Will This Be a Problem? is an anthology series and magazine dedicated to publishing a wide range of speculative fiction by African and African diaspora writers. Will This Be a Problem? The Anthology Issue V is edited by Somto Ihezue and Olivia Kidula and features stunning cover art by Peter Marco. The editors were kind enough to send me a review copy.
Overall, this is a strong anthology. The worldbuilding and characters in the first few stories felt rich and layered. Many of them felt like fragments of larger works, but were still satisfying in and of themselves. Throughout the anthology, there were a handful of stories that stood out, which I want to highlight.
“The Market of Memories” by Azara Tswanya effectively explores class and the allocation of resources. The technology to potentially cure Alzheimer’s is developed, however it ends up being used to harvest memories from the economically disadvantaged to sell to bored rich people. The story is poignant and the characters well-rounded and relatable.
“Acceptance” by Khaya Maseko is a lyrical and poetic piece with a fluid voice and sense of time that examines the idea of revolution and violent resistance as the only solution to increasingly oppressive systems that target vulnerable populations.
In a similar vein, “The Language We Have Learned to Carry in Our Skin” by Shingai Kagunda is evocative in its look at the ongoing effects of colonization, as leaders are turned against their own people, and those in power continually oppress those below them. As with Maseko’s story, there is a form of revolution and violent resistance, but in this case language is the weapon turned back against the oppressors as the main character invites a manifestation evil into herself and learns to control it.
“Mr. Original Swag” by Victor Forna has a great voice and features a deal with the devil scenario as the narrator warns against trusting Mr. Swag, recounting his own experience, then shifting the narrative to reveal that all is not as it seems.
“Why Donkeys Have 44 Teeth” by Peter Nena closes out the anthology on a pleasantly creepy note. A young boy named Jack has repeated dreams of a donkey with human-like hands tapping on his window, calling to him to come out and play. Children in his neighborhood have disappeared, and thanks to his sister urging him to consider why donkeys have so many teeth if they are herbivores, he becomes convinced that his dream isn’t a dream and that the donkey is to blame. The story is full of visceral imagery, and there’s a sense of deeper mythology behind the tale that works quite well.
