That the present modern day African writer is battling between two worlds as far as his or her writings are concerned cannot be disputed or denied by any knowledgeable or authoritative cultural expert or literary critic. This is so because modern African literature is comparatively young to Euro-American literature and also Asian literature. The dawn […]
Tag: Books
East African literature continues to grow and reshape itself in exciting new ways – and 2023 was no exception. The world really did take notice of the region when Tanzanian-British author Abdulrazak Gurnah won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2021. Interest in Gurnah’s work continued last year when he made a homecoming to east […]
Huambo — The province of Huambo hosts the first African Book Biennial from the 4th to the 16th of April this year, as a multifaceted cultural space, which aims to bring together writers from 54 countries on the continent. The information was made public on Wednesday by the Angolan writer Nituecheni Africano, pseudonym of Eugénio […]
The Caine Prize for African Writing, an esteemed annual award honouring outstanding African writers, is pleased to announce the shortlist for the 2023 edition. The five shortlisted stories were carefully selected from a pool of 297 entries originating from 28 African countries. The shortlisted writers for the 2023 Caine Prize for African Writing are: Yejide […]
Kilimanjaro — THE government has embarked on a programme aimed at improving all libraries in the country in order to provide opportunities for students, teachers and other people to have access to additional knowledge. Minister for Education, Science and Technology Professor Adolf Mkenda revealed this yesterday during the inauguration of Martha Onesmo Public Library located […]
The African presence in the world of comic books and graphic novels is sparse, but Ivorian author Marguerite Abouet is changing that. Thanks to her characters Aya and Akissi, both from the suburbs of Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, a new generation of role models is on the way. Abouet has just released the seventh volume of […]
A new book on the Congo recycles stereotypes of Africa as a wasteland in need of saving in all its promo. It’s been rapturously received in the West. Last month, award-winning author and academic Siddharth Kara published Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers our Lives. The book draws attention to labour conditions […]
In 12 chapters, Cyber Politics examines cyberculture, social demographics and political communication. It was a great time to celebrate hard work and excellence on Tuesday as government officials, journalists, friends, and accomplished professionals converged on Abuja for the public presentation of Cyber Politics: Social Media, Social Demography and Voting Behaviour in Nigeria. The new book […]
The African continent’s main political body has dealt with a myriad of issues since its inception, including a resurgence of coups, conflict, Ebola and Covid-19 emergencies. The African Union was established in 2002 as a successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) with the aim of promoting unity, peace, and development across the continent. Over the […]
Bankole Ajibabi Omotoso, better known as Kole Omotoso, the Nigerian novelist, playwright, journalist, scholar and actor, died on 19 July 2023. His son Akin Omotoso, a filmmaker, announced the death of the writer on Instagram. It came at a time when Nigeria was celebrating the 89th birthday of Wole Soyinka, Africa’s first Nobel laureate in […]
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Africa: The Best African Books of 2023
Once more, African writers from the continent and diaspora have provided us some literary gems. Our top novels of 2023, in no particular order. Ghost Season — Fatin Abbas A soul stirring and important novel that brings together the stories of five characters on an NGO compound in a remote border town between northern and […]
Noni Jabavu was the first black South African woman to publish memoirs and one of the first African women to pursue a literary career abroad. She left the country as a teenager to pursue an education and returned intermittently throughout her life. She returned to South Africa in 1977 to research her father’s biography. Some […]
Reading is considered a good hobby because it leads to the all-round development of one’s brain and personality, and is known to improve one’s imagination skills. Book enthusiasts usually envisage, explore new ideas, and stimulate their minds with a good read, through someone else’s eyes. Free time is a good moment to catch up on […]
With the news that it is to halt operations it’s a fitting time to take stock of Weaver Press in Zimbabwe. The publishing house started small in 1998 and remained small, co-managed by its two full time employees, the husband and wife team of Murray McCartney and Irene Staunton. At the same time as Weaver […]