Hans
Hans Hofele, M. A., studierte Theater/Filmwissenschaften, Politik und Geschichte an der Ruhr-Universität Bochum. Zusammenarbeit mit dem Heroe Book Festival in Mombasa, dem African Book Festival in Berlin, den 72 heures de livre in Conakry. Er arbeitet als editor beim Öffentlich Rechtlichen Rundfunk in Frankfurt am Main. Mitarbeit an Dokumentationen, Reportagen, Beiträgen für ARD, arte, hr, und kika. Schreibt außerdem für verschiedene Zeitungen wie Frankfurter Neue Presse, Südwestpresse, Badische Zeitung, Stuttgarter Zeitung.
-
The Transcendental Poetry Of Naomi Waweru // by Frank Njugi //english_deutsch
“At sixteen, I am allowed to love a boy whose cheekbone is an analogy for how heavens hold rain intact just for Sunday mornings.” This is how my most memorable line from a Kenyan poem goes. A mesmerising line from a poem titled Analogy, published in the Liberian literary magazine Pepper Coast Lit, written by Naomi Waweru, who is perhaps one of the most exciting poets to emerge from Kenya in recent times.
-
Chronicling the Kenyan Music Industry – An Interview with John Muchiri by Lorna Likiza // english_deutsch
Kenya has massive talent. The only problem is that many musicians haven’t yet mastered how to market themselves internationally. From the people I have interacted with in the UK in the music scene, Kenya is considered a very prime market for entertainment but we need to get out of our comfort zone. We need to think beyond our comfort zone which is the East African Market. We need to be more strategic. We also need to invest heavily in our music. So to be precise, the three things we need to master are Management, Marketing and Strategy which our Nigerian counterparts have long mastered.
-
Successful this time! International German Film Festival Berlinale 2024 and Africa deutsch-english
Which Way Africa? is the title of a film by Congolese director David-Pierre Fila, which is screening at the Berlinale. The 74th edition of the Berlin Film Festival started this year under the chairmanship of Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong'o. This remarkable decision to choose Nyong'o as jury president gives us a glimpse of the presence of African actors and especially African productions. The Berlinale, as the festival is called, is, it should be noted, a European festival. In the past, African productions have played a rather minor role. In the wake of outstanding productions from the continent, the growing attention for actors, producers, musicians and directors from Africa, also involved in international co-productions, Africa can simply no longer be…
-
Bayreuther Klangprojekt: Bayreuth Gathering Brings Sonic Artists Under One Roof – by Tonderai Chiyindiko engl/ger
Hosted by the University of Bayreuth, Germany the Critical: Hope. Exercises in Borderlands is a gathering which will feature multiple offerings conceptualised, curated and hosted by Eylem Camuroglu, Serawit Debele as well as Katharina Fink, who is the founder and director of the Johannesburg based Sophiatown Arts Akademy.
-
African Author Spotlight – An Interview with Dennis Mugaa_ Engl/Ger
Dennis Mugaa is a Kenyan Writer whose debut collection of Short Stories, Half Portraits Underwater, is set for release in 2024 by Nigerian Publisher, Masobe Books. No stranger to the literary scene, he won the 2022 Black Warrior Review Fiction Contest, was shortlisted for Isele Magazine’s inaugural Short Story Prize and was longlisted for the 2021 Afritondo Short Story Prize. Additionally, his works have been featured in various literary journals across Africa and overseas.
-
African Publishers on the Book Fair in Frankfurt: And The Story Goes On english/deutsch
It was another real book fair in Frankfurt. One with lots of visitors, almost like before the pandemic. The last three years were empty, the book fair only took place online once, the two years after that it was a very limited event. But even during this time, when visitors were rather rare, smaller publishers from the continent also showed up at the fair at the invitation of the Frankfurt Book Fair, the Invitation Program https://www.buchmesse.de/en/fellowship-and-grant-programmes/frankfurt-invitation-programmes, cultureafrica.net reported on this. So this year it was once again a crowd-puller. And in Hall 6, where the publishers and networks from Africa were to be found, there was also a lot going on again. This is the 75th edition of this huge…
-
Nuria Book Store – Customers First! Behind the scenes of one of Africa’s biggest Online Bookstores_ english/deutsch
A success story from Kenya: Nuria bookstore is the biggest online book store in East Africa. From its headquarter in Nairobi, Abdullahi Bulle manages the distribution and customer service of Nuria. A clever customer orientated online surface makes it easy for sellers and buyers. And the big threat Amazon ist still far away. The online market can be an advantage for native companies like Nuria. We have a talk with founder Abdullahi Bulle.
-
African Book Festival in Berlin – Three Days of Literature and Pleasure – deutsch-english
Once again, the large number of visitors to the ABF, most of them young people, gives one hope that African literature can be very much alive. Whoever gets involved in this festival for three days can get very close to African literature. All authors are present for the whole three days, they are not flown in for a short time but spend the days at the festival. And if you want, you can get very close to them. You can sit down with them and talk.
-
The House of Rust and Swahili Culture – Interview with Mombasa writer Khadija Abdalla Bajaber -engl
Khadija Bajaber had written a successful book last year, The House of Rust, which was recognized very well in african countries and abroad (see also the review of Lorna Likiza on this site). Raised and living in Mombasa, Kenya, she is strongly influenced with Swahili Culture and its long and rich history. This year, Khadija Bajaber is an invited guest at the African Book Festival in Berlin. I took the chance to talk to her before she left for Europe. And, yes, the answers are longer than in usual interviews. But its published here in full lenght version. For the first issue, only in english this time.
-
African Book Festival Berlin 2023: Boost for African Literature in Germany. Interview mit/with Co-Organizer Venice Trommer
This year, the African Book Festival in Berlin will take place for the fifth time. In recent years, it has developed into one of the most important festivals for African literature in Germany and Europe. It is a public festival in the classical sense. And it has successfully survived the restrictions of the pandemic years. The appetite for African literature is greater than ever. One feature of the ABF is that the program is designed by African curators. The organizer, InterKontinental e.V., selects a literary personality each year. This curatorial principle, which has characterized the last editions, was cancelled this year with a bang. Shortly after the announcement of this year's curator, Mohamedou Ould Slahi, a storm of indignation…
