• 10q4 bajaber art
    Interview,  Kenya,  Literatur/Book Review,  Swahili

    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.

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    Book Fair,  Africa,  Germany,  Interview

    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 briefly broke out in the German media. The past of the well-known author , who was innocently imprisoned in Guanánamo for years, was again publicly…

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    Africa,  Geschichte/History,  Literatur/Book Review

    An Uncomfortable Truth: Howard W. French: Born in Blackness – Afrika und die Entstehung der modernen Welt_deutsch_englisch

    Africa and the Making of the Modern World, now published in German by Klett-Cotta, is to be seen as an important contribution in the reinterpretation of historical facts and contexts. The striking thing is not only the many facts that French presents. It becomes clear relatively early in the reading that it is above all the concealment or negation of facts and contexts that have made possible a revelation of one of the darkest chapters of Western history. A central thesis of the book is that Africa with its resources of gold and forced laborers, over twelve million slaves and the market for textiles, made an unheard-of rise of the European seafaring nations such as Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, France and England, later also the slave-holding nation USA, possible. Afrika und die Entstehung der modernen Welt, auf deutsch jetzt bei Klett-Cotta erschienen, ist als…

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    Art/Kunst,  Event,  Kenya,  Kunst/Art

    Is there Anybody Out There? Nairobi Space Station – Kairos Futura Artist Project Starts this March_deutsch/englisch

    They look like the futuristic Space Guerilla. From 18 March, they will make Kanairo unsafe. That is the Sheng name for Kenya's capital Nairobi. The venerable MacMillian Library in the centre will kick off the launch. It becomes a space station. They have camels with them with Massai blankets. The olive overalls are well tailored, the steel masks make them look martial. With this project, the Kairos Futura artists' group puts a big exclamation mark on Nairobi's Design Week. But it is not only about spectacle. The artists' collective, consisting of artists, designers, scientists and environmentalists, wants more: visions and proposals for an environmentally friendly Nairobi. It is about reclaiming urban space, about the "rewilding" of inner-city areas. They are also supported by famous Wajuuku Arts collective, Nairobi based and worldwide recognized.

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    Allgemein,  Film Review,  Nigeria

    A REVIEW OF SOÓLÉ, A NETFLIX MOVIE_FILMBESPRECHUNG_ENGL_DEUTSCH

    A REVIEW OF SOOLE, A NETFLIX MOVIE cultureafrica reviews netflix series and movies dealing with african or african-american content. Documentaries, Feature Films and Music Events. We have a look on it. Lorna Likiza watched the Nigerian production “Soole”. You can find the film still on Netflix. FÜR DIE DEUTSCHE VERSION NACH UNTEN SCROLLEN By Lorna Likiza When was the last time you watched a movie and laughed your head off? Such was the case for me when I finally watched Soole, a 2021 Nigerian film production by Adunni Ade and directed by Kayode Kasum. You see, I had long given up on Nollywood with its repetitive and overdramatic style of films until Netflix came along and Nigerian movies became more explorative. In my opinion, Soole is a Thriller/Drama with just the right dose of comedy and a touch of magical realism. The story begins…

  • 800px Kenya Railways DF8B locomotive on the new SGR line 06 06 2017 e1673968802861
    Africa,  Economy,  Gesellschaft/Society,  Train

    Take the A-Train! Renaissance of the Train/der Eisenbahn im südlichen Afrika_ger/engl

    Take the A-Train! Djibouti-Abbis Abbeba, Nairobi-Mombasa, Accra-Tema, Kampala-Kigali,...The railroad is back! After decades of lethargy and decay, there seems to be no stopping it. In many countries of Sub-Saharan Africa, there are a multitude of construction projects, some of which cross borders to advance the train. Not only goods, but also people are being moved. And they are riding along enthusiastically. This is a development that is very much under steam, as a veritable competition has picked up speed. Not all of the projects are successful, railroad construction is complex. Many projects are calculated purely in economic terms. But there is a great chance that the railroad will be more than an economic engine: a transnational vehicle that connects people. And that not only tourists will move through the country, but everyone who wants to, can and must.