By Leocadia Bongben
Comfort Mussa, Cameroonian writer and multi-award-winning journalist, as well as a renowned gender and disability rights advocate and the founder of SisterSpeak237, a platform amplifying underreported stories and advancing inclusion, has announced the publication of her debut novella, The Shape of Unbroken Things.
In a release, Bakwa Books indicates Comfort Mussa will publish her debut novella with Bakwa Books in August 2026. The Cameroon-based literary and cultural platform hails Comfort Mussa’s debut novella for rethinking the target audience of a book. The Shape of Unbroken Things/Ce Qu’on Ne Brise Pas is a work of young adult fiction that captures the fragile intensity of adolescence and, unlike anything ever published before, globally, in terms of accessible publishing, the release from the publishing house reads.
The release provides a glimpse of what is in store for readers. “Following a life-altering amputation, Iya struggles to rebuild her sense of self while navigating cruelty and alienation at a new school. Her growing bond with Mambo, a girl shaped by the quiet world of her mother, a woman with hearing and speech disabilities, becomes a powerful space of mutual recognition. Together, they confront the pressures placed upon them and find in friendship and art new ways of imagining themselves. More than a novella, The Shape of Unbroken Things is a publishing experiment in what a book can hold and who it can reach.”
The bilingual English–French bêche edition, produced by Bakwa Books with accessibility at its center, invites readers to experience the narrative from any perspective. To expand the novella beyond the printed page, it is also accessible in braille in both English and French, as well as an eBook and an upcoming audiobook. The tale is being translated into English and French braille by Coco Bertin and the Inclusive Vocational Training Institute.
“The Shape of Unbroken Things is for readers who read with their eyes, ears, hands, and hearts and stands as a testament to why physical books still matter,” the publisher, Dzekashu MacViban, says in a release.
Bakwa Books: innovating publishing
The Shape of Unbroken Things (86 pages, paperback, ISBN 979-8-9872914-7-4) will be published by Bakwa Books in August. Founded in 2011 by Dzekashu MacViban, Bakwa is a Cameroon-based literary and cultural platform encompassing Bakwa Magazine, Bakwa Books, and BakwaCast.
Bakwa Books is committed to reimagining who gets to tell African stories and champions experimental writing, multilingual publishing, and pan-African literary exchange through initiatives such as the Bakwa Story Prize and cross-continental workshops. Its imprint, Bakwa Books, has published acclaimed writers including Mongo Beti, Hemley Boum, Nana Nkweti, and Bate Besong, establishing itself as a vital home for bold, boundary-pushing African literature.