QUICK DELIVERY
Swift dispatch
Wild
Brief summary
Ben Okri is a prolific Booker-Prize winning novelist and essayist, but has published only two collections of poetry. The first was An African Elegy and the second was Mental Fight. Both were highly regarded. Thus a third collection is a literary event, especially since 13 years have elapsed since his last.
As acclaimed for his poetic vision as for the beauty of his language, in these poems Okri captures both the tenderness and the fragility, as well as the depths and the often hidden directions of our lives. To him, the 'wild' is an alternative to the familiar; an essential place in the journey where energy meets freedom, where art meets the elemental, where chaos can be honed.
The wild is our link to the stars... Ranging across a wide variety of subjects, from the autobiographical to the philosophical, from war to love, from nature to the difficulty of truly seeing, these poems reconfigure the human condition in unusual light through their mastery of tone and condensed brilliance.
ISBN:9781846043307
Author:Ben Okri
Tadunos Song
Brief summary
The day a stained brown envelope arrives from Taduno's homeland, he knows that the time has come to return from exile. Arriving full of trepidation, the musician discovers that his community no longer recognizes him, believing that Taduno is dead.
His girlfriend Lela has disappeared, taken away by government agents. As he wanders through his house in search of clues, he realises that any traces of his old life have been erased. All that was left of his life and himself are memories.
But Taduno finds a new purpose: to unravel the mystery of his lost life and to find his lost love. Through this search, he comes to face a difficult decision: to sing for love or to sing for his people. Taduno's Song is a moving tale of sacrifice, love and courage.
ISBN:9781782118053
Author:Odafe Atogun
The Big Conservation Lie: The Untold ...
The Big Conservation Lie' is a wakeup call focused on a field that has been 'front and center' of many people's hearts and minds in recent years; the conservation of Africa's wildlife. It is a pursuit whose power to inspire is only rivalled by its ability to blind its audience to reality.
This book takes the reader through Kenya's conservation 'industry' and the players therein with all their prejudices, weaknesses and commitment to causes, many of which are indistinguishable from their personalities.
It is a call to indigenous Africans to claim their place at the table where the management of their natural resources is being discussed and invites well-meaning donors to look beyond the romantic images and detect the possible role of their money in the disenfranchisement of a people.
Home and exile by Chinua Achebe
Powerful and deeply personal, these three essays by the great Nigerian author articulate his mission to rescue African culture from the narratives written by Europeans.
Looking through the prism of his experiences as a student in English schools in Nigeria, he recalls his first encounters with European perspectives on Africa in the works of Joyce Cary and Elspeth Huxley. He examines the impact that his novel Things Fall Apart—as well as fellow Nigerian Amos Tutola’s The Palm-Wine Drinkard and Jomo Kenyatta’s Facing Mt. Kenya, among other works—had on efforts to reclaim Africa's story. He confronts the persistence of colonial views of Africa.
And he argues for the importance of living and writing the African experience: Africa needs stories told by Africans.
A Brief History of Seven Killings by ...
On December 3, 1976, just before the Jamaican general election and two days before Bob Marley was to play the Smile Jamaica Concert, gunmen stormed his house, machine guns blazing.
The attack nearly killed the Reggae superstar, his wife, and his manager, and injured several others. Marley would go on to perform at the free concert on December 5, but he left the country the next day, not to return for two years.
Deftly spanning decades and continents and peopled with a wide range of characters—assassins, journalists, drug dealers, and even ghosts—A Brief History of Seven Killings is the fictional exploration of that dangerous and unstable time and its bloody aftermath, from the streets and slums of Kingston in the 70s, to the crack wars in 80s New York, to a radically altered Jamaica in the 90s. Brilliantly inventive and stunningly ambitious, this novel is a revealing modern epic that will secure Marlon James’ place among the great literary talents of his generation.
Beneath the Darkening Sky
Brief Summary
On the day that Obinna’s village is savagely attacked by the rebel army and his father murdered, he witnesses violence beyond his imagination. Along with his older brother he finds himself thrown into a truck when the soldiers leave, to be shaped into an agent of horror – a child soldier.
Marched through minefields and forced into battle, enduring a brutal daily existence, Obinna slowly works out which parts of himself to save and which to sacrifice in this world turned upside down.
Beneath the Darkening Sky is a terrifyingly powerful, brilliantly insightful portrait of how a human being copes when forced to become inhuman. Like all great fiction, it imagines the unimaginable, and announces the arrival of a searing new voice from the heart of Africa.
ISBN:9781926428420
Author:Majok Tulba
Dance of the Jakaranda by Peter Kimani
Set in the shadow of Kenya's independence from Great Britain, Dance of the Jakaranda reimagines the special circumstances that brought black, brown and white men together to lay the railroad that heralded the birth of the nation.
The novel traces the lives and loves of three men--preacher Richard Turnbull, the colonial administrator Ian McDonald, and Indian technician Babu Salim--whose lives intersect when they are implicated in the controversial birth of a child. Years later, when Babu's grandson Rajan--who ekes out a living by singing Babu's epic tales of the railway's construction--accidentally kisses a mysterious stranger in a dark nightclub, the encounter provides the spark to illuminate the three men's shared, murky past.
With its riveting multiracial, multicultural cast and diverse literary allusions, Dance of the Jakaranda could well be a story of globalization. Yet the novel is firmly anchored in the African oral storytelling tradition, its language a dreamy, exalted, and earthy mix that creates new thresholds of identity, providing a fresh metaphor for race in contemporary Africa.
Infinite Riches
Brief Summary
Azaro is a spirit child. He made a pact with his spirit companions that when he was born he would die at the first opportunity, but after his birth, he broke the pact and continued to live.
His spirit companions threatened to send seven spirits to reclaim him. So far, five have tried and failed, but the remaining two are the most dangerous of all.
This continuation of the story of Azaro is rich with allegorical vision, and interwoven with the politics of Nigeria.
ISBN:9781861591203
Author:Ben Okri
Little Mogadishu Eastleigh Nairobis G...
Brief Summary
Nairobi’s Eastleigh estate has undergone profound change over the past two decades. Previously a quiet residential zone, the arrival of vast numbers of Somali refugees catalyzed its transformation into ‘Little Mogadishu’, a global hub for Somali business. Dozens of malls and hotels have sprouted from its muddy streets, attracting thousands of shoppers.
Nonetheless, despite boosting Kenya’s economy, the estate and its residents are held in suspicion over alleged links to Islamic terrorism, especially after the 2013 Westgate Mall attack, while local and international media have suggested with little evidence that its economic boom owes much to capital derived from Indian Ocean piracy.
In contrast to such sensationalized reporting, Little Mogadishu is based on detailed historical and ethnographic research and explores the social and historical underpinnings of this economic boom. It examines how transnational networks converged on Eastleigh in the wake of the collapse of the Somali state, attracting capital from the Somali diaspora, and bringing goods—especially clothes and electronics—from Dubai, China and elsewhere that are much in demand in East Africa. In so doing, Little Mogadishu provides a compelling case-study of the developmental impact Diasporas and transnational trade can have, albeit in a country where many see this development as suspect.
ISBN:9780190646202
Author:Neil Carrier
Damned Nations Greed Guns Armies and Aid
Brief Summary
In 1995, twenty-five-year-old Samantha Nutt, a recent medical-school graduate and a field volunteer for UNICEF, touched down in Baidoa, Somalia, the "City of Death." What she saw there would spur her on to a lifetime of passionate advocacy for children and families in war-torn areas around the world.
Damned Nations is the brilliant distillation of Dr. Nutt's observations over the course of fifteen years providing hands-on care in some of the world's most violent flashpoints, all the while building the world class non-profit War Child North America.
Combining original research with her personal story, it is a deeply thoughtful meditation on war as it is being waged around the world against millions of civilians -- primarily women and children. Nutt's boundless energy, dedication, and compassion shine through on every page as she lays out real, lasting solutions to these problems and shows how to move beyond outdated notions of charity towards a more progressive, inclusive, and respectful world view.
ISBN:9780771051463
Author:Samantha Nutt
True Citizen
Brief Summary
Maina is a violent robber whose disgust for blood and craving to be loved forces him to quit for a better career. But when Maina lands the job of a taxi driver, he realizes that he has slipped into the underworld bedeviled by corrupt traffic police, city council officers, and cartels.
Maina’s only child, Maria, is dying of a bone disease and his wife has had her womb surgically removed. A traffic police officer slaps him with trumped-up charges prompting his sack. Kama, his conductor, plans a revenge against the entire traffic police force. Maina buys into the idea and heads the revenge mission.
Another woman comes into Maina’s life. Roger, a famous hacker in Nairobi’s underworld, and his friends join in. All the security arms react with brute force. Maina has to dodge the scheming security organs. Will Maina survive the emotional breakdown from a dying daughter and fend off the seduction of another woman and still get his revenge?
ISBN:9789966074041
Author:Oduor Jagero
An Abundance of Scorpions
Book Summary
Following a horrific tragedy, Tambaya leaves Kano for Accra to live with her brother, Aminu. Sadly, her dream of a new beginning is dashed when she can no longer endure the indignity she suffers at the hands of her brother’s new wife.
Tambaya returns to northern Nigeria and soon finds work as a matron in an orphanage, under the watchful eye of the ruthless Miss Scholastica. Just when she begins to settle into her new life, an unexpected visit threatens to destroy everything she has worked so hard to build. Tambaya faces moral dilemmas on all sides, but she must stop her life from unravelling once again.
Vulnerable, and surrounded by malice, corruption and greed, Tambaya struggles to shape her destiny. An Abundance of Scorpions charts one woman’s journey through grief and uncertainty to a road that leads to self-discovery, redemption and love.
ISBN:9789789593231
Author:Hadiza Isma El-Rufai
African Myths and Folk Tales
Book Summary
How was the earth formed, and where did animals come from? Why does the hippopotamus live in water, and why do cats chase rats? Imaginative answers to these and other age-old questions can be found among the rich oral traditions of Africa. Generations of listeners have delighted in these fanciful explanations of the natural, moral, and spiritual worlds, which unfold amid a realm of talking animals, magic drums, tricksters, and fairies.
Known as the "Father of Black History," Carter Godwin Woodson was among the first scholars to promote the history and achievements of African-Americans. His compilation of fables about a jealous blind man, a disobedient daughter, a rivalry among brothers, and other timeless predicaments is punctuated with thought-provoking proverbs and gentle humor. Told in simple language, these tales will enchant readers and listeners of all ages. Over sixty evocative illustrations appear throughout the book.
ISBN:9780486477343
Author:Carter G. Woodson
African Love Stories An Anthology by ...
African love stories? Is that not some kind of anomaly? This radical collection of short stories, most published in this edition for the first time, aims to debunk the myth about African women as impoverished helpless victims. With origins that span the content, it combines budding writers with award-winning authors; the result is a melting pot of narratives from intriguing and informed perspectives.
These twenty odd tales deal with challenging themes and represent some of the most complex of love stories. Many are at once heart breaking yet heartwarming and even courageous. In Badoe's hilarious 'The Rival', we encounter a 14 -year-old girl who is determined to capture her uncle's heart. His wife, she decided would just have to go. Mr. Mensah the uncle is all of sixty years old.
Crafted by a stellar cast of authors that includes El Saadawi, Ogundipe, Magona, Tadjo, Krog, Aboulela, Adichie, Oyeyemi, wa Goro, Atta, Manyika and Baingana, there is hardly any aspect of women's love life untouched. From labour pains to burials, teenagers to octogenarians, and not to mention race-fraught and same-sex relationships, the human heart is all out there: beleaguered and bleeding, or bold, and occasionally triumphant.
It is highly recommended that you the reader take the stories one at a time, so that you meet the women protagonists individually. So that you can listen to them and hear their hearts properly" whether Sudanese, Kenyan, Ghanaian, Nigerian or Zimbabwean. As for the tales as a whole, you might find them eye-opening, perhaps even inspirational, but above all, you will be entertained by them.
Africa 39 New Writing from Africa sou...
Book Summary
In 2014, UNESCO's World Book Capital is Port Harcourt, Nigeria-the first city in Africa to receive the designation by public bid.
This makes it a special year for the Port Harcourt Book Festival, which will be in its seventh year, and bigger than ever. They are joining forces with the internationally renowned Hay Festival, which will bring to Port Harcourt its 39 Project-a competition to identify the thirty-nine most promising young talents under the age of forty in sub-Saharan Africa and the diaspora. It follows the success of Bogotá 39 in 2007 and Beirut 39 in 2010.
Both recognized a number of authors who now have international profiles: in Bogotá, Adriana Lisboa, Alejandro Zambra, Juan Gabriel Vásquez, Daniel Alarcón, and Junot DÃaz; in Beirut, Randa Jarrar, Joumana Haddad, Abdellah Taia, Samar Yazbek, and Faiza Guene. In Nigeria this year, the esteemed judges include leading-edge publisher Margaret Busby; novelist and playwright Elechi Amadi,writer and scholar Osonye Tess Onwueme, and Caine Prize winner Binyavanga Wainaina.
For the second time, Bloomsbury is honored to be a part of the festivities, publishing worldwide Africa39-a collection of brand new work from these talented thirty-nine.
With an introduction by Wole Soyinka, Africa39 is a must-read for anyone curious about Africa today and Africa tomorrow, as envisioned through the eyes of its brightest literary stars.
ISBN:9781620407790
Author:Ellah Wakatama Allfrey and Wole Soyinka
A Womans Body is a Country Poems
Book review
"Dami Ajayi writes poignantly about family, loss, trauma, and the mystery of the human psyche with compassion and deep insight. With poems reaching always for the redemptive, Ajayi renders a seldom seen vulnerability in Nigerian poetics, leaving the reader with more hope and full of light.” – Chris Abani
"The poems in this book are aesthetically passionate and sensually fearless. This poet teaches us anew the possibilities for language and the erotic. A Woman’s Body is a Country is tenacious, vital, honed. Dami Ajayi is a compelling and brilliant poet."
– Uche Nduka
"Dami Ajayi journeys into emotional borders that reveal the burdens of transitions, offering us lyrical poetry that reinvents perspectives. Here is the poetry of the quotidian, a philosophic and profound interrogation of relationships, of words, of bodies and their burdens, of times and time. There is poetry here, and it breathes." – Jumoke Verissimo
"A Woman’s Body is a Country is a work of impressive artistry. The power of these poems lies in their ability to transform ordinary everyday phenomena into memorable, lyrical nuggets of experience. Dami Ajayi is a very exciting new voice, not just in Nigerian poetry but for the world." – Harry Garuba
ISBN:9789789628391
Author:Dami Ajayi
Dedan Kimathi The Real Story
Brief Summary
"To most people, Dedan Kimathi, the man who led the Mau Mau movement in Kenya’s forests in the 1950s to win freedom from the British Empire, has remained a shadowy and enigmatic figure.
Attempts to portray his heroic and fascinating life have produced varying results, ranging from historical distortion to artistic idealism.
ISBN:9789966498151
Author:Samuel Kahiga
Africa Leni Riefenstahl
Brief Summary
Life with the Nuba: Leni Riefenstahl's remarkable Africa oeuvre
"If Leni Riefenstahl had done nothing but visit Africa and bring back her photographs, her place in history would be secure." -Kevin Brownlow, from the introduction
The first female film director to attract international acclaim, Leni Riefenstahl began frequent trips to Africa in her early sixties, where she worked on various film and photography projects. Her favorite destination was Sudan, where she immersed herself in the Nuba tribe, learning their customs and their language.
As warm and welcoming people, the Nuba offered Riefenstahl some escape from her past as a protege of the Third Reich. She would later recall her experiences in Africa as the happiest moments in her life. This book gathers Riefenstahl's images of the Nuba, as well as of the Dinka, Shilluk, and Masai tribes into a deeply evocative publication, capturing not only the beauty, expression and age-old customs of the tribes, but also Riefentahl's profound respect and love for these people and their land.
The book includes an interview with Riefenstahl by Kevin Brownlow about her working practice in Africa, and an extensive bibliography and biography section.
ISBN:9783836523172
Author:Angelika Taschen
Shades of Benga The Story of Popular ...
Brief Summary
Shades of Benga: The Story of Popular Music in Kenya delves into the foundations of modern Kenyan music, examining external influences from the English waltz to Afro Cuban Rumba and how they helped mould new music styles across Africa. Rumba was brought to Eastern Africa via the itinerant Congolese musicians Edouard Masengo and Jean Bosco Mwenda who’s intricate guitar-picking styles largely shaped the present Kenyan sound, with the Benga playing a dominant role.
Although dozens of works have been published over the years on various characteristics of popular music in Kenya – from conventional folk to hip hop – none captures the history of music and its players as authoritatively as Shades of Benga: The Story of Popular Music in Kenya. An informed study of some literary publications and academic papers on music immediately reveals that the writers, who frequently tend to be foreign ‘experts’, do not seek the opinions of pioneer musicians who helped shape the various genres of music.
Their research is largely based on information obtained from sources that are readily available on the Internet but often not easily verifiable. As we wrote this book, we made every possible effort to engage with practitioners directly involved in creating and shaping benga in order to ensure that their collective voice remains the sole critical factor to placing the music in its proper perspective while simultaneously giving the other genres in Kenya their correct definition. We undertook the arduous task of meticulously putting together the content that would faithfully recount the remarkable story of the development of our music in a manner previously not attempted.
In an effort to make this 678-page book an easy read as well as eye catching, Shades of Benga: The Story of Popular Music in Kenya features over 400 pictures.
"
ISBN:6164001943132
Author:Ketebul Music
Learning to Listen Notes from an Expa...
Brief Summary
‘A listening ear leads to life but a deaf ear leads to death.’ - KENYAN PROVERB
Brian Polkinghorne spent twenty six years in East Africa, primarily engaged in agricultural development work. In this book he relates stories from his experience, and offers valuable advice for Western visitors to Africa.
Topics covered include dealing with cultural issues by learning to communicate effectively in a dramatically different cultural context, handling encounters with African traditional religion and witchcraft and everyday issues arising from food, dress and differences in worldviews.
Polkinghorne is always compassionate, advocating for patience and understanding. He works his way through a plethora of cultural conflicts and thinks outside the box about his own biased cultural assumptions.
Learning to Listen contains tales of trials, heartache and misunderstandings, but is also filled with blessings, hilarity, little gems of wisdom and astonishing successes. It will be helpful for the first-time visitor to East Africa, as well as the long-term resident and the development worker.
ISBN:9781546502548
Author:Brian Polkinghorne