One of the finest islands with great music–think Cesaria Evora–beautiful deep blue waters, and good food; go national and get the cachupa–hard corn mixed with dry beans topped with two sausages and fried eggs. That’s what you can have for breakfast and/or lunch. An orange on the side. Some vegetables. And oh, the tuna is […]
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Pepetela, Ondjaki and Ana Paula Ribeiro Tavares
You realize we’re not done with Angola yet. I can’t help it. I love historical fiction. When it’s sprinkled with mythology and fantasy, so much the better. That’s partly the reason I’m enthralled by Angolan writing/writers. They’ve got their feet in the magic world yet they do not fail to deliver the weight of […]
Mia Couto and Mozambique fiction
We’re in Mozambique, ladies and gentlemen. Portuguese speaking since 1400’s, since Vasco da Gama alighted there in 1498, and by 1505, Mozambique had fallen in the hands of Portuguese rule. So the first Coat of Arms was Portuguese, the second Portuguese, and the third revised Portuguese East Africa. There were at least four versions of […]
A little bit of pre-independent Madagascar and post-colonial writing
Before I leave Madagascar, I thought I’d feature someone born in recent times or at least in the generation following Flavien Ranaivo. Flavien Ranaivo (May 13, 1914 – December 20, 1999), Jean-Joseph Rabearivelo (March 4, 1901 – June 23, 1937), and Jacques Rabemananjara (23 June 1913–1 April 2005) are probably the three foremost poets in […]
Meet Beverley Nambozo the poet
It’s a pleasure to have a conversation with one of my favorite poets, Beverley Nambozo. I like what she does with eroticism in her poems. She certainly takes it to an art form. It’s rare to come across good erotic poetry.
The Future of African Writing
Not written in stone but my view anyhow. Besides ambition, desire and will, places and incidents that have been critical in shaping and improving my writing have come through writing fellowships and residences. In the absence of a mentoring component that’s sometimes part of writing residences and programs, and therefore necessary, there’s space and a […]
S Sudan State
How history changes, and geography too! Before South Sudan became an independent nation, Sudan was above Uganda but that didn’t make it East African. We knew Sudan regionally belonged to North Africa, and was/is at times categorized under Middle East. Proudly or in denial—depending on the side you’re on—most folks from North Africa will not […]
A visit to Harriet Tubman’s grave
Had the real honor of visiting Harriet Tubman’s grave in Auburn, NY. Went with Prof. Arthur Flowers who’s always great at giving narratives you can’t find anywhere on the wiki. the real lived stuff, usually. So we arrived around noon and the sun was high and never seen skies so clear. Her grave is an […]
Beatrice Lamwaka on the 2011 Caine Prize Shortlist
Beatrice Lamwaka, Ugandan writer, is on this year’s Caine Prize shortlist for African Writing. The 2011 shortlist (the 12th since the first prize began) was announced in May. The winner who will be announced at a celebratory dinner at the Bodleian Library, Oxford, on Monday, 11 July, will take home £10,000 prize, and a one-month residence […]
A spin on creation and the idea of rest
I was getting tired working on my writing, schoolhouse and what not, so I wondered what other creators do in such circumstances. Simple as it seems, I found a lot of depth in various answers. I reread a number of creation stories and artists’ bios. The Genesis story in particular offered new light. My initial […]
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MKB: Thank you so much! I would love to read yours too ...
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Brenda C Wilson: Congratulations! I hope to get a chance to read yo...
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Kwasi opoku: Why did Nana usually say that Adjoa did not know t...
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