Must-Read Novels by African Nationals

A Poet Speaks of Empire integrates my studies of literature (undergrad) and African Studies (grad school). I have done a great deal of research, as well as worked and lived in Ghana. I took a class at Brown called, “West African Political Writers,” which opened my eyes to  the rich diversity of literature coming from the continent. I read novels including Chinua Achebe’s Anthills of the Savannah and Things Fall Apart, Buchi Emecheta’s The Joys of Motherhood, Mariama Ba’s So Long a Letter, Ayi Kwei Armah’s The Beautiful Ones Are Not Yet Born and a plethora of other novels written by African nationals. Get a sense of Africa from the perspective of a local. Try Goodreads for a comprehensive list of fiction written by the best known African writers. There are more than 100 novels for you to explore here:

http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/10961.Fictitious_Africa

This week I have chosen to spotlight a few of the best and best-known authors:

Things Fall Apart is Chinua Achebe’s best-known work, but Anthills of the Savannah comes in a close second. Called “prophetic,” this book examines the political system in fictional Kangan (read Nigeria) after a violent coup d’etat. The novel aptly puts presidential politics on display and reveals a vision of social change that is both wise and inspiring. Says the Financial Times: "in a powerful fusion of myth, legend and modern styles, Achebe has written a book which is wise, exciting and essential, a powerful antidote to the cynical commentators from 'overseas' who see nothing ever new out of Africa." Highly recommended read for those battling the cold and quiet winter months.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/80213.Anthills_of_the_Savannah

Winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, Wole Soyinka is perhaps best-known for his plays, essays and poetry critiquing the Nigerian government and former colonialists for their errant ways in the post-colonial period. The Open Sore of a Continent is among his most definitive works. By no means an easy read, this book concerns the meaning of the word nation and how the idea shapes political outcomes in emerging nations, mainly in Africa but also across the world. Don’t miss this incisive explanation as to why some nations fail. 

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/124336.The_Open_Sore_of_a_Continent

Yvonne Vera’s Nehanda is among my favorite novels, perhaps because Vera’s words are lucid and almost poetic. She introduces an unfamiliar world with great skill and tact. Each word is carefully chosen. In this novel, she tells a tale of a sacred one, born to a village in Zimbabwe which was invaded by colonialists. This child represents the spirit of the ancestors, returned to cast out the pernicious invaders. In Nehanda, women are the keepers of ritual. All about the book is a mysticism that is fully captivating. The author is a Commonwealth Writers' Prize winner and a Macmillan Writers' Prize winner. This is a highly recommended read!

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1110864.Nehanda

Ama Ata Aidoo’s No Sweetness Here carefully considers changes in Ghanaian society which have come about since the end of colonialism. She examines changes in perceptions of beauty, new urbanity, the brain drain and other topics in a series of stories which are altogether moving. Changes and Our Sister Killjoy are also well-known favorites by this remarkable author and playwright. I invite you to indulge in each one of these evocative works.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/264594.No_Sweetness_Here_and_Other_Stories

As usual, I encourage your thoughts and comments. Please pass this post on to anyone you think may be interested.

Book Trailer - A Poet Speaks of Empire

As I began to think about a new book trailer, I realized that what I wanted was something simple yet powerful, much like the book’s cover. The project came together rather quickly and I think that I achieved my aims - you be the judge.

Click the play button below or cut and paste one of the following links into your internet browser to see the book trailer for my forthcoming book, A Poet Speaks of Empire. Enjoy!

                           http://animoto.com/play/9UL8vHmMOCsrC2uIjNS5LA#
                                                            or
                           http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VoumFKvl6A

The verse used in the book trailer is from the first poem of the book, aptly entitled, “A Poet Speaks of Empire.” It concerns a new era for the continent of Africa, for the rising bourgeoisie and the continent’s children. The poem is a rallying cry, a call to action for all segments of society - seize the new day bright with opportunity. The poem touches on the continent’s great past, more than a millennium of empire stretching from the Atlantic across the Sahara, notes the troubles faced in the post-colonial era, and imagines a grand future to come - an “ancient longing” comes “fresh on the heels of broken beginnings.” Click on each image to read the text which accompanies each photograph.

As for the photography featured in the background of the verse, each photograph captures a cathartic moment for the figure who is performing a West-African dance. The figure jumps, spins and reaches for a new destiny.

The background music in the book trailer is by Asa. The song is called “The Way I Feel.”  The singer-songwriter is Paris-born but Nigerian-raised. She is relatively new to the music scene, but she is very popular at home in Africa and abroad. She has opened for the likes of John Legend and Beyonce. Look out for more from this legend in the making!

I welcome your thoughts and comments! Please forward this to anyone you think may be interested.

Three Must-Read Articles on Africa's Economic Rise

Before writing A Poet Speaks of Empire, I did a great deal of reading on the new developments taking place in Africa. The book was a great excuse to continue learning about life on the continent. Here are three articles about Africa's economic rise that I found particularly insightful. Each one of these stories is evidence that things are changing quickly and that the idea that the continent is doomed carries less weight.This is the premise of A Poet Speaks of Empire. Please read these articles at your leisure.

“Africa next: With investment outpacing aid, is this a new golden age for the poorest continent?”

This is far and away the most comprehensive article I’ve read on Africa’s economic rise and the many changes that are taking place on the ground. It not only discusses the possibilities present on the continent, but teases out many of the dilemmas faced in this new era of fast-paced growth and relentless investment. If you only have a few minutes to devote to this reading, skip to the last page and read the information contained under the title, “By the numbers.” This section very succinctly breaks out the metrics of growth and development taking place in Africa. We learn that consumer spending will double by 2020 (evidence of a growing middle class); that Africa’s projected annual growth rate will be higher than Asia’s by 2020; the number of major wars has dropped to four (on a continent of 50+ nations and 700+ tribes/ethnic groups) from 20 from 1960 to 2000; and much more. The numbers are staggering and tell a very positive story about Africa’s future. Click here to read the article or copy and paste the link below in your internet browser.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/africa-next-as-investment-outpaces-aid-is-this-a-new-golden-age-for-the-poorest-continent/article4560978/

“Upwardly Mobile”

This article is case in point of the rapid change and development taking place in many nations across Africa. Kenya is home to the Silicon Savannah—Africa’s tech hub. IBM has offices in Nairobi. There are 74 cell phones for every 100 Kenyans. 99% of all internet subscriptions are on cell phones. There is a huge market for cell phone related games, applications and more. High-tech business is booming in Kenya. Click here for more on this story or copy and paste the link below in your internet browser.

http://www.economist.com/node/21560912

“Foresight Africa: Top Priorities in Africa in 2013.” 

In this report, the authors note that Africa is no longer viewed as the “doomed continent,” but rather is considered, quite positively, “emerging Africa.” With the continent now home to five of the world’s fastest growing economies, a rising middle class and an exceedingly more manageable place for doing business, questions emerge as to how to facilitate and maintain positive changes.  This report examines major policy issues which will need to be addressed from Africans’ perspective in the year to come. Issues examined include Africa’s burgeoning relationship with China (especially as it pertains to financial investment in African infrastructure, manufacturing and agriculture), the development of democratic institutions to moderate growth and development and presidential politics in Kenya. Click here to read the complete report or copy and paste the following link in your internet browser.

http://www.brookings.edu/research/reports/2013/01/foresight-africa-2013

Introducing, My New Book, A Poet Speaks of Empire...

Book cover on iPad screen

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope that you enjoyed your celebrations. I am still celebrating because this new year will bring a new book for me--one which will be released as early as the spring. The book cover is an ever-evolving project. I wanted to share an initial sample with you. I hope that you like it!

This is the book that I have waited to write. This is the first in a series of works about the great diversity and new hope born on a continent so well-known for war and corruption. For years, I have worked, traveled, read and extensively researched life on the continent of Africa--all in an effort to better understand the rise and fall of empire--the tides of history. 

Africa may be the poorest continent today, but the future whispers of profound change and considerable development.This book captures a moment in the history of Africa, on the precipice of a new era. For details on the new book, click on the image below to check out the front and back covers of the new book!

Full Book Cover

For all of you die-hard fans out there, you may recognize the photo on the front cover. It is a photo that accompanied the last poem in my first book, called "Genghis." I chose this photo because it seemed very appropriate for the subject matter in this, my fourth book. It is a simple but powerful image. The shapes created by the silhouette seem to beckon things to come. This photo was the center piece for a photography project I completed for a class at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). There are photos which accompany this center piece which are also included in the book.

The title of the book, A Poet Speaks of Empire, originates from the title of a poem by one of my favorite poets, Langston Hughes. Among his most recognized poems, "The Negro Speaks of Rivers," was a tremendous inspiration for my forthcoming book, even beyond the title. In the poem, Hughes merges the Old World with the New, imagining himself as a part of history, closely wedding the geography of Africa and America. Here's the poem:

I've known rivers:
I've known rivers ancient as the world and older than the
     flow of human blood in human veins.

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young.
I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep.
I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it.
I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln 
     went down to New Orleans, and I've seen its muddy 
     bosom turn all golden in the sunset.

I've known rivers:
Ancient, dusky rivers.

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

A Poet Speaks of Empire is a book that gently weds past with present, new with old. It is a book that plucks the tender nodes of the everyday and creates a splendid and complex impression of life on the continent. More to come...

You are receiving this weekly email because you have shown an interest in my books in the recent past. I want to keep you abreast of my new book as it develops.Stay tuned for details...! (Please forward this note on to others who may be interested.)