Spoken Word Artist, Actor, and Motivational Speaker Omékongo

Written by Mwabi Kaira-Murdock | January 6, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Urban Music Award Winner Omékongo Dibinga is a spoken word artist, rapper, actor, and motivational speaker. He is the Founder & CEO of Free Your Mind Publishing. A first generation Congolese-American who was described by Nikki Giovanni as “outstanding, exciting, and new while being very old”, Omékongo writes and performs poetry in English, French and Swahili, and has occasionally used Wolof in his writings. He also co-stars in the television drama series “Ya Ma’Afrika.” » Read more…

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Dance The Guns to Silence: 100 Poems for Ken Saro-Wiwa

Written by Mwabi Kaira-Murdock | January 6, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Nigerian author Ken Saro-Wiwa was an environmental and Ogoni rights activist. He led a movement in Ogoni for social and ecological justice. He used his writing and his boundless energy to unite the Ogoni behind a call for greater autonomy within the Nigerian Federation, access to oil revenues for the development of Ogoni, the right to protect Ogoni from ecological devastation and the right to preserve the Ogoni language. He was executed on November 10, 1995 by the regime of Sani Abacha along with eight other Ogoni activists. » Read more…

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Infidel - Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Written by Mwabi Kaira-Murdock | January 6, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Infidel is an autobiographical book and New York Times bestseller by Ayaan Hirsi Ali. The initial print of the book sold out in two days in the Netherlands. » Read more…

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Shimmer Chinodya Wins The 2007 NOMA Award for Publishing in Africa

Written by Mwabi Murdock | January 6, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Shimmer Chinodya is one of Zimbabwe’s most celebrated post-independence literary writers. In 2007 he won the NOMA Award for Publishing in Africa for his novel Strife. 107 titles, from 66 African publishers, in 12 countries, in 5 languages, were submitted for the 2007 competition. » Read more…

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The Street, The Icarus Girl, and Everything Good Will Come

Written by Mwabi Kaira-Murdock | January 6, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Nigerian Sefi Atta’s novel Everything Good Will Come charts the fate of two african girls, one born of privilege (Enitan Taiwo) and the other (Sheri Bakare) a lower class “half-caste”. One is prepared to manipulate the traditional system while the other attempts to defy it. the tale traces this unusual friendship into their adult lives, against the backdrop of tragedy, family strife, and war-torn Nigeria. » Read more…

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Heat, Smoke and Dust

Written by Mwabi Murdock | January 4, 2008 | Leave a Comment

HEAT, SMOKE AND DUST. » Read more…

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Benjamin Kwakye - The Sun By Night

Written by Shirlene Alusa-Brown | December 27, 2007 | Leave a Comment

Benjamin Kwakye has scored another winner with his second book, The Sun By Night. A prostitute has been found murdered and Manu, a wealthy, happily married businessman is the prime suspect. Secrets begin to unravel as the story unfolds, leaving Manu’s life exposed to the public. As the trial unfolds the attention turns to the issues that affect the trial, including the social standing, the stigmas attached to a prostitute, and the views on marriage and infidelity. As the drama unfolds, one is drawn into the contrasting worlds, and, just as soon as you think that you know how it is going to end, the story takes an unexpected turn. » Read more…

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Ngugi wa Thiongo - Wizard of the Crow

Written by Busola Grillo | December 11, 2007 | Leave a Comment

There is an old adage from the Yoruba tribe of West Africa that says “A reversing ram will gather momentum and charge with more power.” Ngugi is the reversing ram, gathering momentum and charging powerfully with his latest release; Wizard of the Crow after a 20 year break. » Read more…

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Inua “Phaze” Ellams - Word Artist

Interview by Busola Grillo | December 10, 2007 | Leave a Comment

Jamati: INUA? What does your name stand for?
I think you mean what my name means; it is a word in the Hausa language, whose literal transition is ‘shade’. What Can I say, I was born cool. I google-searched the name (think everyone should at some point) and found out “Inua’ is a character in Inuit mythology, the Arctic dwellers commonly known as ‘Eskiom’ believe that ‘Inua’ is the force of life, movement and change in all things. People pray to it, there is even a folk band called ‘Inua’. Now I have no idea if the name traveled up there, or down there, but both meanings are nature related, so there is gotta be a link. When I found out, I told my sister I was a god. She slapped me. Nothing like a sibling to bring you down to earth.

Jamati: Were you raised on the continent? If not, have you ever visited?
Yeap, born in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria, moved to Lagos, secondary schooled in Odogbolu, Ogun state before coming to the UK. I have not been back since I left, but will do so. » Read more…

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Dayo Forster - Reading the Ceiling

Written by Shirlene Alusa-Brown | December 10, 2007 | Leave a Comment

Dayo Forster Dayo was born in Gambia and now lives in Kenya. She has published a short story in Kwani?, Kenya’s literary magazine, and was one of twelve African writers selected as a participant for the 2006 Caine Prize Writer’s Workshop. The story produced as a result of the ten-day workshop will be published in a Caine Prize anthology in July 2006. » Read more…

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Jack Mapanje - Imprisoned but not silenced

Written by Shirlene Alusa-Brown | December 10, 2007 | Leave a Comment

 Malawian poet Jack Mapanje taught in Malawi Secondary Schools before he joined the Department of English at Chancellor College, University of Malawi, in 1975, first as a lecturer, then as Head of the Department of English. He has a BA and Diploma in Education from the University of Malawi, an M.Phil. in English and Education from The Institute of Education London, and a Ph.D. in linguistics from University College London in 1983.  » Read more…

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