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bookshy

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I'm going to be honest, I didn't start off liking Tiny Sunbirds Far Away and it took me a while to get into it, but by the time I was done I actually ended up liking it. Christie Watson really did do her research, and although she isn't Nigerian, and I could tell while reading it that this wasn't someone who grew up in Nigeria, this was a book which tackled certain issues in Nigeria that some Nigerians themselves are not willing to talk about. 


12 year-old Blessing and her 14 year-old brother, Ezekiel leave their comfortable life in Lagos after their mother finds out about their fathers affair with another woman. They are forced to move to the village in Warri and live with their grandparents in the Niger-Delta region. Blessing initially doesn't like the move to Warri - the poverty, the dirt and she is confused about so many things. But as time goes on, she adapts to life in the village, she begins to love it and starts to see Warri, her grandparents and her new life in a positive light. The move to Warri doesn't only affect Blessing, it also affects her mother, Timi, and her brother, Ezekiel. Through her eyes we see not only the political issues that go on in the Niger-Delta region, the anger young men have towards the oil companies, and the continuation of a harmful traditional practice that has not yet stopped in certain parts of Nigeria, but also the conflict that goes on in a family that has obviously suffered from an adulterous father and having to shift from a privileged lifestyle to a not-so privileged one. 


In addition to Blessing, Ezekiel and Timi, there are also some interesting characters in the story - the grandfather, Alhaji, who thinks marmite can cure everything; the grandmother, a traditional birth attendant; and Celestine, Alhaji's second wife who loves Lycra. We get to know them all and none of them seem like secondary characters. To be honest, it is Timi who felt like a secondary character - she wasn't really around and we didn't really know much about her. Although I would have liked to learn more about Timi, I felt her not being present worked well with the story as she was a sort-of absent-mother and there were consequences to her absenteeism. 


I love that Christie Watson wrote a novel that went a little deeper into the Niger-Delta situation and looked at the impact it has on communities. I usually don't like giving too much away, but one of the parts of the book I thoroughly enjoyed was towards the end when Grandma and other women in the community are protesting against the oil company. It reminded me of the protests against Chevron Oil in 2002, when women organised peaceful sit-ins. Women have always used dance and music to ridicule unjust practices or nakedness to shame the government and I really liked that she included that in the story. As women have played important roles in protesting against the harmful practices of oil companies in the Niger-Delta region and the impact of oil on the community, the inclusion of that in the novel made me smile. Although I was extremely squeamish while reading it, I also like that she wrote on the harmful practices of female genital mutilation (FGM) that still happen in certain parts of Nigeria. 


It took me a while to get into it, but in the end I really did enjoy it and it turned out to be a surprisingly good debut novel. 


4 out of 5 stars.
10:20 3 Comments
Again I am late with my review of the Caine Prize 2012 shortlisted stories (sorry!). Once a week, a group of bloggers will be Blogging the Caine Prize. This week's story is Stanley Kenani's "Love on Trial". As always my criteria for reading these shortlisted stories are: if they beat the "stereotypical narrative" and if I enjoyed it.

I'm just going to come out and say it - "Love on Trial" could have been so much better. And I really wanted it to be. I was so excited when I found out one of the shortlisted stories was on homosexuality. Africa is an intensely homophobic continent and recently many African countries (notably Uganda, but even Nigeria) have gained media attention for their laws that make homosexuality illegal, and in some cases even punishable by death. So a quick summary.

Mr. Kachingwe stumbled upon two young men in a toilet in Malawi and this leads to his popularity soaring. A man who loves his alcohol (I am noticing a theme here - African men love their booze), buying him "tot" would enable people to hear "the juiciest parts" of the story. One of the boys Mr. Kachingwe catches is Charles Chikwanje (a law student and one of the villages own) and the story spreads to distant villages and neighbouring districts. One character in the story, Maxwell Kabaifa (an old drinking buddy of Mr. Kachingwe), tries to convince Mr. Kachingwe to stop telling the story as it would ruin Charles life, but Mr. Kachingwe was telling the truth and didn't care about the consequences of it. The story eventually gets to the police and Charles gets arrested for "unnatural offences" and "indecent practices between males". Being the source of the whole story, Mr. Kachingwe gets a lot of attention but the story also gains national and international coverage. Nationally there are a lot of discussions about Charles homosexuality and him needing deliverance and not allowing his satanic ways to taint their "God-fearing nation". Charles (as well as Mr. Kachingwe) are interviewed by the famous presenter, Khama Mitengo, with Charles defending himself eloquently. In the end, he is put on trial and sent to prison (I kinda saw that coming). The international community is outraged and aid is cut. Loss of aid affects the country - no medicine, no petrol, no salaries, inflation. The story ends as it begins, with Mr. Kachingwe. We find out that shortly before the trial he was tested for HIV - he tested positive, but due to the aid cuts he eventually runs out of his ARV drugs (the country that was supplying them cut them off). In Mr. Kachingwe's last days his friend, Maxwell Kabaifa, visits him and tells him a story about about a farmer, his wife and a mousetrap. The story was sort of an "I told you so".

So to go back to my criteria. It definitely wasn't stereotypical and while I applaud the fact that a story on homosexuality was shortlisted, the story was okay. I really wanted it to be great and there were bits I liked. Obviously I loved the fact it was a story focusing on homosexuality and the issues homosexuals in Africa face (as I really feel we need more stories on homosexuality in Africa). I also liked Charles family, but I do wish there was a bit more on them. His father loved and stood by him and even encouraged him to speak to the media with the hope that people might begin to accept him. I did actually like the bit on aid as it showed just how dependent some African nations are on aid and the simple but effective way in which Stanley Kenani wrote about the impact loss of aid had on not only the country but also individuals, like Mr. Kachnigwe and Charles (but that has more to do with the fact that I study development so I am just fascinated by it). In general, I felt like I was being told about Malawians view on homosexuality. The dialogue, especially when Charles was being interviewed by the famous presenter, Khama Mitengo, seemed more like an education on homosexuality and the views of homosexuals in Malawi. What it read like to me was homosexuality isn't a western concept, you are either born gay or straight, and it isn't unnatural. As with the debate on homosexuality, religion and the Bible were also present. 

I strongly believe that there needs to be more African fiction focusing on homosexuality (in a positive light). I have showcased some LGBT African literature on this blog and stories like "Love on Trial" are essential. I see the shortlisting of this story in a very positive light. Unfortunately, if I have to compare it to the other shortlisted stories I've read, I didn't enjoy it as much as I did the other two. 'Bombay's Republic' is still number one for me, with 'Urban Zoning' at number two. I still have 2 stories to go so we'll see.

For other reviews on Love on Trial: Method to the Madness, Stephen Derwent Partington, Backlash Scott, Cashed In, aaahfooey, City of Lions, Loomney, The Reading Life.
20:46 No Comments
I stumbled on the Golden Baobab Prize a while ago but it's something I just felt I had to showcase. The Golden Baobab Prize is an annual literary award created for the sole purpose of producing more African literature for children and young adults - pretty cool. I have to say I absolutely love the fact that there are incentives in place to encourage the writing and production of books for younger people. Now in its fourth year, its mission is to discover the next generation of African literary giants, produce classic stories that will stand the test of time and inspire the creation of African stories that children and young adults the world over will love. The prize invites African citizens to submit unpublished stories about Africa to three categories: ages 8-11, ages 12-15, and the Rising Writer Prize for a young author under-18. This year submission deadlines is June 24 and winners will be announced the first week of November. 


More on the Golden Baobab Prize here and for a list of past winners here. 



11:16 1 Comments
Thank you logo-ligi for nominating me for the Sunshine Award :). I can't lie, it put a smile on my face to know that a blogger out there found me to be a fabulous blogger - feels kinda awesome. So thank you very much. I am genuinely touched. 


The rules for accepting the award are pretty easy and straightforward (that I like): Include the Award logo in a post or somewhere on your blog; answer 10 questions about yourself; nominate 10 to 12 other fabulous bloggers; link your nominees to the post and comment on their blog letting them know about the award; share the love and link the person who nominated you.


10 Questions


1. Favourite childhood memory: Barbecue's at my aunts with the entire family (good food, good music, and fun times).
2. Real fear I have: Not achieving my goals.
3. Describe myself: Afro-geek-chic (if that's even a word).
4. States I have lived in: Lagos and London.
5. My style: Simple. 
6. Favourite breakfast: Oats with cinnamon and nutmeg or a strawberry and banana smoothie.
7. Hobbies: Photography, music and travelling.  
8. The most important thing I'd tell people: Life's too short to be miserable and not do what it is you really want.
9. One of my passions: This (bookshy).
10. The one truth I have learned: I'm still learning.


And for my 10 fabulous nominees (in no particular order, and they aren't all book bloggers)


Book Bloggers
Accra books and things
AmyReads
Black Book News
KinnaReads
logo-ligi
Reading Has Purpose
The African Literature Post

Non-book bloggers
A Fulani Nigerian in London
Natural Nigeria
VieveButterfly
09:22 2 Comments
http://www.flickr.com/photos/yanivg/371258910/
Once in a while, I get these urges to confess things because sometimes I feel I am not a particularly good book lover. So here it goes ... I do not read introductions to books. 


There are a few books, especially the classics, which have introductions to them. I used to read them - back when I wanted to enjoy every single aspect of the reading experience. Until I found out they gave away too much detail. So I stopped. Obviously the introduction is important if you've read the book, as it gives you more clarity and a different perspective, but if you haven't it just spoils things. I'm one of those people who likes to be surprised. I stopped watching movie previews because they gave away too much and ended up spoling the movie experience for me. 


Am I the only one out there who shys away from the introduction because of the fear that the entire book experience will be ruined? Or am I a minority? If you do read introductions, I would love to know why. If you don't, I'd also love to know as well. Maybe I can be convinced to overcome my fear and start reading them again. And since I am confessing, I rarely go back to the introduction after I've finished reading. I know, terrible!
08:23 6 Comments
Since I was already writing on the Caine Prize 2012 shortlist, after reviewing Bombay's Republic I decided to take part in Blogging the Caine Prize. Once a week, a group of bloggers will be blogging about the Caine Prize. This week's story is Billy Kahora's Urban Zoning. I'm a bit late with my review  (short stories are meant to be up by Friday) but here it goes. As always my criteria for reading these shortlisted stories are two-fold: if they beat the "stereotypical narrative" and if I enjoyed it.

Urban Zoning  is set in Nairobi and is about a young drunk Kenyan man. Yes, this short story centres around an aloholic. It starts with Kandle realising 'he was truly in the Zone'. So the Zone 'was the calm, breathless place he found himself in after drinking for a minimum of three days straight'. Like I said, it's a story about an alcoholic. But Kandle isn't your typical alcoholic. He is a young, working class man in Nairobi, Kenya - who "was not only a master at achieving the Zone, [but] excellent at hiding it. Kandle only liked to stay in the "'Good Zone', where one was allowed all the wishful thinking in one’s miserable life' and not the 'Bad Zone' - the place of all fears, worries, hatreds, and anxieties.

This story isn't only about Kandle being, and staying, in the Zone. Through his walk down Tom Mboya Street, we also learn a bit more about Kandle - he was a philosopher of the Kenyan calender, he had tried to convert his friends to the pleasures of the Zone, he was the fastest Rugby player in high school but hated physical contact, he also got his maid pregnant, and he currently works at Eagle Bank, which he was on the way to after his 72-hour drinking binge. Once at the bank, we find out that Kandle previously took a loan from his company and he has now been called to justify his absence from the bank. By the end of the story, Kandle has managed to outwit his employers and him and a colleague "both laughed from deep within their bellies, that laughter of Kenyan men that comes from a special knowledge. The laughter was a language in itself, used to climb from a national quiet desperation". 

If I'm honest, I'm not sure how I felt about the story. In terms of my "stereotypical narrative" criteria, it definitely wasn't. This wasn't a story about a poor, young man living in Nairobi. It was just a young man who worked at a bank, and drank way too much. Did I enjoy it? Honestly, not as much as Bombay's Republic, but it was interesting. What I took out of it was a young man using alcohol to cope with life in general (he replaced sex with alcohol). In this situation it was used to deal with the meeting at the Bank with his employers. On another level, I also saw a young man doing whatever he could (in this case outwitting his employers from a loan he previously took from the bank) to survive in a modern day African city. I prefered it more when Kandle was on the street getting in the Zone and I can't help but feel that someone from Kenya, or more specifically Nairobi, would know more about some of the things in the story than me. So far Bombay's Republic is still my favourite, but I still have three more stories to go. So we'll see. 

For other reviews on Urban Zoning: The Reading Life, Black Balloon Publishing, Stephen Derwent Partington, Loomnie, City of Lions, and Backlash Scott.
20:52 3 Comments
Along with the London Literature Festival in July, there are two other festivals I would absolutely love to attend this September. 


The first is the Open Book Festival in Cape Town. The Open Book is an annual literary festival featuring the best in international and South African writing. This is its second year running - the first was last September. Some of the authors that will be there this year include Esi Edugyan, Lola Shoneyin, Nadine Gordimer and Noo Saro-Wiwa. It's happening 20-24 September and you can find out more details here.


The other is the Storymoja Hay Festival in Nairobi. The Festival, a collaboration between Kenyan publishers Storymoja and Hay Festival, celebrates stories, writing and contemporary culture. It looks like this year might include authors like Aminatta Forna and Maaza Meginste. It's happening 14-16 September and you can find out more here.





08:33 No Comments
The Book of Chameleons made me smile. There was just something about the way it was written that really made me smile. It's a surprisingly quick read, and a short(ish) novel (I wonder, could it be considered a novella?). 


The all-seeing narrator of The Book of Chameleons, Eulalio, lives in the mansion of Felix Ventura, an albino man living in Luanda, Angola. Felix's job is to create new lives for people by fabricating their past - creating a newer and better false histories for them. He doesn't just do this for anyone but for those with money - "businessmen, ministers, landowners, diamond smugglers, generals".


Eulalio observes everything that goes on in the house, but also has his own past and dreams, which we get to read. Felix goes about his life, forging pasts and enjoying sunsets with his friend Eulalio until three people come into his life - a photojournalist who is desperate not only for a new past, but  a completely different identity, a secret agent, who pretends to be crazy and lives underground, and a beautiful female photographer. With the entry of these three people in Felix's life we find out that there is no such thing as coincidence and no matter how much you try (or should I say how much you pay) to change your past, sometimes you just can't. 


The Book of Chameleons was a book about identities and memories, truth and lies, past and future. It was a thoroughly enjoyable read. Now I can officially say I've read a book from Lusophone Africa. 


4.5 out of 5 stars.
16:36 4 Comments
I can't speak pidgin (shocking I know!) and my attempts at it are hilarious. I can understand it (as long as it's not the hardcore one that sounds like a foreign language to me). When I say pidgin, I am referring to West African pidgin English, mainly spoken in Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria and Sierra Leone (not French-based pidgin, think that's creole?). I know that in Nigeia, pidgin used to be seen as solely reserved for those with little or no formal education. If you spoke pidgin, you obviously couldn't speak "proper" English. Nowadays things have changed - everyone speaks it.  Even though I can't speak pidgin I don't have a problem with books written in pidgin - it is a popular mode of communication amongst people in Nigeria (as usual I can only speak for Nigeria) so why shouldn't it be part of African literature? That's how I feel, but I would love to know what people think about the use of pidgin in African literature? Below are a few of the books I know written in pidgin. Though I haven't read them yet, I know A Man of the People by Chinua Achebe and The Trials of Brother Jero and Death and the King's Horseman by Wole Soyinka contain pidgin. I would love to know if there are more out there? 



                          

10:11 4 Comments
I go through phases where I am obsessed with authors. I want to have, and read, every single  one of their books. Right now, I am currently obsessed with ... Alain Mabanckou. 


Born in Congo, Alain Mabanckou is the author of quite a long list of titles, but only a few have been translated into English. I've been wanting to read his novels for the longest time, but so far only 4 of his works have been translated into English - African Psycho in 2007, Broken Glass in 2009, Memoirs of a Porcupine in 2011, and Black Bazar (this year, I think!). It also seems like Blue White Red (Bleu-Blanc-Rouge, his first novel) and Tomorrow I Will be 20 Years Old (Demain J'Aurais Vingt Ans), will also be translated next year. Can't wait to get my hands on them. And dear publishers, please can we get some more of his works translated into English. Thank you!

 

08:30 2 Comments
This looks amazing and I just had to share. Africa Utopia is a month long-festival of music, theatre, film, literature, talks and debates held at the Southbank Centre in London. It explores where the continent can lead the world. The scheduled literary events, which also form part of the London Literature Festival (UKs most dynamic literary festival), all sound so interesting. There's African Writer's Evening with Jose Eduardo Agualusa (Angola) and Dinaw Mengesty (Ethiopia) exploring the limitations of borders in the imaginative landscape of the African writer; Nigeria Now with Noo Saro-Wiwa and Chika Unigwe exploring the complexities of Nigeria; Nurrudin Farah (Somalia) discussed his new novel Crossbones and the politics of Somalia; and there's an Africa Sci-Fi Screening, which explores the subject of Sci-Fi in African writing, visual art and film. Both events look amazing. 


Africa Utopia runs from 3-28 July, while the London Literature Festival runs from 3-12 July. More details on Africa Utopia here and the London Literature Festival here.
11:30 No Comments
I decided to review the shortlisted 2012 Caine Prize stories and my first short story is Bombay's Republic by Rotimi Babatunde. I didn't choose to read it first because the writer is Nigerian (although it did help). My criteria for reading these shortlisted stories are two-fold: if they beat the "stereotypical narrative" and if I enjoyed it.

I first learned about the Burma Boys towards the end of last year when I watched Barnaby Phillips documentary on the Burma Boys with my sister at the Life House in Lagos. After the event, she bought a copy of Biyi Bandele's Burma Boy, which I enjoyed. And like I always do when I find something I enjoy, I try and find out as much as possible as I can on it. So obviously I was excited to find out there was a short story about a Burma Boy - even more because it seems that these West African (mostly Nigerian) men who fought in WWII were almost forgotten.  

Bombay's Republic begins "with the return of Colour Sergeant Bombay, the veteran who went off with the recruitment officers to Hitler's War as a man and came back a spotted leopard". He now occupies the old jailhouse on the hilltop, but first, we learn his story - him enlisting, his training and his time at the war. 

Before the war, Colour Sergeant Bombay believed everything had its place - "a man was still a man and a leopard a leopard, while the old jailhouse was a forsaken place .... [a] white man was the District Officer ... and a black man was the Native Police constable who saluted as the white man passed". Everything changed when he went to war.

While he found the clarity and order in military life satisfactory, there were "things he never knew were possible" - like people thinking he had a tail, that Africans eat people, and that black people could rise from the dead. As the war went on he took delight in knowing that some things were "also possible" - like "one of his imperial masters degenerating into a state so wretched", and being "praised for killing a white man". After the war ended, he like the other soldiers, went home. Unlike the other soldiers, Bombay didn't care about forgetting, as the war and his time in the jungle unlocked something - a new world of possibilities. That was what he was taking home with him. 

Colour Sergeant Bombay returned a decorated war hero, but armed with his new found knowledge, what he ended up becoming was not what anyone expected. We find out how he became a spotted leopard, why he inhabits the old jailhouse, why his name is Bombay and even why the story is titled Bombay's Republic, but I won't give that away. You'll just have to read it for yourself. Instead I go back to my two criteria - does it steer away from the "stereotypical narrative" and did I enjoy it?

To answer the first question, I have to say that I genuinely do not have an issue with "The Tragic Continent" narrative. Why? Because war-torn, starving, corrupt Africa exists. What I do have a problem with is that being the only narrative people think exist (or like to focus on). Maybe I do not have an issue with it because I know "the tragic continent" narrative is only one part of the "African story". Yes, we have bad, but we also have good. I have always been aware of the many faces of Africa. Stories that reflect it all do exist, I just don't necessarily think they are all mainstream. Bernardine Evaristo asked: "What about crime fiction, science fiction, fantasy, horror, more history, chick lit?" I have showcased some of these genres here, which is why I know the diversity of the "African story". 

If the criteria was to break away from war-torn, starving, corrupt Africa, then Bombay's Republic did because that was not the focus of the story. To me this was the story of a man who went to a war, which turned his world upside down and taught him things he might never have learned. It's interesting that Bombay never really focused on the war (as bad as it was) but on the possibilities it unlocked for him. Additionally, not that much has been written on the Burma Boys (or not that I know of) so it's nice to read a short story on it. Then again, I might be slightly biased because I genuinely want to read stories about the Burma Boys. 

Did I enjoy it? I actually did. I have admitted that the one thing I do not like about short stories is their ability to yank a character away from me once I get to know them. I didn't feel that way with Bombay's Republic. I got to know Colour Sergeant Bombay. I enjoyed the ways in which the racist views of African soldiers were explored. I chuckled at the ridiculous things people thought Africans could do and at Bombay's shock at them thinking he would do things like that. I also enjoyed reading about Bombay's life after the war, particularly him occupying the old jailhouse on the hilltop and what follows after that. I know, longer than usual but all in all an enjoyable read (which is what I always look for). 

*Sidenote: While writing this review I found out about Blogging the Caine Prize, 2012 hosted by zunguzungu, where a group of bloggers will read and blog about the shortlisted stories. 

Update: Some other blog posts on Bombay's Republic - Mel U, Method to the Madness, Zunguzungu, Backlash Scott, Stephen Derwent Partington, The Oncoming Hope.
10:48 3 Comments
I've decided to try something different - especially for me as while I have reviewed short story anthologies, I have never done an individual short story. So this will be a challenge for me. But after reading this article on the Caine Prize shortlist, I was curious to know just how diverse and far from the "stereotypical narratives" of African fiction, this years shortlist is. On the Caine Prize blog, novelist Bernardine Evaristo, chair of this year's judging panel, said:
"I'm looking for stories about Africa that enlarge our concept of the continent beyond the familiar images that dominate the media War-torn Africa, Starving Africa, Corrupt Africa - in short: The Tragic Continent. I've been banging on about this for years because while we are all aware of these negative realities, and some African writers have written great novels along these lines (as was necessary, crucial), isn't it time now to move on? Or rather, for other kinds of African novels to be internationally celebrated. What other aspects of this most heterogeneous of continents are being explored through the imaginations of writers?"
I'm not here to criticise the Caine Prize, there is enough of that going around and you can read  here and here. I am just here as as a reader - to see if I like the stories and if they diverge from the "stereotypical narratives". So here I go, my first attempt at reviewing short stories individually (and I pick the Caine Prize shortlist). I'm not sure which story I'll read first, but for a reminder of the shortlist and links to the stories, check here. 
18:34 No Comments
A while back I mentioned that Half of a Yellow Sun and Zoo City would be made into films. Well it seems Mukoma Wa Ngugi's Nairobi Heat is going to be made into a movie as well. I haven't had the chance to read Nairobi Heat, but I've heard some great things about it. I'm not too sure when it will be released but here's a synopsis of Nairobi Heat:


In Madison, Wisconsin, it’s a big deal when African peace activist Joshua Hakizimana—who saved hundreds of people from the Rwandan genocide—accepts a position at the university to teach about “genocide and testimony”. Then a young woman is found murdered on his doorstep.

Local police Detective Ishmael—an African-American in an “extremely white” town—suspects the crime is racially motivated; the Ku Klux Klan still holds rallies there, after all. But then he gets a mysterious phone call: “If you want the truth, you must go to its source. The truth is in the past. Come to Nairobi”.

It’s the beginning of a journey that will take him to a place still vibrating from the genocide that happened around its borders, where violence is a part of everyday life, where big-oil money rules and where the local cops shoot first and ask questions later-a place, in short, where knowing the truth about history can get you killed
.


You can watch Mukoma Wa Ngugi talk about writing, life and the movie here.
16:49 No Comments
I found out about Canadian-based Nigerian author, Yejide Kilanko, while reading the Naija Stories Anthology. I am always in search of new authors and books so I looked her up and found out about her debut novel, Daughters Who Walk this Path. Here is the synopsis:


Spirited, intelligent Morayo grows up surrounded by school friends and a busy family in modern-day Ibadan, Nigeria. An adoring little sister, her traditional parents, and a host of aunties and cousins make Morayo’s home their own. So there’s nothing unusual about Morayo’s charming but troubled cousin, Bros T, moving in with the family. At first Morayo and her sister are delighted, but in her innocence, nothing prepares Morayo for the shameful secret Bros T forces upon her.

Thrust into a web of oppressive silence woven by the adults around her, Morayo must learn to fiercely protect herself and her sister; a legacy of silence many women in Morayo's family share. Only Aunty Morenike-once protected by her own mother-provides Morayo with a safe home, and a sense of female community which sustains Morayo as she grow into a young woman in bustling, politically charged, often violent Nigeria.



It was released in April and published by Penguin Canada, so no idea if it's available outside of North America right now, but looks like a pretty interesting debut.
09:26 3 Comments
In keeping with the short story theme today, the Caine Prize just announced the 2012 shortlist. The new Vice President, Ben Okri, announced it today. The winner of the £10,000 prize will be announced at a celebratory dinner at the Bodleian Library, Oxford, on Monday 2 July. Congratulations to all the nominees:

  • Rotimi Babatunde (Nigeria) 'Bombay's Republic' from Mirabilia Review Vol. 3.9 (Lagos, 2011)
  • Billy Kahora (Kenya) 'Urban Zoning' from McSweeney's Vol. 37 (San Francisco, 2011)
  • Stanley Kenani (Malawi) 'Love on Trial' from For Honour and Other Stories published by eKhaya/Random House Struik (Cape Town, 2011)
  • Melissa Tandiwe Myambo (Zimbabwe) 'La Salle de Depart' from Prick of the Spindle Vol. 4.2 (New Orleans, June 2010)
  • Constance Myburgh (South Africa) 'Hunter Emmanuel' from Jungle Jim Issue 6 (Cape Town, 2011)
More on the Caine Prize 2012 shortlist here.

Oh and please check out Jungle Jim's website. It's a bi-monthly African pulp fiction magazine. I have been all over it today. Check them out here.


13:07 No Comments
When I was asked to review Naija Stories by the editor, Myne Whitman, I wasn't sure what to expect. I'm sure I've admitted it here a few times, I am not the biggest fan of short stories. Mainly because I am just getting to know the characters and then they are yanked away from me. I have also admitted that I am trying to read more short stories and be more open-minded. 


Naijastories.com is an on-line community, which aims to promote aspiring Nigerian writers and produce stories with a Nigerian perspective. Naija Stories: Of Tears and Kisses, Heroes and Villains is Volume 1 of the ‘Best of NaijaStories’ series. The 30 stories in this anthology are divided into 4 sections: 'Tears', 'Kisses', 'Heroes' and 'Villains', and were all originally published on the Naijastories website between March 2010 and March 2011.


Can I just say that I was pleasantly surprised by Naija Stories and if I am honest what sealed the deal for me was the introduction. There was something about the way it was written that appealed to me. And when I read "Most of us have only seen zebras in the zoo", I smiled as I felt like I was going to read the Nigeria that I know (the first time I ever saw a zebra was at Chessington Zoo in the UK). After reading the introduction, I was eager to find out what this anthology had to offer and I wasn't let down. I was drawn to some stories more than others and those are the stories I want to focus on - the ones that really stood out for me:


The Catalyst by Meena Adekoya was a haunting story written from the point-of-view of an unborn child. One Sunday Morning in Atlanta by Uko Bendi Udo was one of my favourite stories. Okon is spending one Sunday Morning in Atlanta with his devout Christian mother who is visiting from Nigeria. Mother of Darkness by Rayo Abe was fun because it reminded me of all the stories I used to here from cousins or friends who went to boarding school about ghosts and Madame koikoi. It is a tale of a woman remembering her youthful antics with her three friends as they tried to conjure up a powerful witch. Showdown at Rowe Park by Babtunde Olaifa is a simple story about a boy in primary school having to defend himself after unexpectedly being made the class captain. Visiting Admiral Bull by Adiba Obubo explores the issues going on in Niger-Delta, as a woman from the diaspora returns to interview her uncle, Admiral Bull. Blame it on a Yellow Dress by Uche Okonkwo, a tale of incest, was probably the stand-out story for me. Other stories I enjoyed were Its Not that Easy by Lawal Opeyemi Isaac, Two Straws in A Bottle by Remi Roy Oyeyemi, and How I Kissed Hadiza by Seyi Osinowo. 


This was an enjoyable read - I was finally able to read it last night and ended up finishing it this morning. While I enjoyed some short stories more than others, I absolutely love that Naija Stories showcased new and emerging writers. As a reader, I love that I was able to experience writing that I may have never experienced if this didn't exist. I also enjoyed the blurbs on the authors at the start of each story (I even went on to further explore some of these writers after I finished reading). It was also nice reading stories from different parts of Nigeria and the diaspora. If Naija Stories aim was to reflect the diversity of Nigeria and the Nigerian experience, I feel it was able to do that. For more on the anthology check here.


4 out of 5 stars.


A little side note: I tried to play it cool when I was contacted by Myne Whitman to review this book, but inside I did a little happy dance (actually it was more than a little). I am still finding my feet in this world of books so to be asked to actually do a review is such a pleasure. So thank you!!
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Founded in 2011, bookshy represents two things: the young me who was so shy I escaped through books, and the older me whose shelf is always one book shy of being full.

bookshy is a space where I celebrate, promote and recognise contemporary African literature - although sometimes I go back in time to commemorate the greats. It is about the books I love, the books I have read and the books that I am dying to read.

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