Mukuka Chipanta is a Zambian aerospace engineer and author based in
Maryland where he lives with his wife and daughter. Five Nights Before
the Summit is Chipanta’s second published novel. His debut novel, A
Casualty of Power, published in 2016 by Weaver Press, received critical
acclaim for its depiction of the cultural tensions between Chinese
immigrants and the indigenous workers in the Zambian copper mines. The
book was awarded Best First Book and Gold for General College Level Book
at the 2017 Classic American Literary Awards in South Dakota, USA and
longlisted for the 9Mobile (formerly Etisalat) award for African
Literature in 2018.
Chipanta has an Engineering degree from the
University of Manchester, UK as well as a Masters in Business
Administration from the University of Connecticut, USA and the
University of Hull, UK. He works as a manager of programmes in the
aerospace industry to develop cutting edge technology for commercial and
military aircraft. One of his proudest professional achievements is
having played an integral role in designing the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
Chipanta has contributed short stories to PM World, OZY Magazine and
Kalahari Review and has had stories featured in several anthologies
including The Gods Who Send Us Gifts – an anthology marking the 55th
Anniversary of the famous Makerere Conference on African Literature,
published in 2017. In 2019 Chipanta launched Kutika! Modern African
Stories, a literary podcast showcasing a collection of his short stories
in audio form.