Bird of Sorrow

The action of «Bird of Sorrow» unfolds in Zambia in the 1990s, against the backdrop of a failed coup, electoral unrest, and economic crisis.

When eleven-year-old Chimuka's father unexpectedly dies, it becomes clear that their seemingly ordinary family is full of secrets that are not meant to be discussed even among adults. 

Relatives on her husband's side turn away from the mother and children. Although she tries to stay afloat, after a while, she makes a fateful decision that forces Chimuka and her brother Ali to seek refuge on the darkest streets of Lusaka. 

They must learn to survive in a dangerous world where cruelty and violence prevail. This is both a tragic family story and a national portrait of Zambia during a time when the country turned away from several generations of its children.