Books by African Women from Our Book Talk Series to Celebrate Women's History Month
The art of storytelling has been used in the African culture over centuries to educate, caution and entertain various generations. How can we ensure that this tradition is preserved?
Much of African history remains undocumented, and most of its traditions, culture and heritage were destroyed during the imperialist regime that lasted more than 70 years. For a continent so culturally rich and diverse - as it has more than 2000 languages, distinctive rites of passage ceremonies such as the rucacio commonly held by the Kikuyus of Kenya, eccentric art, dressing, and music, iconic architectural buildings such as the Palace of Emperor Fasilides, Ethiopia, and the Great Mosque of Djenné, in Mali - it is upto its sons and daughters who thrive in storytelling to meticulously preserve its history by for example recording exemplary occurrences in books.
The art of storytelling has been used in the African culture over centuries to educate, caution and entertain various generations. How can we ensure that this tradition is preserved? For a start, our Center has provided a platform known as the African Book Talk Series, where African writers and authors documenting African content can engage a global audience. These authors discuss their work and exciting perspectives on how personal, political, and cultural experiences drive their storytelling. This month, Women's History month, we are pleased to share sessions from women authors who have graced this platform.
Enjoy these videos!
'The Havoc of Choice' by Wanjiru Koinange
This is a story about family, politics, and journeying through a fractured country in a delicate time. It is based on events around the Kenyan election of 2007 and explores the long reaching effects of colonisation and corruption within the context of a singular household and the disparate experiences of class and clan they encapsulate.The Havoc of Choice is a delicate and deeply personal attempt to understand the root of this spontaneous yet organized conflict and to figure out what healing looks like for the people of Kenya. Watch the book discussion here.
'House of Stone' by Novuyo Rosa Tshuma
Set in 2007 Zimbabwe, Tshuma’s darkly humorous debut follows Zamani, a 20-something lodger who decides to integrate himself into the lives of his landlords after their teenage son, Bukhosi, vanishes while accompanying Zamani to an anti-Mugabe political rally. Watch the book discussion here.
'The Fortune Men' by Nadifa Mohamed
The Fortune Men is based on the true life events of Mahmood Hussein Mattan, a Somali former merchant seaman who was executed after being wrongfully convicted of the 6 March 1952 murder of Lily Volpert (renamed Violet Volacki in the book) in Cardiff's Tiger Bay. Watch the book discussion here.
'Madam First Lady' by Lilian Ng'ang'a
Lilian Ng'ang'a shares more on her work, experience and lessons as Machakos County First Lady in this book which was our debut hybrid book talk event. Watch the session here.
'Tread Brightly' by Sarika Bansal
“Tread Brightly” discusses the ethics of orphanage tourism, cruise ships, and study abroad programs. It asks how one’s identity as a traveler—like one’s country of origin, gender, and race—impacts a travel experience. It considers the climate consequences of non-essential travel. Watch the book discussion here.
'Vagabond' by Lerato Mogoatlhe
In this book, Lerato takes the reader through her travels within the African continent. It is a journey that leads to self-discovery understanding herself, her people and her home. It is the story of how a four-day trip to Accra inspires her to quit her life and fabulous job as an entertainment and lifestyle journalist to backpack across West Africa. She had no job or savings except a travel experience of four work trips. Watch the session here.
'The Sex Lives of African Women' by Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah
Nana has spent decades talking openly and intimately to African women around the world about sex. In this book, she brings together their extraordinary stories while chronicling her journey towards sexual freedom. Watch the session here.
'Travelling While Black' by Nanjala Nyabola
What does it feel like to move through a world designed to limit and exclude you? What are the joys and pains of holidays for people of colour, when guidebooks are never written with them in mind? How are black lives today impacted by the othering legacy of colonial cultures and policies? What can travel tell us about our sense of self, of home, of belonging and identity? Why has the world order become hostile to human mobility, as old as humanity itself, when more people are on the move than ever? Nanjala Nyabola is constantly exploring the world, working with migrants and confronting complex realities challenging common assumptions – both hers and others’. Watch the session here
'Our Broken' Silence by Lanji Ouko-Awori & Adelle Onyango
Our Broken Silence presents a collection of diary entries written by victims, survivors, family members, nurses, doctors, lawyers, judges, activists and many others who all share varying yet fundamentally linked experiences. Delivered through several immersive perspective, these analects provide a range of eye-opening accounts that illuminate the crooked corners and sharp edges of one of the most prevalent forms of violence. Watch the session here.