AiW Guest: Joseph Oduro-Frimpong. AiW note: With his review of Wole Soyinka’s book, Beyond Aesthetics: Use, Abuse, and Dissonance in African Art Traditions – “an intimate reflection on culture and tradition, creativity and power, that draws on a lifetime’s commitment to… Read More ›
Reviews & Spotlights on…
Celebrating ‘The Decade Project’ with Brittle Paper: 10 AiW African Literary Cultural Faves
Literary blog and archiving platform Brittle Paper turns 10 this year! Happy birthday BP! This month we take up their invitation to join their celebrations in their #DecadeProject with a post marking the last ten years as a significant decade… Read More ›
Q&A: “Ceremony is always imbued with sound”: Composer Peter Adjaye on soundscaping Toyin Ojih Odutola’s ‘A Countervailing Theory’
Peter Adjaye is a contemporary conceptual sound artist, specialising in cross disciplinary collaborations. He is a musicologist, composer, DJ-producer and musician. His unique set of skills and vast experience have enabled him to work closely with his brother, the award-winning… Read More ›
The Treachery of Words: A Review of ‘Black Tax: Burden or Ubuntu?’
AiW Guest: Thulani Angoma-Mzini In the anthology Black Tax: Burden or Ubuntu (2019), award winning author Niq Mhlongo convenes a parliament of the who’s who of South African literati to dissect the term ‘black tax’. In South Africa the term… Read More ›
Review: Physicality and Distortion in Dolla Sapeta’s ‘Skeptical Erections’
Mxolisi Dolla Sapeta is perhaps best known for his work as an artist and sculptor. In 2019, he made his literary debut with his first collection of poems, Skeptical Erections, published by Deep South. Reading Skeptical Erections makes it quickly… Read More ›
Review: A Sojourner’s Tale – Kola Tubosun’s ‘Edwardsville by Heart’
AiW Guest: Tade Ipadeola. “Light tornado alert tonight at Edwardsville. Stay indoors please, when you hear storm alerts!” a text said. ‘Tornado’, p.33 We look out for the traveler’s tale especially. They bear that extra flavour of the road not… Read More ›
Caine Prize 2020: ‘Your appreciation of power will grow’: A Review of Erica Sugo Anyadike’s ‘How to Marry an African President’
AiW Note: AiW’s annual review series of what is now the AKO Caine Prize is back. We’ve been talking about prize culture for a long time at Africa in Words; Kate Wallis’s post on our joining the Caine Prize “blogathon” back in… Read More ›
Review: In Search of Life Elsewhere – Ifedigbo Nze Sylva’s ‘My Mind is No Longer Here’
AiW Guest: Tọ́pẹ́ Salaudeen-Adégòkè. AiW note: Tọ́pẹ́, returning as a Guest Author with this review for AiW, has also given us his Words on the Times, a Q&A series initiated to connect up and share the experiences of life and work during… Read More ›
Caine Prize 2020: Review of Jowhor Ile’s “Fisherman’s Stew”
AiW Note: AiW’s annual review series of what is now the AKO Caine Prize is back. We’ve been talking about prize culture for a long time at Africa in Words; Kate Wallis’s post on our joining the Caine Prize “blogathon” back in… Read More ›
Caine Prize 2020: Fiction masquerading as nonfiction: A Review of Chikodili Emelumadu’s “What to do When Your Child Brings Home a Mami Wata”
AiW Note: AiW’s annual review series of what is now the AKO Caine Prize is back. We’ve been talking about prize culture for a long time at Africa in Words; Kate Wallis’s post on our joining the Caine Prize “blogathon” back in… Read More ›
Review: Zimbabwe’s substitutions, or: what difference would a good or bad past make? Novuyo Rose Tshuma’s ‘House of Stone’ (2018).
AiW Guest: Ranka Primorac. AiW note: After her review of Tshuma’s House of Stone, we were able to catch up with Ranka Primorac for her Words on the Times, an AiW Q&A series running over the last few months, connecting up and… Read More ›
Caine Prize 2020: “Every day is today”: A Review of Rémy Ngamije’s “The Neighbourhood Watch”
AiW Note: AiW’s annual review series of what is now the AKO Caine Prize is back. We’ve been talking about prize culture for a long time at Africa in Words; Kate Wallis’s post on our joining the Caine Prize “blogathon” back… Read More ›
2018 Africa Writes #P&P – ‘The archive of my life’: The UK pre-launch of Akwaeke Emezi’s autobiographical novel ‘Freshwater’
AiW note: Sana Goyal’s piece covering Africa Writes’ 2018 pre-launch of the UK edition of Akwaeke Emezi’s debut novel, Freshwater, brings our range of #PastAndPresent posts over this first weekend in July 2020 – the weekend the in-person festival would… Read More ›
2017 Africa Writes #P&P Highlights Reel: 2017 Caine Prize Conversation
AiW note: If AiW memory serves, since at least 2014, Africa Writes has hosted the Caine Prize shortlisted writers in conversation, prior to the announcement of the winner in July. At AiW, we’ve been reviewing the shortlisted stories and thinking… Read More ›
2015 Africa Writes #P&P – Losing my Head Because: Ben Okri’s Meditations on Greatness
AiW note: Bwesigye Bwa Mesigire’s reflections on Ben Okri’s headline event for the 2015 Africa Writes Festival form part of our #PastAndPresent weekend of re-posts of coverage of the festival over the years (from 2013-2018). The full timetable of our… Read More ›
2014 Africa Writes #P&P – What space is there for African travel writing? ‘Broadening the Gaze’
AiW note: Rebecca Jones was at the 2014 Africa Writes Festival in London. We republish her coverage of the African & Diaspora Travel Writing panel here as part of our Africa Writes #PastAndPresent weekender, anticipating the online conversations of the… Read More ›
2013 Africa Writes #P&P – Q&A: Poet, writer and educator Warsan Shire
AiW Note: this republication of a 2013 in-depth (long) and rich (vibrantly so) conversation between poet and activist Warsan Shire and Katie Reid of AiW marks the first post in our second day of Africa Writes #Past&Present revisits over this… Read More ›
2018 Africa Writes #P&P – Building an Archive – Voices from the Panel “Loving Womxn: Deliberate and Afraid of Nothing”
AiW note: this review of the panel ‘Loving Womxn’ at the 2018 Africa Writes Festival in London is part of our #Past&Present revisits of our coverage of the festival over the years, in the run-up to the digital conversations of… Read More ›
2016 Africa Writes #P&P Highlight Reel – ‘On Being a Woman Writer: Nawal El Saadawi’
AiW Note: As part of our Africa Writes #PastAndPresent weekend, and in the absence of the in-person festival in 2020, this highlight reel marks the headline event at Africa Writes 2016, “On Being a Woman Writer: Nawal El Saadawi in… Read More ›
2015 Africa Writes #P&P – Q&A with author and Africa Writes guest Abubakar Adam Ibrahim
AiW note: this conversation between Abubakar Adam Ibrahim and Emma Shercliff, prior to the Africa Writes’ 2015 Festival is the third post this weekend of some of our coverage over the years, in the run up to the digital conversations… Read More ›