died in wasn’t mine
• The room that I died in wasn’t mine
May 25, 2026
by ALINAFE EMMANUEL WILSON MUMBA
The room that I died in wasn’t mine
the room I died in wasn’t mine
it was shared
by me and my brother
it wasn’t right that
he had to feel what
grey was and is
black and white
dark and light
met in the middle
sometimes one more than the other
but both present
during a time when hard growth had to happen
was loose so I had to tighten up
to move on
it wouldn’t be bad
if it was the same for him
and he came out the other side
smiling because he’s still alive
and he made it through
hoping for growth in you
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ALINAFE EMMANUEL WILSON MUMBA is a self-taught visual artist and writer currently based in Lusaka, Zambia. From an early age, Mumba gravitated toward creative expression, resisting traditional boundaries—both literally and figuratively. As a child who refused to colour inside the lines, Mumba developed an artistic voice rooted in bold defiance and expressive freedom. His work explores a chaotic yet compelling duality, embracing mismatched colour, skewed proportions, and disjointed compositions that come together in unexpected harmony. Mumba’s process is deeply intuitive and erratic, producing vivid, sometimes unsettling pieces that reflect fleeting, twisted flashes of thought rendered in bright, arresting colour. Through both visual and written mediums, he continues to challenge structure, embracing the beauty in disorder and the authenticity in imperfection.
*Cover Image by Cottonbro