Ask the Author: Sibusiso Sambo
Answered Questions (2)
Sibusiso Sambo
What mystery in my life could be a plot for a book?
I think the greatest mystery in my life is how a boy born in the rural heart of South Africa—surrounded by poverty, silence, and forgotten dreams—could one day become a voice calling for a new world.
There were no libraries, no access to the internet, no clear path to becoming a writer. And yet, something invisible kept pushing me: a deep sense that my pain, my questions, and my visions had meaning. That mystery—where does purpose come from when the world offers you nothing?—could be a story on its own.
Imagine a young man walking through dust, carrying books in his heart instead of in his hands, haunted by dreams he doesn’t understand. Along the way, he meets teachers, spiritual truths, and the technology of the future—all forming a strange equation that holds the key to rebuilding a broken world.
That’s not just a mystery. That’s the seed of The New Equation—and maybe, the plot of my life.
I think the greatest mystery in my life is how a boy born in the rural heart of South Africa—surrounded by poverty, silence, and forgotten dreams—could one day become a voice calling for a new world.
There were no libraries, no access to the internet, no clear path to becoming a writer. And yet, something invisible kept pushing me: a deep sense that my pain, my questions, and my visions had meaning. That mystery—where does purpose come from when the world offers you nothing?—could be a story on its own.
Imagine a young man walking through dust, carrying books in his heart instead of in his hands, haunted by dreams he doesn’t understand. Along the way, he meets teachers, spiritual truths, and the technology of the future—all forming a strange equation that holds the key to rebuilding a broken world.
That’s not just a mystery. That’s the seed of The New Equation—and maybe, the plot of my life.
Sibusiso Sambo
As Sibusiso, I believe speculative fiction is not just about imagining distant futures or alternate realities—it's a powerful tool to reveal the truth about today. When I explore complex social issues like climate justice or power structures, I don’t start with fantasy—I start with reality, especially the lived experiences of people in places like rural South Africa or the forgotten corners of the Global South.
Balancing these issues in a narrative means I use fiction to make visible what is often ignored. Climate justice, for example, becomes more than rising temperatures—it becomes a question of who survives, who decides, and whose voices are heard. Power structures are explored not only through governments or corporations, but also through cultural traditions, spiritual knowledge, and community resilience.
In The New Equation, I try to blend the speculative with the moral. I draw from African wisdom, current injustices, and technological potential to ask: What kind of world are we building—and for whom?
So for me, the balance comes by grounding the fiction in truth, and letting the imagination push the limits of what justice, hope, and humanity can look like.
Balancing these issues in a narrative means I use fiction to make visible what is often ignored. Climate justice, for example, becomes more than rising temperatures—it becomes a question of who survives, who decides, and whose voices are heard. Power structures are explored not only through governments or corporations, but also through cultural traditions, spiritual knowledge, and community resilience.
In The New Equation, I try to blend the speculative with the moral. I draw from African wisdom, current injustices, and technological potential to ask: What kind of world are we building—and for whom?
So for me, the balance comes by grounding the fiction in truth, and letting the imagination push the limits of what justice, hope, and humanity can look like.
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