Es'kia Mphahlele: And the Man Died

Ezekiel (Es’kia) Mphahlele, African writer, teacher and arts activist, was born on December 17, 1919. He died on October 27, 2008, aged 88. Mphahlele’s writings had a strong autobiographical strain: he was persecuted and driven into exile himself, experiences which provided the material for his art. This was reflected, above all, in his second and most popular work, Down Second Avenue, published in 1959 — a vivid account of growing up in rural northern South Africa and in a bustling Pretoria black township before the Second World War. More here.

African Writers and the Internet

I gave a talk recently at the Institute of Creative Technologies. I looked briefly at the mobile phone revolution in Africa. Jess reported it here.

New Media Writing and Publishing, 22 Oct 2008, IOCT

Every autumn, First Year CWNM students spend a week on campus at DMU. This year Campus Week includes a day of discussion open to DMU students, staff, and the general public. More here.

More on "Say You're One of Them"

This astonishing first collection of short stories marks the arrival of a major writer - The Independent. Read more here.

Uwem Akpan: "Say You're One of Them"

Uwem Akpan is a Nigerian writer whose debut collection of short stories "Say You're One of Them" has been well received. In 2004, when the Rev. Uwem Akpan applied to the graduate program in creative writing at the University of Michigan, his folder attracted a lot of attention. He was both a Nigerian and a Jesuit priest, and the program was unused to applicants from either category. And though Father Akpan’s talent was abundantly evident, if a little raw, Eileen Pollack, the director of the program, recalled recently, there was some hesitation on the part of the admissions committee. “There were discussions about having a priest be part of workshops where students would be writing about sex and drugs,” Ms. Pollack said.

Read more here

Call for Papers - New African Journal

Announcing the launch of a new journal on African studies entitled Africana: A Journal of Ideas on Africa and the African Diaspora, a bi-annual (two issues per year) targeting an audience of scholars, practitioners, and other parties interested in African issues. The journal is meant to be multidisciplinary with a global distribution. We are currently seeking submissions and invite you to consider writing an original and unpublished article or book review to be included in our next volume. We are also interested in submissions from colleagues working in organisations similar to your own and kindly request that you circulate this Call for Papers among your own networks.

Submissions should be made to Editorial Co-ordinator, Yilma Tafere Tasew, at editor@africanajournal.org in Microsoft Word format. A brief biography and contact detailsshould be included with all submissions. Alternatively, you can mail submissions to:
Dr Christopher LaMonica
Senior Editor, Africana Journal
Political Science & International Relations Programme
Victoria University of Wellington
PO Box 600
Wellington 6001
New Zealand
Tel: +64 (4) 463-5760
Fax: +64 (4) 463-5414

"Playing Games" (New Short Story)

Nene, my cousin, called the gossip session the real meeting. I watched her closely as she mingled with the other women. I noticed for the first time how bony her hand was, how all the veins that ought to have been covered with healthy flesh stood out like the drawing of a school child. But Nene was not an old woman. It was too much hard work that had aged her. As the bread winner, she supported her family with sales of akara and other petty goods. As in my own case, her husband had left her for the world beyond.

To read more, click here