News & Events, February '10

Books, journals, literary festivals & writing

A new anthology of poetry edited and preface by Alain Mabanckou brings together leading authors of French-speaking black Africa (Léopold Sédar Senghor, Diop Birago Bernard Dadi, Jacques Rabemananjara, Jean-Baptiste Tati Loutard and Tchicaya Tam'si U). More here. Also just out is Mabanckou’s "self-aggrandising SAPE" (La Société des Ambianceurs et Personnes Elégantes) novel Black Bazar. More here.

Ed Pavlic, has a new book out with Chinua Achebe Center. But Here Are Small Clear Refractions is based on the dhow trip Pavlic took around the Kenyan Archipelago in 2006, together with Binyavanga Wainaina, Martin Kimani, Usama Goldstein, Mike Vazquez, Gary Dauphin, and YT, among several other people. Wainaina describes it as “one of those giant dangerous worlds poets and writers sometimes forget it is our job to make. Contact achebecenter@bard.edu for a copy.

"Between imperialism and fatalism, there had to be a third way, one that would not inflict itself on anyone but which would avoid the lure of submission." Cameroonian author Léonora Miano's Dark Heart of the Night is now available. Get it here. 

Infamous Egyptian avant garde magazine Al-Kitabah Al-Ukhra (The Other Writing), described as "a sort of Howl of the Nineties in Egypt," makes a come back after almost 20 years. More here. 

13th Time of the Writer International Writers Festival  (March 9-13) in Durban features Uwem Akpan, Zakes Mda, Imraan Coovadia, Andile Mngxitama, Léonora Miano and A Dennis Brutus Tribute Evening. And Ivan Vladislavic, Imraan Coovadia, Mandla Langa, Jacob Dlamini and Véronique Tadjo are at the Franschhoek Literary Festival in May.

Wasafiri’s annual new writing prize is now in its second year. The competition is open to anyone worldwide who has not published a complete book. Send creative submissions in one of three categories: Poetry, Fiction or Life Writing. Details here.

Writer A. Igoni Barrett (author of From Caves of Rotten Teeth and convener of the "9 Writers, 4 Cities" book tour) hosts The BookJam @ Silverbird a series of literary events in Lagos. Catch Kaine Agary, Jude Dibia, Michela Wrong and Eghosa Imasuen at the first session on February 27. 

Black Flame: the revolutionary class politics of anarchism and syndicalism by Lucien van der Walt and Michael Schmidt examines the anti-authoritarian class politics of the anarchist/ syndicalist movement, and its 150 years of popular struggle on 5 continents with close attention to Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Latin America. It’s launching in Cape Town on March 11 at 5.30pm at  The Book Lounge.

Trickster City is now available. Published by Sarai, it’s a groundbreaking collection of writings about the South Asian city that explores the chaos, uncertainties and contradictions of the city as an overwhelming, inescapable inner reality in twenty-first century India, Get it here.

The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Eyo by Abidemi Sanusi,
I Do Not Come to You by Chance by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani , The Shadow of a Smile by Kachi Ozumba, Harmattan Rain by Aysha Harunna Attah are amongst the books nominated for this year’s Commonwealth Writers’ Prize.

Art

Meschac Gaba's Museum of Contemporary African Art will be exhibited at the Las Palmas museum from February 5 till March 28. Gaba's museum has no fixed headquarters. It is a nomadic institution, inaugurated in 1997, that explores identity and the phenomenon of fashion, the value that we granted to money and of the relation established between art and life. Chimurenga magazine will be available for purchase there/ during exhibition tenure.

CCA Lagos presents On Independence and the Ambivalence of Promise, a year-long programme that celebrates the 50th anniversary of Independence of seventeen African countries Participating artists include Akinbode Akinbiyi, Simon Njami, Senam Okudzeto, Adeniyi Odeleye, Landry Mbassi, Sabelo Mlangeni, Mauro Pinto and more. /

Catch VANDALIZIM, a live performance presented by The Zimology Institute and film by African Noise Foundation featuring musicians Zim Ngqawana and Kyle Shepherd, filmmaker Aryan Kaganof and photographer Andrew Tshabangu. March 7, 3 to 6pm at Gallery Momo. More here.

The RZA take up painting. His Legacy Series features painted reimaginings of Emanuel Leutze’s Washington crossing the Delaware, with RZA as Washington, with GZA and O.D.B. at his side. Get your own here.  

Music

Motuki, a deep and groovy modern afro soul by Neo Muyanga with Bibi Tanga and the Selenites in le Professeur Inlassable’s Parisian studio in now available. Get it on a vynil 7’’ and all legal download platforms.

Composer and sound artists Victor Gama is playing at Carnegie Hall in New York on  March 12. Five years in the making, his piece Rio Cunene is premiered by The Kronos Quartet. Details here.

This year’s annual African Soul Rebels national UK tour, Music Beyond Mainstream features Oumou Sangaré, Orchestre Poly-Rythmo De Cotonou and Kalahari Surfers with Lesego Rampolokeng. More info and tickets.

"When you’re listening to this album it’s like you’re reading a book about Ali," Toumani Diabaté. Ali and Toumani captures Ali Farka Touré’s last studio session with Toumani Diabaté recorded in 2005, and also featuring the late Orlando 'Cachaíto' López on bass. Details here.