Iris Mwanza's novel The Lions' Den is inspired by a real criminal case from Zambia. It tells the story of Grace Zulu, a rookie lawyer defending Willbess "Bessy" Mulenga, accused of an offense against nature and facing 14 years in prison. The case symbolizes larger issues of police brutality and human rights violations globally. Same-sex activity remains illegal in Zambia, and Mwanza aims to illustrate the detrimental effects of discrimination on individuals and communities. Her experiences in law school revealed the legal injustices surrounding human rights, motivating her advocacy for equality.
"Police brutality is a manifestation of impunity. It's happening everywhere, not just in Zambia or developing countries, it's happening right here in this country [US]. And it's the most vulnerable who suffer the most. I wanted to bring it to the fore unflinchingly."
"I feel like human rights are universal, and we all need to be fighting for them. My motivation for writing the book was to show the impact of discrimination on families, communities, societies and the nation, and it's bad. We are going in the opposite direction."
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