written by Minga Mbweck Kongo
Minga Mbweck Kongo’s The Turning Coin is a profound and deeply moving memoir that transcends borders to explore themes of resilience, identity, and belonging in the face of adversity. From a childhood shaped by the vibrant mining city of Musoshi in the DRC to navigating the complexities of migration in South Africa, Kongo shares a raw and evocative personal narrative. Through a series of powerful anecdotes—from working as a car guard facing dehumanisation and xenophobia to volunteering for emergency medical services witnessing profound human suffering—Kongo grapples with fundamental questions of existence, purpose, and the meaning of being human. His journey is marked by unexpected encounters, both challenging and supportive, that shape his understanding of himself and the world. The book delves into the impact of political upheaval, family displacement, and personal health struggles, illustrating how every experience, good or bad, contributes to one’s unique “personal or life experience”. The Turning Coin is a testament to the enduring power of the human spirit, emphasising that incompleteness is not an obstacle but an opportunity for growth, creativity, and connection. This compelling meditation on life’s contradictions and the continuous process of “becoming” will touch your heart and spirit deeply.
£32.00
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Langaa RPCIG
Pages: 288
Year: 2025
Category: Biography & Memoir
Dimensions: 203×127 mm
ISBN: 9789956003853
Shipping class: POD
3 comments
“A profound meditation on resilience, identity, and belonging, The Turning Coin is a compelling personal narrative that transcends borders and speaks to the universal human experience. Minga Kongo’s evocative storytelling captures the struggle of migration, the quest for meaning, and the embrace of incompleteness as a defining aspect of our existence. A remarkable and deeply moving read.” Prof. Kurt April, Allan Gray Chair, University of Cape Town
“Minga’s authentic voice expresses his realities with passion and dignity. His memoir is peppered with philosophical insights which lend weight to his writing. Always aware of his incompleteness, he strives for mobility to fill out his being through journeying inwards and outwards. A poignant story that will touch your heart and spirit deeply.” Val Bruce, author of ‘Desert Secrets’ and ‘Zukile and Zintle – an African fairy tale’. in The Kalahari Review.
“This ambitious memoir signals a celebration of triumph over adversity, faith over despair and the amplification of voices and issues often excluded or ignored in the South African public sphere.” – Sanya Osha, author of Postethnophilosophy