Source: http://bplolinenews.blogspot.co.uk/

Maybe it's because I am completely engrossed in it, but I can't help but notice how much more I'm reading about African literature in mainstream media sources. 

Back in June, for instance,  The New York Times published an article, 'New Wave of African Writers With an Internationalist Bent'. The article explains how:

'Black literary writers with African roots (though some grew up elsewhere), mostly young cosmopolitans who write in English, are making a splash in the book world, especially in the United States. They are on best-seller lists, garner high profile reviews and win major awards, in America and in Britain. Ms. Adichie, 36, the author of "Americanah," which won the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction this year, is a prominent member of an expanding group that includes Dinaw Mengestu, Helen Oyeyemi, NoViolet Bulawayo, Teju Cole, Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor and Taiye Selasi, among others.' 

Other African authors mentioned in the article include Ishmael Beah, Aminatta Forna and Okey Ndibe, with the reasons behind this 'critical mass' being that:

'After years of political and social turmoil, positive changes in several African nations are helping to greatly expand the number of writers and readers. Newer awards like the Caine Prize for African Writing have helped, too, as have social media, the Internet and top M.F.A programs.'

What is unique about these 'new African writers' though - according to Manthia Diawara, a professor of comparative literature and film at NYU, 'It is a literature more about being a citizen of the world - going to Europe, going back to Lagos'. He goes on to explain that 'Now we are talking about how the West relates to Africa and it frees writers to create their own worlds. They have several identities and they speak several languages.'

The article did, however, get some flak, as highlighted in an article on BooksLive, 'Should Science Fiction and Fantasy be Included in the "New Wave of African Writers"?', as Sci-Fi and Fantasy authors, such as Nnedi Okorafor, were kept off the list. While I do agree that the list should have acknowledged the other voices and genres in African literature, it does not change the fact that it is a great time for African literature. 



Take Flavorwire, last month they also put together their own list of '8 More African-Born Writers You Should be Reading'. They acknowledge the 'abundance of fantastic literature coming out of Africa right now' and see it as 'something to celebrate'. Their list of 'African-born writers include A. Igoni Barrett, Chigozie Obioma, Tsitsi Dangarembga, Ivan Vladislavic, Binyavanga Wainaina, Zoe Wicomb, Camara Laye and Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani. I love Flavorwire's list for its mix of new and old and it contains some authors whose works I absolutely love. 



And then this month, actually just a few days ago, CNNs African Voices released its own list of 'African writers you should be reading now'. The rise of the new African writer was also a theme in this article: 

' ... Iately new names from across the continent are becoming part of popular literary consciousness. "Purple Hibiscus," "Half of a Yellow Sun" and more recently "Americanah" have brought international acclaim for Nigerian author du jour, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

She joins a growing list of popular African authors -- including NoViolet Bulawayo, Binyavanga Wainaina, Taiye Selasi, Lauren Beukes, Alain Mabanckou -- who have been steadily picking up steam --and fans -- across the globe over the last several years.'

This article, in a way, goes one step further from The New York Times article as it mentions 'indigenous content producers and independent publishers' across the content, such as  Chimurenga and Kwani?, as well as writers' collectives like Jalada. And while it does recognise translated Francophone literature with Alain Mabanckou and makes mention of Sci-fi and fantasy (it also mentions erotica) and lists Lauren Beukes among its must-read writers, it would be awesome to also include authors like Nnedi Okorafor and Sarah Lotz who are also getting some amazing recognition internationally, as well as Ivor Hartmann and his work with AfroSF. 

Moving away from NYT and CNN African Voices, just yesterday, Zimbabwean author, Tendai Huchu, wrote an article for Vitabu books, 'A Few Thoughts on the Literature Which May/May Not Be Called African Literature'. In it he writes that 'We live in interesting times for lovers of African literature' and I can't help but agree. I love that in this article Tendai Huchi draws attention to 'Some of the more interesting developments [that] are happening outside the stables of large international publishers and don't get as much notice/airplay/recognition'. By this he is referring to:

'The indie authors in romance like Myne Whitman (A Heart to Mend), Nkem Ivara (Closer than a Brother), Rudo Muchoko (When Love Strikes) and Kiru Taye (author of the highly popular Men of Valour series, which has done extremely well on Amazon), who are pushing the boundaries and mining spaces traditional publishers have neglected. 

In speculative fiction you have self-pubbed authors like Masimba Musodza who publishes in both Shona and English, and whose novel, Hebert Wants to Come Home, was first serialised on JukePop Serials. Running parallel to the work of indie authors, it is also interesting to see new developments by Ivor Hartmann, publisher of AfroSF, and Marius du Plessis of Fox and Raven Publishing who are creating alternative platforms for writers working in Genre Fiction.

It will also be interesting to see whether authors like Mukoma Wa Ngugi and Deon Meyer exert a large enough gravitational pull for new writers to enter the crime genre. Already in Nigeria there is a new start-up, Cordite Books, headed by Helon Habila which hopefully will ignite a spark in crime fiction written on the continent.'

As a book lover, I can't help but be happy to see that African literature, on and off the continent, is on the rise - although for many it's always been there. So maybe it's less about African literature being on the rise and more about it being noticed and appreciated by a lot more people. And as a book blogger it's also kinda nice to know that bloggers are being recognised in this landscape. As raised in the CNN article by Ms. Afropolitan:

"And when something is good, it obviously catches people's attention. Before it would not have reached any mainstream; now it is, thanks to bloggers and local content production."

And also by Tendai Huchu in his article:

'Another interesting/new factor to add to the literary scene has been the emergence of online bloggers and critics. Publishers have often complained that newspapers on the continent have little real interest in literature, which is why bloggers like Zahrah Nesbitt (Bookshy), Sarah Norman (White Whale), James Murua (James Murua’s Literature Blog), Ainehi Edoro (Brittle Paper), Nana-Ama Kyerematen (Afri*Diaspora), Vitabu and many others now occupy a crucial space in terms of reviewing and publicising books from around Africa to their potential readership across the world. This can only be enriching because book blogs (even for large western publishers) have become the essential, go-to place for readers today and can create a buzz for works that might otherwise be ignored in mainstream media.'

There really is a lot going on in the world of African literature. We have some awesome literary magazines like Bakwa (Cameroon) and Saraba (Nigeria) and innovative ideas like  Okadabooks in Nigeria using mobile devices to bring books to people. We also have literary festivals - Ake Arts and Book Festival (Nigeria), Open Book Festival (South Africa), Storymoja Hay Festival (Kenya), Writivism Festival (Uganda) as well as Africa Writes (UK). 

And if I may, I would like to add to these already wonderful lists by mentioning a few more names - travel writer, Noo Saro-Wiwa; Angolan authors, Ondjaki and José Eduardo Agualusa; Ghanaian author, Nii Ayikwei Parkes; Nigerian author, Obinna Udenwe;  South African authors, Zukiswa Wanner and Niq Mhlongo; and Zimbabwean, Nouvoyo Rosa Tshuma. 

Source: http://www.freightbooks.co.uk/

Another new release for 2014 and this time from Tendai Huchu, author of The Hairdresser of Harare and one of this year's Caine Prize shortlisted writers. Out later this year (will update with exact release date when I know), The Maestro, The Magistrate and The Mathematician is published by amaBooks - and here's a little something about the book courtesy of amaBooks:

The 'Meet' Series will be a chance for me to interview anyone I would love to meet that is involved with African literature. 

If I haven't said this already I absolutely love Zimbabwean literature. So I am extremely happy to announce the next person in the series is Tendai Huchu whose novel, The Hairdresser of Harare, I absolutely loved. Enjoy!!!


Can you tell us a little bit about yourself (where you’re from, what you do, interests and hobbies, any fun details)

Christ, that sounds like a bad chat up line. Here goes: I’m from a small mining town called Bindura in Zimbabwe. My interests are reading – a lot, playing chess, and walking. 

What was the first piece you ever wrote?

There is an awful abandoned novel I attempted aged 16 called The Enigma of Alfred. (Cringes)

What draws you to writing?

The freedom to express myself and explore ideas. Life is complex and we are fortunate to have fiction as a sort of Petri dish in which we can dissect life and study it over and over.  

What do you do when you are not writing?

I read.  




The salon acts as a microcosm of Zimbabwean society. In a society stratified by class, this is one of the few spaces people from all walks of life can interact organically. The male hairdresser Dumi acts as an intrinsic counterbalance to Vimbai, the narrator of the novel. This adds a layer of tension to the narrative.

I initially didn’t like Vimbai, although I began to warm up to her as the novel went on, but I really loved Dumi. Do you know what reader’s reactions to both characters have been? And I should ask, who was your favourite of the two (or is that like asking a parent to choose their favourite child)?

Reader’s usually fall for Dumi because Vimbai is rather rough around the edges. However as you go through the book and begin to understand more about Vimbai’s history, you begin to understand why she is the way she is. I don’t have a favourite between the two because they are a ying-yang, it is essential to have both of them in play for the novel to function.

The topic of homosexuality in Africa often leads to extreme reactions, and in Zimbabwe I know Robert Mugabe has been pretty vocal about his views on it. What drew you to tackle the subject in Hairdresser of Harare, and leading on from that, how has the book been received?

Kurt Vonnegurt, referring to his novel "Slaughterhouse 5", once remarked he was the only person who benefited from the Allied bombing of Dresden to the tune of $1 (one dollar) for every dead person in the city. I’m probably the only person who benefits from the stigmatization of gay Zimbabweans to the tune of about 1p (one penny) for every one of them.The book has been received as all books are in Zimbabwe – no one gives a damn, and so it should be. The novel is an alien art form, no different to yodelling or the opera there.

What was your favourite chapter (or part) to write and why?

Chapter 22 is a particularly explosive chapter that brings all the characters together in the same place, a trick Dostoevsky used to pull in work.

I didn't know what to expect when I started reading The Hairdresser of Harare. From the synopsis I knew it was about two hairdressers in Harare - Vimbai, a seasoned pro and possibly the best hairdresser in Harare and Dumisani, a new-comer to the salon who is as charming as he is handsome. That is all I knew. But I did love the premise of the book. In Africa (well I won't generalise as I do not know about the rest of Africa), so I rephrase, in Nigeria hairdressing is seen as female profession but I know that male hairdressers are not uncommon and I loved that this was a book looking at a male hairdresser (I am interested in the concept of men doing 'women's work' and what this says about socially constructed gender roles and expectations).

Vimbai initially dislikes Dumi as he becomes the top dog at Mrs Khumalo's Hair Salon, but with time she starts to warm up to him when he becomes a tenant in her house. Friendship, and then love blossoms. But underneath it all, Dumi has a deep dark secret. Can I be honest, I kind of had a suspicion of what Dumi's secret was very early on in the book - and no, him being a hairdresser isn't what gave it away. Tendai Huchu actually dropped very subtle hints throughout the book which I picked up. Even though I had my suspicions, I still loved the build up to the reveal.

*SPOILER ALERT!!!! (Please don't go any further if you haven't already read this book. If  you have, feel free to proceed)