Dystopia, drought and hope? African 'cli-fi' takes on climate crisis

A lone recycler drags a huge bag of paper sorted for recycling past a heap of non-recyclable material at Richmond sanitary landfill site in the industrial city of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. As Africa bears the brunt of worsening climate change, writers and novelists on the continent are turning to penning "climate fiction" - or "cli-fi" - which seeks to challenge Western narratives. Photo: AFP

As Africa bears the brunt of worsening climate change, writers and novelists on the continent are turning to penning "climate fiction" - or "cli-fi" - which seeks to challenge Western narratives while attracting and inspiring African readers.

The term was coined by a climate activist in 2008, and high-profile American and British authors from Barbara Kingsolver to Margaret Atwood have since hit the headlines and won plaudits for their novels contributing to the growing literary genre.