ISOLELE has a new book: Shango and Zaiire: A Letter from a Father to His Son, by HRM King Kufulula. Published by Isolele Universe on September 3, 2026, it is a full-color Katiomics graphic novel about the bond between a father and his son, told through the story of Shango and the young Zaiire.
The story
In a realm beyond time, a boy walks hand in hand with his father beneath a sky full of ancient stars. Shango, master of storms and rains, teaches Zaiire that starlight is not just light. It is memory, it is pain, it is every heart that refused to go out. But this is no ordinary night under the stars. It is a father’s one chance to say what he never got to say, and a son’s chance to finally hear it.
A father who never learned how
Shango was never taught how to be a father. It was his first time, and he was not there. Zaiire grew up carrying the question every son carries, whether he says it out loud or not: did you ever really see me? The book closes with a father’s letter: absence is not abandonment, what was built was built out of love, and the fire is meant to be carried forward by every generation that comes after.
Who this book is for
For the son still waiting to hear his father say it. For the father who doesn’t know how. For anyone who has ever had to forgive someone who was trying their best with a life that gave them no map. Some letters take a lifetime to write. This one finally gets read.
Its place in the ISOLELE Universe
Shango and Zaiire is a companion book to the Zaiire saga. Zaiire, the Prince of Kongo, is the son of Shango and Kimoya, born during a thunderstorm on the banks of the Congo River with lightning crackling in his infant hands. Book I, Zaiire: The Prince of Kongo and The Necklace of Destiny, is already available, and Book II releases on October 23. This book reveals the storm behind the Prince of Kongo.
Made by Congolese artists
The book was illustrated by the ISOLELE team of Congolese artists working between Kinshasa and Bukavu: Aris Aloko, Ted Tanga, Plachiki Benali, Guy Munguakonkwa, Dave Moke and Loïc Malo. ISOLELE does not use AI to make its books. The story is published in six languages: French, English, Lingala, Kikongo, Swahili and Tshiluba.
Book details
Shango and Zaiire: A Letter from a Father to His Son. Author: HRM King Kufulula. Publisher: Isolele Universe, 2026. Full-color paperback, 20 pages. ISBN 979-8-9977403-1-3. Order it on the ISOLELE website, or ask your bookstore for it with the ISBN.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Shango and Zaiire about?
It is the story of Shango, master of storms and rains, meeting his son Zaiire in a realm beyond time to say the words he never said, and of a son who finally gets his answer. It ends with a letter from a father to his son.
Who wrote Shango and Zaiire?
HRM King Kufulula, founder of the ISOLELE Universe and creator of Zaiire, the Prince of Kongo.
Is Shango and Zaiire a children’s book?
It is written for children and for their fathers alike: a story a father and his son can read together.
Do I need to read Zaiire Book I first?
No. Shango and Zaiire stands on its own, and it also opens the door to the Zaiire saga.
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