The Universe and All Her Children

Love is the quiet force shaping creation.
Zamani, a young prince of the northern mountains, is sent to the School of Creation to discover his purpose, only to find himself drawn into a war already unfolding. A fallen guardian seeks to control the elements and reshape reality through grief. Zamani must rise beyond royal inheritance and into his own becoming. Along the way, he meets Imani, a brilliant and gentle soul whose understanding of magic challenges everything Zamani believes about power, courage, and worthiness.
Together, they journey across fire-scorched deserts, floating cities, and ancient temples, gathering the elements to restore balance to a world on the brink of collapse. But the greatest transformation does not come from earth, wind, water, or flame; it comes from choosing vulnerability over fear, connection over control, and love over loss.
Inspired by African philosophies of time, where the past walks beside the living and memory shapes the future, Zamani echoes the idea that we are formed by what came before us, even as we create what comes next. The Universe and All Her Children is a sweeping African-inspired fantasy about creation, queerness, healing, and destiny, a coming-of-age story where gods walk beside mortals, boys become heroes, and the truest magic is learning that you already carry the miracle within you.
Obakeng Pholo is a media practitioner, writer, and human rights advocate currently pursuing his honours in journalism and media studies. With over a decade of experience spanning journalism, content strategy, and grantmaking, his work resides at the intersection of storytelling, equity, and social change across Africa. He has led editorial teams, built cross-sector partnerships, and supported media and advocacy initiatives that advance the human rights of LGBTI people and promote inclusive narratives. He is deeply committed to advancing African-centred storytelling that honours lived experience, imagination, and cultural memory. Obakeng brings a grounded, people-centred sensibility to both his leadership and creative practice. His short story “The Brotherhood” appears in Being Gay Is Not All Fabulous, edited by Katlego Vincent Scheepers. The Universe and All Her Children is his debut novel, an African LGBTI teen graphic fiction novel that explores identity, belonging, and becoming through a tender lens of imagination and courage.