Kenyan writer Eva Kasaya came to the notice of many literature commentators when she debuted with her book Tales of Kasaya. The book published by Kwani Trust in 2010 with a lot of help from Jackie Lebo is a memoir of a young woman who dropped out of school in rural Western Kenya at 13 […]
Month: May 2014
I love this story. Chimamanda Adichie has been wowing audience with her latest book Americanah a love story that follows a young couple from Nigeria who face hard choices and challenges in the countries they come to call home. The accolades have been coming from everywhere be it the US National Critics, shortlisting for the […]
Inspector Mollel was introduced to many of us in Richard Crompton’s debut The Hour of the Red God last year. The book was received very well and I have to say I am a fan if you read my review of the book. The latest edition in the Inspector Mollel series is out today and […]
Dr Maya Angelou famous for many things including her poetry, acting, activism passed away yesterday in the USA. In literature she wrote quite a bit with her biggest contribution being “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” an autobiographical story about of the life of Marguerite Ann Johnson (Angelou’s birth name) up to the age […]
Do you want to keep abreast of what’s happening in the African and Black literature space? Want to get news and reviews from the books written by and about the African experience? Want to read some of the most exciting prose, nonfiction, and poetry being produced by African and Blacks? Try these publications ones out; […]
Book: Nigerians in Space Author: Deji Bryce Olukotun Publisher: Unnamed Press Year of publication: 2014 Number of pages: 293 What does it take to get an African country to space? That is the premise of Nigerian writer Deji Olukutun’s debut novel Nigerians in Space. Nigerian Ministry of Environment top official Nurudeen Bello comes up with […]
The longlist for the 2014 Writivism Short Story Prize is out. Selected by team of five judges chaired by Ellen Banda-Aaku from over 200 entries from 17 African countries. The other judges are Zukiswa Wanner, Abubakar Adam Ibrahim, Emmanuel Sigauke and Glaydah Namukasa. The 2014 longlist comprises: “Day After Tomorrow” (Paul Ugbede – Nigeria) “Devils”(Wise […]
World famous Kenyan writer Ngugi Wa Thiong’o will at the end of the month appear at a festival for the first time with his writer kids Mukoma Wa Ngugi and Wanjiku Wa Ngugi in Jamaica. Ngugi Wa Thiong’o needs no introduction but if you are wondering who he is just google. His son Mukoma Wa […]
Book: I do not come to you by chance Author: Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani Publisher: Phoenix Publishers Year of publication: 2009 Number of pages: 343 Have you ever gotten an email from a person you have never heard of who is promising you that they need your help to access a huge amount of money? Many […]
The Storymoja Hay festival wasn’t the best last year as one of its most prominent guests Dr Kofi Awoonor died when terrorists attacked the Westgate Mall and he was one of the victims. The events had to be cancelled as there country reeled from the madness of the period. The literature world was shocked with […]
The winners of the regional winners of the Commonwealth short story were announced yesterday with Ugandan Jennifer Makumbi winning in the African region for her story Let’s tell this story properly. The story is of a Nnameya a grieving widow who she arrives at Entebbe Airport from Manchester with her husband Kayita’s coffin. But then […]
Ken Saro Wiwa was a Nigerian writer, television producer, environmental activist, and winner of the Right Livelihood Award and the Goldman Environmental Prize. He died at the hands of some very bad men running the government of Nigeria in 1995 when he was led a nonviolent campaign against environmental degradation of the land and waters […]
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A look at the Chimurenga Chronic
“Chimurenga” is a word in the Shona language meaning “revolutionary struggle.” It refers to the uprisings by the Ndebele and Shona against the administration by the British South Africa Company duringthelate1890s. In contemporary times it is a publication of arts, culture and politics from and about Africa and its diasporas. You can read more about […]
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Etisalat Prize 2014 entries now open
The Etisalat Prize entered the African literature space last year with a bang last year. The Pan African prize for literature funded by a telecommunications firm was aimed to celebrate African fiction writers debut fiction writers of African descent whose works are published in the last 24 months. The inaugural winner was Noviolet Bulawayo for […]
Sierra Leone writer Aminatta Forna is quite well known to many for her books which include a memoir, The Devil that Danced on the Water and three novels, Ancestor Stones, The Memory of Love and The Hired Man. The writer has been recognised for her work with her book Memory of Love winning the 2011 […]
