Founder of the Gweru International Book Festival (GIBF) Ignatius Chamunorwa Musonza has said his forthcoming book titled Dakaboy Is Not My Name was inspired by Zimbabwean youths trying to make a living in Botswana.
The multi-talented Musonza said that the book is a cry of the youths who leave the country in search of greener pastures and also a protest against those who replace one’s real name with a work title.
“The inspiration and theme of the book was from the phrase “home is best”. Its aim is to highlight the impact of displacement and the vulnerabilities life outside the homeland exposes children to,” he said.
“The book is based on a research I carried out during a week-long stay at a squatter camp in Mogoditshane, a town outside Botswana’s capital city. I realised that our youths, who travel to other countries for greener pastures, sometimes end up in compromising situations because they will be away from their families.”
Musonza, whose experience in creative writing spans for over three decades, said art was about hard work and extended patience.
His efforts on children’s books have so far been recognised with National Arts Merit Awards (Nama) nominations three times under the award’s Best Children’s Book category.
His Nama-nominated publications include Tamari of Tamarindo (Editions Bakame-Rwanda), Beggers (Longman Zimbabwe) and Don’t Play in The Road (Macmillan Education-UK).
“I am much of a children’s story writer, of course now and then I delve into the teenage and adult genres because stories come with different voices, but most of my books are for children,” he said.
“My first notable attempt at writing a book was around 2000, and then I eased off after some rather discouraging comments from the Zimbabwe Literature Bureau.
That was according to my thinking then, but now perceiving in hindsight it was quite pertinent advice to any future writer.”
Musonza urged book writers not to give up their journey of writing.
Poet and author Rumbidzayi Pasirayi Gwabanayi has urged poets to work together for the growth of the industry which she said lacked recognition.
Gwabanayi said there was more of competition than collaboration among creatives to share ideas and skills.
“In order to grow the industry and provide lasting solutions to challenges faced by poets, there is the need to work together. This might be helpful considering that COVID-19 has also brought some changes in the way we do business,” she said.
“There is need for unity, if a family is divided, there is not much progress that can be achieved. If we join hands and work together, we can build an industry that we can all be proud of for generations to come.”
She added: “Working together as poets can help us break stereotypes that are associated with poetry and the whole arts industry.”
In her efforts to boost the poetry industry, Gwabanayi has organised and conducted mentorship programmes.
“I run Poetic Minds, a platform which carries out workshops, mentorship programmes and sessions for poetry writing as well as publishing. For this to be fruitful, we however, need resources and affordable venues to host poetry programmes,” she said.
“I believe we need more funding opportunities apart from the British Council, Hivos and local clubs. There is also the need to collaborate with corporates to learn more on business-oriented approach.”
Gwabanayi said poets had a long way to go in their respective careers.
“With poetry, it’s either you appreciate it or you don’t. We have a lot of talent that needs to be nurtured on different aspects such as business and etiquette training,” she said.
“Since 2019, I have been helping and inspiring young poets through cultural exchange programmes with poets in countries like the United Kingdom and Nigeria through both Zoom and physical workshops.”
He bulldozed his way into the senior Kaizer Chiefs starting line-up at a precocious 17, the age only the most gifted, like the legendary Pele, make their mark in soccer.
Junior Khanye was different. That much was acknowledged by no less football authorities than the late Patrick Ace Ntsoelengoe and Ted Dumitru.
Throughout his short but ill-fated soccer career, the two giants of the game would not be the only people to beg the wunderkind to guard his talent and eschew the pernicious habits drawing him away from playing to his full potential.
But did he listen? No. He was fated not to. He was born to grace the soccer pitch with his brilliance as momentarily and with such force, as a flash of lightning lights up the sky. Any thought to the contrary is just wishful thinking, opposed to reality.
The author perhaps puts it better when he writes: “Many people assumed that Junior was just another tragedy of South African football – just like so many others who did not know how to handle instant wealth and fame.”
Junior is THE South African football tragedy; not one of them. Cricket and rugby do not have such casualties. The soccer bosses need to interrogate this anomaly. He was born with oodles of talent. But whether or not he’d use it to full potential was always doubtful. In fact, the writing was always on the wall that his wayward behaviour was not made for the game.
At his wits’ end, a disappointed Bobby Motaung, team manager at Chiefs, evinces this realisation when he eventually drops the bombshell that the club had decided to release Junior from his contract.
What he was born to do on the field was overshadowed by what he did off it. He rewrote the meaning of wine, women and song. In one of his many signature antics off the field, he goes clubbing with teammates after a match in Mafikeng.
They are under strict orders to observe a curfew. All his fellow players duly leave the club to be back on time at the hotel except … no prizes for guessing who.
His untoward behaviour is a matter of black magic, witchcraft. There is no explanation why he did what he was not supposed to do, so religiously.
If he scored as many goals as he apologised, he’d easily have surpassed Pele, the great Brazilian maestro’s own tally of a 1 000-plus.
At the height of his brilliance, he is the family’s breadwinner. It is not rocket science that he should be. He demolishes the family zozo to build them a decent dwelling.
But he leaves it unfinished because his money is spent elsewhere – on booze and other distractions. His GTI is repossessed for lack of payment.
He has a predilection to crashing cars, rather than keeping them on the road.
It is only because of the acknowledgement of his humanity that one is averse to describing Junior’s life in football as a tragi-comedy.
His father, later murdered in cold blood, had the foreboding that football would bring his son nothing but trouble. Fate is not cruel. Junior’s life story was destined to be a lesson for others. Post-football, this is what he does, going on speaking engagements. There’s a lot to learn from this tragedy, especially on how not to do things.
He is the father of three boys with Charmaine, a schoolgirl who fell for him while he still spotted his trademark blonde hairstyle and was a menace to the opposition on the field.
You cannot read this book without being angry, noting how the clichéd bad company ruins lives or how a bit of education – which the former football genius lacks, could have helped him somewhat.
It is by grace or, that word again, fate, that Junior remains such a muchloved character. This one is for schoolboys imbued with sporting talent, who want to navigate the minefield of life as sports heroes. Read it and weep, oops, and learn!
The book is published by Tafelberg and retails for R250.
Literary podcast Cheeky Natives is set out to reclaim the narratives shared about black authors by two bibliophiles, Dr Alma-Nalisha Cele and Letlhogonolo Mokgoroane.
In the podcast, the two hosts interview African authors about their work and the literary industry. Some of their most recent hosts on the podcast include authors Jamil F Khan, Sue Nyathi and Peace Adzo Medie.
When they’re not busy hosting their podcast, Cele works as a pharmaceutical physician in global public health, and Mokgoroane is a legal practitioner.
Starting in 2017, the podcast was born from a joint love for books by the hosts. Cele said all their conversations before the podcast always revolved around books. “We would go to book events and ask so many questions. We realised that there was a need for black writing to be critically engaged with, without there being a particular gaze,” she said.
She added: “We had a desire to build a space that was safe for black authors, and where we could engage with their work.” The name Cheeky Natives is derived in part from the historical resistance of black people against their white masters, who used the derogatory reference during apartheid.
“The Cheeky Natives is this idea of disrupting and resisting. We know cheeky is often used to describe black people, and we wanted to take ownership of that,” she said.
Mokgoroane added: “When you are black, and you read, people call you a ‘clever black’. The idea of knowledge, reading, discussing and dissecting is not foreign to us.”
Mokgoroane said the duo wanted to start the podcast because most reviews were written by white people about black authors who highlight the race element. “They don’t go into the interior lives of black people, and we wanted to create a space where black writers felt that their work was engaged in an art form as literature, rather than this political thing,” they said.
They added: “It is a space where we get to dissect what the interior lives of black people are.”
Mokgoroane said books have always inexplicably encapsulated him.
“As this young femme queer kid, the world couldn’t understand me, and I could get lost in books. It was a soft landing and a safe space. Books allow me to see myself in ways I would not have been able to in other forms,” he said.
He added: “As I grew older, books became a reflection of things I went through. James Baldwin said, ‘You think your pain is unprecedented in the history of the world … until you read’.”
Cele said there was something so powerful about being able to imagine a world that was different to the one she exists in.
“Books call us to be better versions of ourselves. I love that books tell stories of people who would otherwise be relegated to the margins of society,” she said.
Cheeky Natives owns an online book store called the Cheeky Merchant, where listeners can purchase signed copies of the books by authors who were guests featured on the podcast.
Lihle Mkhwambi, 14, may have attended a rural school with many challenges, but she is already co-author of an isixhosa poetry book.
The former Lower Malepe Lepe Primary School pupil started her Grade 8 year with this big achievement, having written the book, called ugadla, in 2020 under the guidance of her then isixhosa teacher, Iviwe Mathe.
The project was inspired by Mathe’s interest in nurturing a generation creative enough to write in isixhosa.
To him, teaching language is more than just standing in front of a class and delivering a syllabus; it is about going beyond that and igniting the fire hidden behind the closed doors of the classroom.
Lihle and three of her Grade 7 classmates, Esona Zuko, Siwaphiwe Mkhwambi and Nomandisinde Galawana, were nurtured under Mathe’s wing.
Lihle said writing the book was simple. They had all been informed repeatedly that they had all the talent they needed, which instilled confidence in them.
“I started writing while Mr Mathe was still new and I was in Grade 5; the book was about HIV and Aids, and when he saw it, he was thrilled with my writing skills,” she said.
Lihle said when her teacher complimented her on how good she was, she did not hesitate to approach him and present him with the poems she had written.
“Not every pupil has their skills revealed at such a young age, and is fortunate to be among pupils who have an eager, young teacher who worked tirelessly to ensure that they were on the right path.”
Mathe said he had read Lihle’s book, which inspired him to begin writing.
The young author, with two novels already published and a third in the works, said he refused to fold his hands when the opportunity of mentoring pupils was there in front of his eyes.
As a result, he took on the responsibility of mentoring them as they navigated the world of writing. All his ability and creativity have been passed on to the pupils.
For its publication he approached Nkuthalo Publishers, who did not hesitate to jump on board. He said the pupils gained the courage during their writing period from him as a teacher and a writer.
“It wasn’t hard for them to be encouraged; I used to reward them with my own books when they performed well in class, and that was motivation enough,” he said.
The concept was born in 2019 and pupils began composing the poetry in 2020. He said he was proud of them, and knowing he had made a difference was the most rewarding experience for him.
“I am overjoyed because this has long been an ambition of mine, to promote the dignity of isixhosa to young people willing to study and comprehend the language in depth,” he said.
South African poets, Refilwe Matsose, Hope Netshivhabe and Given Masilela won the hearts of many and were duly rewarded with a roaring standing ovation when they recited their poems at a function which was organised by the Country Club in Harare.
The artists performed during a function marking International Women’s Day on Thursday.
The month of March has been recognised as Women’s Month and this year’s theme is “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow” and it is running with the hashtag #BreakTheBias.
Rufaro Zengeni, one of the co-ordinators of the event, said it was a roaring success.
“As the Country Club, we create a space where meaningful conversations can be held. The purpose of this particular event was to create meaningful discourse about gender inequality through poetry,” Zengeni said.
He was impressed by the composition of the audience, which he said listened to the presentations from all angles and perspectives.
“We had the most diverse audience than we have ever had. We had people from academia, politicians and others from different backgrounds.
“What I liked most is the fact that after the performances, all these groupings expressed satisfaction.”
This was the first time that the Country Club has opened its discussions to the public.
“Usually, we have events such as these for club members only. This time we opened it up to the public. The event was well-attended and the feedback that we got is encouraging,” added Zengeni.
The Time of the Writer 2022 runs virtually, from its base in Durban, South Africa, from March 14-22, 2022.
Time of the Writer is a literary festival organised by the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Centre for Creative Arts and hosted in Durban, South Africa since 1996.
The twenty fifth edition inspired by Africa’s Nobel Peace Prize winner, Chief Albert Luthuli, has the theme, “Beyond Words: Memory, Imagination & Conscience.” It will honour his legacy and commemorate the 60th anniversary of his autobiography, Let My People Go, which was published in 1962.
It will critically reflect and engage with its participants to discuss whether Luthuli’s vision for a better South Africa has been served or been betrayed.
The festival keynote speaker as revealed recently is writer, academic, producer, and broadcaster Dr Nokuthula Mazibuko Msimang and featured author Mandla Langa. Other guests at this event will be Gcina Mhlophe, Zakes Mda, Zukiswa Wanner, Lebo Mashile, Athol Williams, Themba Maseko, Mbuso Khoza, Ongezwa Mbele, Sam Mathe, Shafinaaz Hassim, Uvile Ximba, Buki Papillon, Ayesha Kajee, Cheluchi Onyemelukwe, Dr Gugulethu Mazibuko, Joanne Hichens, Boni Zungu, among others.
This year Time of the Writer has a partnership with Interkontinental who organise the African Book Festival in Berlin every year since 2018.
“Partnering with Time of the Writer is a great opportunity for the African Book Festival, German-speaking writers and our audience. To read outside the box, to follow debates across continents, and to enjoy storytelling from both, Europe and Africa will most certainly lead to further cooperation and hopefully to more translations as well,” said Stefanie Hirsbrunner, Director African Book Festival.
Guests brought on board by the German-based organization are Lidudumaligani who is the curator for 2022 as well as Nthikeng Mohale, Josephine Apraku, Ciani Sofia Hoeder, Lauri Kubuitsile, Dzekashu MacViban, Mithu Sanyal, Clementine Burnley, Kalaf Epalanga, Yara Nakahanda Monteiro, among others.
You can follow proceedings from the virtual festival either on Facebook or on YouTube.
A young author has written a book to help couples strengthen their relationships. Alpheus Masoga, 26, says his book, Love Trail, is set out to mend broken hearts and spark love and is selling like hot cakes in the streets of Polokwane, Limpopo.
He said he did not allow himself to be deterred by criticism that he is young and not married.
“Many people always ask me for relationship advice and writing came naturally. I listen to people’s problems daily,” Masoga said.
He says his writing journey started in 2017 when he took to social media to give love and relationship advice which started trending.
“I advise lovers and answer questions and the feedback is very promising. I decided to write a book to reach out to many people who need to understand love and relationships.”
He has self-published three other books – Love Expert 21, Light of Affection and Awoke.
Love Expert 21 sets out to teach people about love and relationships and has chapters focusing on how to treat a woman and how to live happily together.
Love Trail speaks about building healthy relationships and how to keep things intersecting in a relationship. Awoke speaks about God and healing.
“I was very talkative and I ended up channeling my energy into expressing my thoughts on a piece of paper.
“I ended up as a published author. My books are selling very well in the street market.”
Apart from being an author, Masoga gives weekly relationship advise on Limpopo commercial radio station Capricorn FM on the show hosted by Black Mookamedi.
Mookamedi said: “We decided to give him an opportunity after he sent us an email requesting a platform and telling us about his book and how it will help many listeners of our station.
“After sharing advice, many listeners started to phone the radio and some inboxed [me, saying they] appreciate the secret relationship advice that worked wonders to help fix their broken relationships.”
Masoga’s advice to other young people who would like to become published writers is to believe in their own words and talent.
“I urge the youth to stop wasting their time and put pen to paper and express their inner feelings and share their life experiences with the world. They may end up as published authors as well.”
The avid reader said he was encouraged by his grandmother, who was a great poet.
“She knew how to put words together. What keeps me going is that people love the content inside the book because it speaks to the heart.
“I get positive feedback when those who bought my book come back asking for another book.
“I am humbled by the overwhelming support I get. On a good day, I sell at least 10 books a day and each book costs R200.”
Kwaito star, poet and television host Bonginkosi Dlamini, popularly known as Zola 7, grabbed the headlines when a recent video of him started making the rounds on social media.
In the video, Zola, who publicly revealed that he has been living with epilepsy for over four years, is seen chatting and smoking.
But what caught the attention of many South Africans was how frail Zola looked in the video. This resulted in concerned fans of the star suggesting that a crowdfunding campaign be initiated for him, to help with medical and financial support. Zola openly accepted the kind gesture.
Meanwhile, Gauteng Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation MEC, Mbali Hlophe shared on social media that her department will be assisting Zola.
Hlophe also indicated that the images of Zola circulating on social media were taken two years ago when the muso was “very ill”.
“Like anybody who hasn't been working for some time … he has some issues … but we certainly don't think it's as severe as what is presented.”
In a recent press statement issued by Hlophe, she said the department is set to offer Zola “a three-phase intervention plan that will not only focus on his well-being (health) but also ensure a functional structure that is resourceful and sustainable”.
Hlophe also revealed that her department is “exploring a partnership” with artists that Zola has previously collaborated with, to assist in hosting a benefit concert to “alleviate his current financial challenges”.
A new series of books called Imbokodo: Women Who Shape Us explores the neglected histories of South African women. Geared at younger readers, there are three books in the series: 10 Extraordinary Leaders, Activists & Protesters; 10 Inspiring Singers, Writers & Artists; and 10 Curious Inventors, Healers & Educators.
The authors are Xolisa Guzula, an early literacy specialist and children’s author, and Athambile ., a historian and poet. We asked them about the project.
What does Imbokodo mean?
Xolisa Guzula: Imbokodo is an isiZulu word that means “rock”. It’s often used in the saying, “Wathint’abafazi, wathint’imbokodo, uzakufa! Ubobhasopa!” (“You strike women, you strike a rock, you will be crushed! You should be careful!”) This was a chant used by women during the struggle for liberation in South Africa. As we know, the black women’s struggle is against racism, class and gender oppression.
The importance of the term lies in demonstrating that the strength of women comes in their collective and collaborative efforts. This is why we chose this word for our series. We see in these books how women worked with each other in building and shaping the society we now find ourselves in.
Athambile Masola: We felt it was important to feature stories of women who came before 1956. Without some of the work done in the early 1900s to build the women’s movement it is impossible to fully appreciate what happens in the 1950s. Evoking this symbol of imbokodo allows us to see our current struggles in relation to the past.
How have these women’s stories been told in the past, if at all?
Guzula: Our history and development is told from men’s perspective. We hear about how the men were heroes, intellectuals and pioneers. If their stories are told, women are shown as supporters to their men – like we hear that educator, author and politician John Langalibalele Dube started a school with his wife, Nokutela Dube, but her role is often not elaborated on.
Women are seldom shown as pioneers, inventors and creatives themselves. Patriarchal culture dictates that women use their marriage surnames such that their efforts add value to their husband’s lineage rather than their birth families. In Imbokodo we try to provide each and every woman’s maiden surname.
Secondly, women’s stories are told in a way that shows them as working alone, as the women they worked with are not always written about as part of their stories. This, of course, closes opportunities for further work of discovering, or surfacing what many other women might have worked on in collaboration with the women we write about.
The 1956 protest couldn’t have happened without collaboration. We also see how the women’s stories were interconnected. Masola: Women have also told their own stories through memoirs and essays. But much of the ways in which South Africa’s history is told is through political history and grand movements. Very little is written about how women are affected by wars, for example. The assumption is that the stories about war are the stories of men.
How did you make the selections for each of the books?
Masola: This was really tough. But it is important that people see our selections not as definitive but as ongoing. The historical figures were much easier than the contemporary figures because we had been collecting content for years. So we initially made a list of people who come to mind and have possibly not received as much attention in previous works, such as books such as Women Writing Africa.
Someone like school teacher Mina Soga is less well-known than scholar and activist Charlotte Maxeke, even though they were contemporaries. Even while there are a few more hyper-visible figures such as Maxeke and social worker and activist Madikizela-Mandela, it felt important to include them because they are the hook or entry point for some people insofar as how they understand women’s role in history.
Guzula: Athambile and I were part of a team that started a school for black girls, in Khayelitsha, Cape Town. Some of the women who inspired us are women who had started schools before us when conditions were even harsher.
They showed us the power of working with others and we wrote these books in collaboration, following in their footsteps. Nurses like Cecilia Makiwane and Dora Nginza, social workers such as Mam’ Mbeki, Mam’ Madikizela-Mandela, Brigalia Bam, Lilian Tshabalala, Sibusisiwe Makhanya and Maxeke showed us what community work involved.
What also inspired us was to see how these women worked in interdisciplinary ways and sometimes starting off by being teachers and then becoming change-makers.
We also wanted to include people who are custodians of our indigenous knowledge systems, such as musician Madosini, artist Esther Mahlangu and herbalist and midwife Louisa Mvemve.
Writing about them helps us to reclaim our humanity and being, our knowledge and ways of doing while also embracing new ways.
What do you want young readers to take away?
Athambile Masola: We hope that young readers will question the way they are taught history in schools. I hope that many of them will be curious about the stories that are yet to unfold, particularly in their own families. These books are an opportunity for young readers to sit and talk to their grandparents about their own stories.
Xolisa Guzula: It is important for children to see that women have agency and are able to take up powerful positions in society to build and shape their world and determine their future.
It’s official: 2022 is the year of the bombshell memoir. And A list celebrities are spilling the beans in new upcoming books.
While Perry’s upcoming tome will make for a seriously good read, Britney Spears and Prince Harry are preparing biographies of their own that will lift the lid on some of the greatest scandals of our time.
Spears has been given $21 million for her memoir, which will detail her recently terminated and controversial conservatorship, while Prince Harry’s “wholly truthful” tell-all will focus on the inner workings of the British royal family, the treatment of his wife Meghan Markle and his rarefied upbringing.
Royal expert Phil Dampier slammed the announcement, calling the estranged prince’s latest media move as a “nonstop roller-coaster” in the midst of the 95-year-old monarch’s private health battles and grief. Dampier told The Sun, “It just makes you wonder what’s coming next.”
American rapper and fashion designer Ye , commonly known by his birth name Kanye West has gotten social media talking about his "latest" poem.
West shared a new, controversial poem titled “Dead” just a couple of days after he posted another one titled “Divorce.”
In the poem, he writes about not realizing he’s deceased.
Captioning the poem on his Instagram, Kanye West declined to comment on the meaning behind it. Instead, he said, ‘explanation destroys the mystery and magic of true love and puts it in a box that can be counted.’
Though Kanye West’s work of art has been regarded as a masterpiece, the poem has left a number of people worried about his well being.
Some social media users have alluded that his two recent poems are a cry for help and have even suggested that he should go for therapy.
A young Botswana woman, Paula Otukile hosted the Mulher Forte African Literature Awards at the University of Botswana recently.
In an interview, Otukile said Mulher Forte was a Portuguese phrase simply meaning a strong woman. The Mulher Forte African Literature Awards (Pty) Ltd company was registered on September 8, 2020 and its aim is to give recognition to literature in Africa.
The company will create literature awards competition annually and interactive literature webinars, workshops and debates.
“I was inspired by the love of African narrative and saw the need in the book industry market to create a platform that can give literature recognition. African writers from all over the continent are eligible to partake in these awards.
"The rise of self publishing reduced the quality of books and let to a rise of more authors. Hence in Africa people write but do not gain anything out of it. Mulher forte was created to help reduce the rise of bogus publishers who scam people of their money online, so many young Africans can easily search reputable publishers from Mulher Forte African literature page on Facebook and publish,” she said.
She said Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Lesotho, Sierra Leone, Cape Verde, South Sudan, Zambia, Uganda, Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, Angola Swaziland, Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, are part of the competition.
Otukile, however, explained that they intended to extend the invite to more African countries especially the francophone in the third annual awards. The awards are said to be strictly for only African writers as well poets and those
in the publishing industry because the aim was to unite Africa and improve the quality of performance and writing.
This year, Otukile pointed out that they did not find sponsors locally. She said they pitched at the Ministry of Youth Sports and Culture in Gaborone but were advised to apply at her home village, Mahalapye even though she already moved to Gaborone.
She, however, did not let that demoralise her, but she knocked on other doors.
Botswana National Library Services liked the project but there is delay in coming up with a working plan for the two. Writers Pen in Kenya, Read Us Africa Book Club in Uganda, Bothata Kennedy Silase Foundation in Lesotho offered different sponsorships.
South African author Amanda Buwa launched her debut book Bedroom Tears With My Therapist at the Mendi Arts Centre on Sunday afternoon.
Now 42 and raising a child of her own, Buwa’s upbringing was riddled with societal, mental and emotional challenges.
Growing up in a township where mental health was a taboo topic, the single mother said she saw the ripple effect in her 20s.
Buwa, who also found herself drowning in the cycle of alcoholism, shares her life experiences in her book, titled Bedroom Tears With My Therapist.
“I have gone through trials and tribulations that most girls in their 20s or even older are going through in their day-today life.
“Nonetheless, I remain a very positive, strong woman, who always believes in turning any negative situation into positivity,” Buwa said.
In her book, she details how her own alcoholism affected her life choices.
The writer further highlights the importance of therapy and the will to change one’s circumstances despite challenges.
“I also touch on the importance of seeking help to be able to transform to being a better individual, an individual who is mostly able to strive to be the best, and giving it all to remain positive.
“I know that in the black community it is seen as taboo to seek help and talk to a stranger about mental health,” she said.
Buwa said she wrote the book with the black community in mind and hoped to encourage parents to pay close attention to their children and create safe spaces for families to open up about their emotions.
In our continuing series, we share opportunities for those who wish to submit work be it poetry, prose, or other related arts in March 2022. These callouts are divided into journals, publishers, prizes, and education (MFAs, Fellowships, residencies).
Publishers
Narrative Landscape
Narrative Landscape Press is calling on suitable applicants for an eight-week internship. Successful candidates will work remotely & be paid a stipend.
Deadline: March 22 Details: On poster
Farafina
Farafina is one of the leading publishers based in Nigeria. They have made their annual call for submissions.
Call for submissions from artists and writers for a special edition of Omenana Speculative Fiction Magazine.
As we put pen to paper, it was literally raining coups in Africa.
From Sudan to Mali, from Burkina Faso to Equatorial Guinea to Niger, one hears either of violent truncation of government or an attempt at seizing the reins of power by gun wielding soldiers who purport to act for the greater good of the country.
Democracy, the system of governance that best serves the interest of the individual by allowing them a say in who governs them and how they are governed, is in peril. With this backdrop, Omenana Speculative Fiction Magazine in partnership with the National Democratic Institute (NDI) – a US-based non-governmental organisation that works to strengthen democracy – is calling for submissions for a special themed edition that explores positive visions of democracy.
Note that some of the stories in this special edition will form part of a global anthology edited by Dr. Amy Johnson in late 2022. Stories for the anthology will be selected from Omenana and two other great SF magazines from South America (Mafagafo and A Taverna) and an SF magazine based in Asia (Mithila Review).
Pan-African arts and literature collective, Jalada Africa, confirms Resistanceas the theme for Jalada 10 and opens its call for submissions.
Rooted in the Latin word resistere—to make a stand, to oppose, to be dissident—resistance evokes images: of Mandela at Robben Island bearing the dreams of his people, of Che at the beachfront in Havana framed by Alberto Korda; of a little girl reading Little Women by lamplight, defiant of Boko Haram and fundamentalist terrors; of Kenya’s Freedom Corner Mothers who staged a hunger strike and stripped down to stop senseless violence and secure the release of their sons detained as political prisoners; of young protesters across the globe united by a single banner–that #BlackLivesMatter; of the lonesome poet or painter locked down in this period of pandemics and upheavals, creating nonetheless. Deadline: Not indicated Details:Click here
Ipikai Poetry Journal
Ipikai a new online poetry journal, an initiative of the new Zimbabwe Poets Society open to Zimbabwean poets at home and abroad.
ArabLit Quarterly is a literary magazine that brings together Arabic literature, essays, wordplay, art, music, and food in translation, founded in 2018.
This issue will be guest-edited by Anam Zafar and Nadiyah Abdullatif. We are looking for writing in or about a JOKE, however that may be interpreted. Whether this is a literal knock-knock joke, or a meme, or a person who’s a joke, or a reflection on humor from the 10th century—we’re interested in it all. We are happy to accept a pitch as a submission.
TVOTRIBE is a community of proud and constantly evolving African Creatives. We focus on inspiring one another to becoming the best representation of Africa and changing the narrative of the African literary world.
A magazine of Nigerian criticism, we represent a space of literary discourse that is serious-minded and grounded in critical analysis. We are also a space for language to thrive and illuminate our minds, doing the following: book reviews, culture writing, popular writing, and literary criticism.
We are open for reviews and essays submission. We prefer reviews for mainstream literature Nigerian books. Essays can be on a wide-range of topics peculiar with the Nigerian (or African) art and literature sphere.
Shiwaki is short for Shirika La Waandishi Wa Lugha Ya Kiswahili which in English is the federation of writers in Kiswahili. If you wish to submit your writing in Kiswahili, here is your chance.
From the sandy shores of Senegal, to the backstreets of Mozambique, if you write short fiction, we want to hear from you. What exactly are we looking for?
Decolonial Passage presents each distinct piece of writing as a passage worthy of readers’ attention in which writers create texts to articulate a variety of themata affecting the human condition including, but not limited to authenticity, liberty, alienation, dignity, community, and boundless love. Decolonial Passage publishes writing from emerging and established writers who use language and form in innovative ways.
Olúmọ Review seeks amazing poetry – poetry that is bold, poetry that would collide with rocks and grind them to powder, that sparks curiosity, that intrigues the intellect, that kicks in the teeth, that guts the heart, that says something genuine about the world as well as the individual. We celebrate diversity and are open to diverse styles, forms, and kinds of poetry, about any and all subjects.
Nigeria Prize for Literature is a Nigerian literary award given annually since 2004 to honor literary erudition by Nigerian authors. The award rotates among four genres; fiction, poetry, drama and children’s literature, repeating the cycle every four years.
The prize this year will be handed out for poetry and will hand out 100,000 to the winner.
Created in 2017 as an avenue for fresh writers to showcase their manuscripts to the global literary community, and contribute their works to the canonisation of Africa literature, the Quramo Writers’ Prize celebrates unpublished writers who are working every day to hone their craft and record our continent’s original stories. The prize aims to encourage and stimulate a new community of talented writers, providing an opportunity for otherwise unexposed talent to achieve publishing recognition and encouragement.
For Quramo Writers’ Prize 2022, we are inviting unpublished African writers to submit an original manuscript in fiction prose, with a minimum word count of 30,000. An ‘African’ writer is taken to mean someone who is a citizen of an African country, or who has a parent who is African by birth or nationality, living anywhere in the world. The Prize is awarded to an original fiction prose manuscript by an unpublished African writer. ‘Unpublished is taken to mean the writer has never traditionally, digitally or self-published his writing in book format before. Each entry must be an original, unpublished work of fiction.
Now in its third year, the theme for this year’s edition of the Toyin Falola Prize is Freedom. However, freedom is conceived very broadly, for it means several things and can be several things too. It could be a physical condition, psychological, geopolitical, or even spiritual. Still, at the heart of the lexical item’s several interpretations is a roaming spirit, since to be free is to defy bounds: i.e., to have the capacity to not be pinned down. To what extent is this true or false? We want your story to answer this.
The 2022 BBC Young Writers’ Award with Cambridge University (YWA) is now open for entries. Now in its eighth year, the BBC Young Writers’ Award with Cambridge University invites all young people in the UK aged between 14-18 years to submit stories of up to 1,000 words.
Open to any children’s, YA or adult book published in 2021 by a UK author. Publishers can submit up to 5 books and self-published authors can submit up to 2 books.
The Hugo Award is the leading award for excellence in the field of science fiction and fantasy. The Hugos were first presented in 1953 and have been awarded every year since 1955 by the members of the World Science Fiction Society (Worldcon members) at the World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon).
Nominations for the 2022 Hugo Awards, Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book, and Astounding Award for Best New Writer are now open.
International Publishers Association Prix Voltaire 2022
The Geneva-based International Publishers Association (IPA) has made a call for nominations for the 2022 IPA Prix Voltaire for exemplary courage in upholding the Freedom to Publish and enabling others to exercise their freedom of expression.
Exceptionally international in scope, the prize supports writers who have not yet published a book-length work, with no limits on age, gender, nationality, or background. The winners of each category will receive a £1,000 cash prize and publication, and will be published in Wasafiri’s print magazine. Shortlisted writers will have their work published on Wasafiri’s website. All fifteen shortlistees and winners will also be offered the Chapter and Verse or Free Reads mentoring scheme in partnership with The Literary Consultancy (dependent on eligibility), and a conversation with Nikesh Shukla of The Good Literary Agency to discuss their career progression.
The James Currey Prize for African Literature is an annual award for the best unpublished work of fiction written in English by any writer, set in Africa or on Africans in Africa or in Diaspora. It was established in 2020 by Nigerian writer, filmmaker and publisher of Hattus Books, Onyeka Nwelue, in honour of James Currey, the leading publisher of academic books on Africa – dedicated to distributing books about Africa in Africa.
University of East Anglia Writer Master Class (English and Kiswahili)
Are you in East Africa with a short story idea or an unpublished short story which could use some panel-beating from more experienced hands in the trade and possibly make it into an anthology? The University of East Anglia’s International Chair of Creative Writing Programme, led by Tsitsi Dangarembga invites you to submit your 2,000-3,000 word short story in English or Kiswahili to stand a chance to take part in a week’s residential Masterclass 4-9 July 2022 in Nairobi, Kenya to nairobisubmissions@gmail.com from now until Midnight on 9 May, 2022.
Story submissions in either of the two languages from writers based in Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda will go through a first draft edit via email before final selection of participants who are expected to be in Nairobi during the week of the Masterclass at their own cost (we will make suggestions for low-cost accommodation). Participants in the Masterclass stand a chance of being published in two anthologies with Kiswahili stories translated into English and English stories translated in Kiswahili. The Masterclass that will be facilitated by Elias Mutani (Kiswahili) and Zukiswa Wanner (English) along with guest visits/readings from Tsitsi Dangarembga and the University of East Anglia’s director of Creative Writing and the International Chair programme Jean McNeil.
