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Bobo Omotayo, author of London Life, Lagos Living has a new book coming out February 2013. Thanks to my friend in Lagos for letting me know about this future release. Here's the synopsis and you can find out more here:

H.o.n.o.u.r.a.b.l.e. is a satire following the organisation of a real-life political campaign. The story follows the trials of the campaign management team behind the slogan ‘Oke Mosan Straight’, the machinery tasked to organise the lead character’s election into the Ogun State House of Assembly. The team has to overcome the challenge of having an inexperienced candidate, as well as inevitable logistical difficulties, smear campaigns and troublesome financiers. The main character is Segun Olatunji, a first-time aspirant, generally efficient but often succumbing to the need to win over his electorate by padding pockets and doing the bidding of the vicious executive committee members of his party, The Alliance Longevity Democratic Party (ALDP). A running thread in this story is the hint that his membership to ALDP is not as authentic as it seems. It is also clear that the candidate is heavily inspired by the Obama '08 campaign, although this remains unspoken.

Meanwhile, Action Mommy is the character’s excitable but ultimately calculating mother – not your average pushy mother but pushy nevertheless. The entire strength of the campaign rests on her past political career. She imagines her son’s success as her ‘compensation’ for several failed attempts to win elections on her own steam.

Then there is the campaign team: a ragtag bunch who gives the impression that they know all about Ijebu Ode politics and its complex power hierarchies but evidently do not.



17:59 No Comments
"I once knew Algeria by heart. I had it from a direct source, temporarily located in France but honest, voluble and passionate."

I was intrigued by To Algeria, with Love when I was contacted by the author Suzanne Ruta a few months ago. I hadn't heard about this novel prior to her contacting me, but as I was also interested in learning more about North African literature, I thought it'd be interesting to read a story with some focus on Algeria. Also not being Algerian and not knowing much about it, I felt I could read this novel without prejudice or bias, as I too, like the main character in the novel, would be learning about Algeria as an outsider. On receiving the book, and a personalised note from Suzanne Ruta (thank you), I was anxious to learn what this novel had to offer. Sadly, it took me longer than I had hoped to start reading it. Thankfully, I was finally able to read it (my extremely long daily commute has been excellent for my reading). So where do I begin with To Algeria, with Love?

Louise, a Jewish-American women in her 60s, is introduced to an exiled Algerian writer visiting New York. Here is where she tells her tale of love and loss. In 1961, she won a Fulbright scholarship to study in France. There she met Ahmed Ouali, nicknamed Wally, an older married Algerian factory worker who lived and worked in France to support his wife and 3 kids back home. Louise fell madly and deeply in love with Wally and through him learned a lot about France (the proper way to drink red wine and speak in French slang), Algeria (The Algerian war of Independence and some Algerian history, such as French colonial schools which was closed to most Arabs), and even the connections between both countries (Edith Piaf's grandmother was Algerian). There was only so long their love affair could last. Algeria was close to gaining Independence and Wally eventually had to return home to be with his family. His return meant a great loss for Louise, but she also made a decision which has haunted her ever since. 

To Algeria, with Love felt real. It felt like there was a woman in her 60s right now in New York looking back at her life and the choices she made. Her story spans several decades, and in that time Louise visited/lived in many countries (France, Switzerland, England to name a few), and I could visualise it all - her in her relatives home in the UK, Wally's home in France, the interesting dialogue she had with Wally. As this was Louise's story, you never really here from Wally, other than through her version of him - and I couldn't help but wonder if her time with him may have been over-romanticised. 

I went into the book wanting to know how Louise, as a non-Algerian would view the country, its people and its history, but in the end, it was always going to be about Wally, the times they spent together, and the love she had for him. While I did learn more about Algeria  - for instance, the Algerian War of Independence, as well as the 1988 October Riots -  in the end it wasn't really Algeria but the "Republic of Wally" that was at the centre of this novel. This is what made To Algeria, with Love be the deeply moving tale that it was. It showcased Algeria through Louise eyes, but you also felt intertwined with Louise - her love for Wally and her eventual loss. You can imagine a woman torn with grief for decades over the decisions she made, and you feel this through the pages. 

3.5 out of 5
10:36 No Comments
Two new books to look out for in 2013 - Taiye Selasi's Ghana Must Go and A. Igoni Barrett's Love Is Power, or Something Like That. Enjoy!

In 2005 LIP Magazine published Bye-Bye Barbar, Taiye Selasi's essay on Afropolitans (a new generation of Africans), and her story The Sex Lives of African Girls was published in Granta. Ghana Must Go is her debut novel published by Viking and set to be released March 2013.

Ghana Must Go is the story of the Sai family. The death of Kwaku Sai brings together the family he abandoned years before. The family gathers in Ghana, at their mother, Fola's new home. The eldest son and his new wife, the twins, and their baby sister all come together for the first time in years, each carrying secrets of their own. What is revealed in their coming together is the story of how  they came apart. Ghana Must Go shares the truths hidden, lies told and crimes committed in the name of love. It is at once a portrait of family and an exploration of the importance of where we come from and our obligations to one another. In one sweeping narrative that  takes us from West Africa to New England to London, Ghana Must Go teaches that the stories we share with one another can build a new future.  Synopsis from Penguin.com.


US Cover 
A. Igoni Barrett, author of From Caves of Rotten Teeth, new collection of short stories will be released May 2013 in the US and June 2013 in the UK. 


UK Cover
In Love is Power or Something Like That when it comes to love, things are not always what they seem. In contemporary Lagos, a young boy may pose as a woman online, and a maid may be suspected of sleeping with her employer and yet still become a young wife's confidant. Men and women can be objects of fantasy, the subject of beery soliloquies. They can be trophies or status symbols. Or they can be overwhelming in their need. 

In these wide-ranging stories, A. Igoni Barett roams the streets with people from all stations of life. A man with acute halitosis navigates the chaos of the Lagos bus system. A minor policeman, full of the authority and corruption of his uniform, beats his wife. A family's fortunes fall from love and wealth to infidelity and poverty, as poor choices unfurl over three generations. With humour and tenderness, Barett introduces us to an utterly modern Nigeria, where desire is a means to an end, and love is a power as real as money. Synopsis from Graywolf Press. 
12:38 No Comments
I was so excited when I first heard about the Afro SF anthology, which has been described by Ivor Hartmann as " ... the first ever anthology Science Fiction by African writers". I remember the first fantasy novel I read (Hobbit). I discovered Sci-Fi much later as a teenager with Ender's Game, 20000 Leagues Under the Sea, and Journey to the Centre of the Earth. I always loved Fantasy and Sci-Fi for the worlds and characters it created and the endless possibilities - alternate universes, different technologies, fantastic voyages. So when I was contacted by Nick Wood, one of the contributing authors to the edited volume, and asked if I would be interested in reading and reviewing a copy, I tried to play it cool, but the truth is, I was extremely excited to read this Sci-Fi anthology by African writers.

In the introduction to the anthology  the editor, Ivor Hartmann writes:

"If one looks at the last 50 years of publishing in terms of SciFi and African writers, some real gems have never been collected in one volume ... but the vision I had for Afro SF needed to include the forward thinking spirit embodied so well in SciFi as a genre  .... SciFi is highly underdeveloped in African literature as a whole ... [it] is the only genre that enables African writers to envision a future from our African perspective".

Science Fiction is a growing genre on the African continent, but it's also not new, take a look for instance at Nick Wood's overview of South African written science or speculative fiction. What Ivor Hartmann has done in Afro SF is bring together a collection of new and original stories and provide a different perspective to this genre. A few months ago, I listened to "Is Science Fiction Coming to Africa?", a radio documentary on BBC World Service. Well, with this introduction Ivor Hartmann shows us just how present Science Fiction is in Africa and sets the pace going for the rest of the anthology.

While South African and Nigerian authors dominate (there are also authors from the Gambia, Kenya, Zimbabwe and the diaspora) Afro SF contains 22 short stories*, which just kept on getting better and better with each story I read. As I read, I kept on thinking how well-written the stories were, but also how well-edited the volume was. I couldn't pick a favourite as this anthology had it all, and I loved it all. In Home Affairs by Sarah Lotz robots have replaced corrupt bureaucratic Africans; in Five Sets of Hands by Cristy Zinn an enslaved race lives on Mars; in Heresy by Mandisi Nkomo there's speculation that the South African government destroyed the spiritual realm; in Masquerade Stories by Chiagozi Fred Nwonwu aliens have been visiting earth for centuries, we just mistook them for something else; in The Trial by Joan De La Haye as the world reached the nine billion mark, the courts have been tasked with deciding which members of the society should live, and which ones should die; and in Brandy City by Mia Arderne brandy is the local currency for certain members of society. Yes, there's time travel, but there's also ancestral spirits, technologial advancements coinciding with a world where old cultures still dominate, a teleporter, intergalactic wars, aliens on earth mating with humans, humans in space mating with aliens, and intergalactic poachers. I'm not sure I'm conveying just how much fun it was reading Afro SF, but I really enjoyed each and every story I read.

It's a whopping 400 pages, but don't be put off - it's worth it. As a fan of Sci-Fi, as I turned each page and read more I couldn't help but smile and feel proud that this wonderful collection of Science Fiction stories was written by African writers. This really is a welcome addition to the genre. So if you're a fan of Science Fiction this anthology is a must-read, and if you're interested in exploring more Science Fiction from an African perspective this is definitely worth the read. 

All that's left is for me to say a big thank you to Ivor Hartmann for editing this wonderful anthology and to the authors that contributed to this anthology for keeping me entertained for many hours.

The ebook edition of AfroSF will be released December 2012, with a print edition to follow in 2013. You can find out more about Afro SF here.

*I found out later that Tendai Huchu will also be contributing to the anthology, whose story unfortunately wasn't in the version I received.

4.5 out of 5 stars.
14:17 9 Comments

Themba: A Boy Called Hope was written by Lutz van Dijk, a German-Dutch author who has been living in South Africa since 2001 and translated into English by Karin Chubb. When I was first contacted by Aurora Metro Books, the publishers of Themba, to review it I have to say I wasn't quite sure what to expect. The synopsis states: "Growing up in rural South Africa, Themba dreams of becoming a football player", and I'm not the biggest fan of football. So I wasn't sure if I'd be able to survive reading a book about football. The verdict: I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. And I would like to thank Aurora Metro Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this novel.

At the beginning of the story, Themba has realised his dream of becoming a football player. How did this boy from rural South Africa, end up playing for Bafana Bafana? Well, Themba tells us his story. He may live in poverty with his mother and younger sister, Nomtha, but the three of them are able to survive with the little they have.  That is until their mother loses her job and is forced to migrate to the city for work. She ends up leaving her children behind in the care of her new boyfriend, Uncle Luthando. As their home life is no longer ideal, and their mother has also stopped sending them letters, Themba and his younger sister venture to the city to look for her. There Themba is faced with both hope and despair, and with time a secret that could affect his dream. 

While football is the backdrop to Themba's story - it is his dream after all - there is more to this story and his journey than just football.  It's also about hope and triumph in the face of adversity. Football is his way to escape from his surroundings - poverty and unemployment - but another theme that runs throughout the book was HIV/AIDS. For me it was less about the issue of getting HIV/AIDS and more of the silence, secrecy and shame surrounding it. Quite a few characters in the novels were either rejected, ostracised, or isolated because they had AIDS. People were ashamed to let anyone know they had HIV/AIDS and would much rather hide in shame and die than get the treatment that is necessary to ensure a longer life. It goes to show that as much as awareness raising is important, there is also a need to address the stigma associated with it. So more than football, Themba is also about gaining an understanding of living with HIV/AIDs, not only for those who live with it everyday, but also from  their family, friends, community, and society.

In the Afterword van Dijk writes: 

 "... in spite of general information and in spite of even the highest politicians publicly wearing AIDS ribbons, this illness is still largely denied and ignored by many of those directly affected ... [w]e are still a long way from recognising and respecting people affected by HIV and AIDS, not only in South Africa, often also in other parts of the world. We need many more examples of courageous action and engagement in everyday living before there will be a real change". 
Themba was simultaneously beautiful and sad. It was filled as much with despair as it as with hope.  And while I was initially put off by the theme of football, I really shouldn't have been because it turned out that I really enjoyed it. While reading the book I found out that in 2010, Themba the movie was released, and it's definitely something I wouldn't mind watching. Here's the trailer:



  3.75 out of 5.
14:10 No Comments
Translated from French (Ma Vie a un Prix) by Jolie Jodter, My Life Has a Price is one of the books I got at the London African Book Festival and is Tina Okpara's memoir. Written in conjunction with journalist Cyril Guinet, the memoir covers her life in Nigeria as a young girl, to her being adopted at 12 by the Okpara family (Godwin Okpara was a former football player for the Nigerian Super Eagles as well as many European teams, including the French team Paris Saint-Germain), her initial life in France, her next 5 years in France being abused physically, psychologically and sexually by her adoptive parents, her eventual freedom from the Okpara's, and her life after escaping.

While on one hand this is a story of exploitation, this is also a story of hope, and the strength of a young woman. I am choosing not too say too much about this memoir, not because I do not have much to say, but because it is hard for me to do so without giving too much away. I do want to say though that some stories need to be told and shared in order to raise more awareness about the issue of child trafficking, the use of young girls in many homes as domestic workers, and also the many forms of abuse trafficked children face - and this is one such story. 

At the African Book Festival, which Tina Okpara attended, there was a very emotional Q&A that followed after the book reading. Many things she said struck me - still having to bear the Okpara surname was one of them, but the other was her saying that she was "lucky [it] happened in Europe", because if all that she experienced happened in Nigeria, she "would be the one going to prison". The Okpara's were big people, and in Nigeria their wealth and big man status would have probably exempted them from their crimes, thankfully this wasn't the case in France for Tina. I thank Tina Okpara for being brave enough to share her story and I only hope that with time no young girl (or boy) experiences what she has experienced. All that's left for me to say is if you are able to, do grab a copy, read it, and share it.
14:16 2 Comments
Patchwork is Zambian author Ellen Banda-Aaku's debut (adult) novel written in two parts. Part One, Lusaka, Zambia, 1978. 9 year old Pumpkin is living in Tudu Court, an apartment complex, with her mother, Totela. This part of the book details a time in Pumpkin's life when she is taken by her tata (father), a successful businessman, from her alcoholic mother to live with his wife, Mama T, and family. Part Two, Pumpkin is now 30-something, married with kids, but it seems that Pumpkin’s childhood years really did affect her. Here we see how being taken away to live with her father, and her father's actions and his different relationships, manifests.


I'm going to be honest and say that Pumpkin wasn't likeable - both as a 9 year old and as a 30-something year old woman. I did sympathise with her situation - being the illegitimate daughter of a successful businessman, having an alcoholic mother, not fully ever belonging or feeling like she belonged, having to be moved from her home to live in an entirely new one - but Pumpkin wasn't the nicest person either. As a child, she was deceiteful and could be pretty nasty, while as an adult she was insecure, paranoid, emotional, pretty angry, still couldn't stop herself from lying, and had some serious trust issues (which is understandable, considereing her upbringing).

Yes, Pumpkin was flawed, but really most characters in this novel were. Her mother for a time was consumed by love for a man that could never truly be hers. Her stepmother was cruel to a little girl who couldn't be blamed for her husband's actions (shouldn't she really have projected her anger on her husband and not a little girl?). Her father, as generous as he was financially, was still a womaniser, and while it was the right thing to do to openly accept and acknowledge his daughter, was it right of him to assume that his wife would accept her with arms wide open?

Patchwork was a beautifully written book and I really felt like I was there each step of the way - Tudu Court, her father's farm, Pumpkin at 9 playing with her friends, Pumpkin as an adult. More than that, it really did make me think. For one, was I terrible person for disliking Pumpkin as a child, but deeper than that, it made me think about the effect one's childhood, and their parents/family, could have on them.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Patchwork  and would also like to say a big thank you to Penguin Books SA for sending me a copy to read and review.

4 out of 5 stars
15:17 5 Comments
It's been a while since I showcased African publishers, but I have been lusting after the books published by this small publisher from South Africa for a while now, so thought I'd showcase Kwela Books. Formed in 1994, Kwela specialises in African writing - fiction and non-fiction. Their main aim is to "broaden the scope of Southern African literature, and to document stories that have not been told". While majority of their books are published in English, they also publish a number of leading Afrikaans authors. You can find out more about Kwela Books here, but here are some of the books they've published. 










I am loving the books they publish and the different genres. I have spent quite a while on their website, and while I've been dying to read books like Happiness is a four-letter word and Men of the South for the longest time, I've also added even more books from their website to my ever-growing wish list. For romance novel lovers out there, Kwela also has a romance imprint, Sapphire Press.

 
11:23 1 Comments
On October 27 2012, I braved the cold London weather to check out the African Book Festival - a 2 day African literature festival, curated by Will Essilfie and Nii Ayikwei Parkes, celebrating books and contemporary writing, which featured readings and panel discussions with African writers, as well as African books sold at low prices.

On the day I went, there was a Publishing Panel with Ellah Allfrey (Deputy Editor of Granta) and Goretti Kyomuhendo (writer, former Programme Coordinator for FEMWRITE and founder of African Writers Trust), a showcase of new African writing, a non-fiction reading/talk with Hannah Pool (journalist and author of My Fathers' Daughter) and Musa Okwonga (sportswriter, poet, journalist, broadcaster), and a fiction reading/talk with Alastair Bruce (author of Wall of Days) and Aminatta Forna (author of several books including The Memory of Love). The publishing panel was especially insightful as both Ellah Allfrey and Goretti Kyomuhendo explored the oppotunities and gaps in African publising, and spoke in depth about what African literature needs. I especially loved it when Ellah Allfrey talked about the "imaginative potential that is out there", and when she said that "ours is the first generation with the power to make a change".

I have to say, I really enjoyed the "Futures Carousel" -  a showcase of new writings/books. 3 books and 1 poet were featured and each author (or representative of the author) had 10 minutes to introduce us to their works.

Amir Tag Elsir is a Sudanese writer who, in additon to  publishing 16 books, also studied medicine. The Grub Hunter was shortlisted for the International Prize for Arab Fiction in 2011 and was translated into English by William Hutchins. It was published by Pearson, as part of their African Writers Series (in 2008, Pearson brought back the Heinemann African Writers Series). Lynette Lisk from Pearson read an excerpt from the book which tells the story of a former secret service agent, who having been forced to retire due to an accident, decides to write a novel about his experiences. He starts to visit a cafe frequented by intellectuals, only to find himself the subject of police scrutiny.

My Life Has A Price is a memoir of survival and freedom written by Tina Okpara, in collaboration with journalist Cyril Guinet. It was translated from French (Ma Vie un a Prix) by Jolie Jodter and published by Amalion (an independent Senegalese publishing house). At 13, Tina, who came from a modest family in Nigeria, is adopted by Linda and Godwin Okpara and prepares to start her new life in France with her new family. Linda is the homemaker and wife to international football player Godwin Okpara, who played for French Club Paris Saint-Geramain as well as for Nigeria's national squad, the Super Eagles. This is Tina's story of her years of imprisonment, torture and abuse in the Okpara's home. An excerpt from My Life Has a Price was read by Kadija Sesay George (founder and publisher of SABLE LitMag), with a short Q&A with Tina Okpara after the reading.

Finding Soutbeck is Karen Jennings debut novel about the small town of Soutbeck. A representative from the publishers, Holland Park Press, read an excerpt, in which Soutbeks troubles, hardships and corruption, but also its kindness, strong community and friendships, are introduced to us in a series of stories about intriguingly interlinked relationships. Contemporary Soutbeck is still a divided town - the upper town destitute, and the lower town rich, largely ignorant - and Finding Soutbeck is a novel about the real conditions that shape the loves of ordinary, marginalised people. This is a story that paints a thought-provoking picture of life in contemporary South Africa.

There was also a poetry reading from a very talented lady, Bridget Minamore. One on being a 90s child, and the other, which sadly she didn't get to finish, on the issue of skin lightening.

Another great thing about the events was the variety of African literature they had on offer. In addition to the three novels showcased, a lot of the Caine Prize Anthologies were on sale, as well books from the African Writers Series.There were actually way too many to mention and there were tons that I've been dying to get my hands on. Like The Granta Book of African Short Story, How to Read the Air by Dinaw Mengestu and Dreams, Miracles and Jazz. They also aimed to make the books affordable - paperbacks were no more than £5 and hardbacks were no more than £10. I ended up getting Moxyland and Zoo City by Lauren Beukes, Tail of the Blue Bird by Nii Ayikwei Parkes, True Murder by Yaba Badoe, and My Life Has a Price. 

Overall it was a great literary event, very insightful and I am definitely looking forward to the next one.
12:56 No Comments
Whenever I walk by a bookstore I have to go in. So I might have a problem, but I cannot help myself. One thing I've started doing everytime I go into a bookstore is to see what goodies they have in terms of African literature. The other day I was in one of my absolute favourite bookstores in London, The London Review Bookshop - an independent bookshop and a cafe owned by the the London Review of Books. It was nice to see that they had a selection of books written by Africans.  What I loved about the London Review Bookshop was that there was no dedicated "African Literature" section. Instead, books were placed alongside other titles. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against sections (African, African-American, Asian, Mystery, Crime) in bookshops. Sometimes it's nice and easy to walk into a bookshop and beeline straight to a particular section to search for books I want. But it was still nice to see works by African authors side by side with other authors. 

I first noticed a row of J M Coetzee novels as well as a couple of novels by Nadine Gordimer and I thought that's pretty standard. As I looked around, I began to wonder, what else was in store. So I spotted Helon Habila's Oil on Water as well as Bessie Head's A Question of Power and that got me really excited. It turned into a fun game for me as I looked through the shelves wondering what else I would find. I also spotted Ahmadou Korouma's Allah is Not Obliged, as well as three of Alain Mabanckou's translated novels (Broken Glass was absent), Naguib Mahfouz's The Cairo Trilogy, Andre Brink's new novel Philida next to two books I've been dying to read (NW by Zadie Smith and The Casual Vacancy by J K Rowling) and Teju Cole's Open City. I also saw a couple of anthologies - African Violet and the Penguin Anthology Gods and Soldiers. 


 

I wasn't going to buy anything, but on my way out I spotted Amos Tutuola's The Palm-Wine Drinkard. I've been wanting to read it for the longest time and I couldn't resist. This copy also came with My Life in the Bush of Ghosts. How could I say no to 2-in-1? 


Since I discovered it a few years ago, the London Review Bookshop has become one of my favourite bookshop/cafe in London. The added bonus for me is that it's not too far from my university. So once in a while I get to pop in have a hot chocolate and stare at the wonderful collection of books they have. Now I know they have gems of African literature tucked in different shelves all over the store, I love the place even more. 

09:00 No Comments
I've been meaning to do a post on this for a while now, but I always remember and then forget. Recently, I was asked to recommend a few books written by Caine Prize winners and it got me thinking - why has it taken me so long to do this? 

Not all winners have novels out yet - 2003 winner Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor intends to produce a book about her experiences when she travelled to Kinshasha as part of the Chinua Acehebe Centre for African Writers "Pilgrimages" project, 2007 winner Monica Arac de Nyeko is currently working on her debut novel, as is 2010 winner Olufemi Terry whose debut novel is titledThe Sum of All Losses, and 2011 winner NoViolet Bulawayo's debut novel We Need New Names will be published in 2013. Until theirs are released, here are the novels (and 2 edited volumes) of the Caine Prize winners. From 2000 winner, Leila Aboulela, to 2009 winner, E.C. Osondu.





11:12 No Comments
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About me

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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      • Future Release from Bobo Omotayo
      • Book Review: Suzanne Ruta's "To Algeria, with Love"
      • Future Releases from Taiye Selasi and A. Igoni Bar...
      • Book Review: "AfroSF: Science Fiction by African W...
      • Book Review: Lutz van Dijk's "Themba: A Boy Called...
      • Book Review: Tina Okpara's "My Life Has A Price"
      • Book Review: Ellen Banda-Aaku's "Patchwork"
      • The State of African Publishing: Kwela Books
      • "Futures Carousel": New Books/Writings from Africa
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