Author Archives

Author at www.AfricainWords.com Dr Hastings works on the intersection between gender, education and Africa, most recently in terms of the work of a early 20C teacher in colonial Lagos.
Fascinated by texts, Igbo-learner, book junkie and Freshlyground fan. Teaches African history, gender history and interdisciplinary gender and urban studies.

• Borrowing the bookshelf: lessons in [virtual bookshelf] husbandry

  By C E Hastings on 5 August , 2013 • ( 4 )

  

  I came across a meme recently “You know you’re a bookaholic when…” One was “when the first thing you look at in a friend’s house is the bookshelves”.  I identified.  I house sat for another Africa in Words writer recently,… Read More ›

• Sharing the Black Atlantic: Afromodern@Tate and beyond

  By C E Hastings on 8 July , 2013 • ( 1 )

  

  The Afromodern exhibit at Tate Liverpool was innovative, brought together work from collections and collectors around the world, and closed several years ago. I remember particularly clearly the impact of the striking work of Kara Walker. However, unlike other exhibitions,… Read More ›

• Bayan Layi : Blogging the Caine Prize

  By C E Hastings on 17 June , 2013 • ( 6 )

  

    I just talk without direction, like the harmattan wind that just blows and blows, scattering dust.  Me, I just like to say it as I remember it. And sometimes you have to explain the story. Sometimes the explanation lies… Read More ›

• Perhaps you missed…

  By C E Hastings on 28 May , 2013 • ( 0 )

  

  Spotted around the web: short stories, novels and debate. Bakwa magazine: Why does the West ignore intellectual property when Africa is concerned? What does the New York Times really know about music in Africa? Can hip-hop save an artist’s life?, Fashion:… Read More ›

• Marjorie Keniston McIntosh, ‘Yoruba Women, Work and Social Change’ (Indiana University Press, 2009)

  By C E Hastings on 23 May , 2013 • ( 0 )

  

  Marjorie Keniston McIntosh’s new(ish) book,  Yoruba Women, Work and Social Change’ has been on my shelf to read for longer than it should have been. McIntosh’s introduction promises a study ‘of adaptability and syncretism, not of simple continuity or abrupt… Read More ›

• Achebe remembered: thanks for your wahala*

  By C E Hastings on 18 April , 2013 • ( 1 )

  

  Wahala: OED ‘trouble, affliction, calamity’ (from the OUP Blog) The death of Achebe has seen a wide range of tributes: reprints of interviews, quotes, images but also reflections and memories from those who knew this great writer, and writers influenced… Read More ›

• Sarah Forbes Bonetta: biography, migration and the historical agenda

  By C E Hastings on 11 March , 2013 • ( 4 )

  

  I gave a paper last year debating the use of Sarah Forbes Bonetta’s biography over time.  Sarah’s story reads like a novel: a young girl who was ‘adopted’ by Queen Victoria, after a traveller to West Africa brought her back… Read More ›

• Genre, dystopia and the ‘African’ novel

  By C E Hastings on 7 November , 2012 • ( 4 )

  

  Recent discussions on H-Net literature and History logs have (re)debated the idea of ‘African’ literature. Labeling and pigeon-holing books clearly has advantages – although I hope I am not the only one who has moved a book from crime back… Read More ›