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From Capital of Books to an International Book Event: Les 72 Heurs du Livre in Guinea- engl/ger/fre
This week, the book fair "72 Heures du Livre" starts for the 14th time in the capital Conakry of the West African Guinea. Book fair? Guinea? Exactly. What started here 14 years ago on a small scale has since developed into an international cultural event that has become known far beyond the borders of Guinea. In 2017, Conakry was even awarded the title "Capital du Livre" by UNESCO. An enormous boost and impetus for even more book-related activities.
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A phantastic Mombasa journey: The House of Rust – Book Review by Lorna Likiza – engl/ger
A phantastic Mombasa journey: "The House of Rust is an enchanting novel about a Hadhrami girl in Mombasa. When her fisherman father goes missing, Aisha takes to the sea on a magical boat made of a skeleton to rescue him. She is guided by a talking scholar’s cat (and soon crows, goats, and other animals all have their say, too). On this journey Aisha meets three terrifying sea monsters." (Graywolf Press) Khadija Abdallah Bajaber's, THE HOUSE OF RUST, is proof of that the fantasy genre has a future in Kenyan literature.
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I ve got the power! Interview with musician Melane ger/engl
On the first of April her next single "Pona Libela" will be released, the video one day later on Youtube: We are talking about Melane Nkounkolo better known as Melane. She is the power woman and jack-of-all-trades, musically elusive. Definitely influenced by her parents' homeland, which is the Republic of Congo in western Central Africa. Melane stands for many directions in modern pop music, but the traditions are still easy to hear. But Melane stands for much more: music production!blogging!African studies!empowerment!
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Barefoot in Germany – Interview with/mit Rwandan/German author Tete Loeper engl/ger
At the end of 2020, cultureafrica reported on the book Barefoot in Germany, which was published in English. It is written by the Rwandan-German author Tete Loeper. Tete Loeper herself grew up in Rwanda in the 1990s, spending time in Burundi and Congo during the genocide. In Rwanda, she worked in projects with girls at risk and also gathered information there for her later book. Barefoot in Germany is about the (fictional) life of the young Mutoni from Rwanda. Her dramatic life, which begins in the red-light district of Hamburg, soon turns to the southern German province of a small town. There she is met not only by helpfulness but also by a world of prejudice, complacency and ignorance. In this world, the young Mutoni must assert herself. Tete Loeper’s novel has now been published in German. It is a mirror into German society.…
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Not only on Woman’s Day – African Must Read Literature by Shonatiger
IWD 2022: African women writers you absolutely must read (and others on my reading list) To celebrate this year’s International Women’s Day, here’s a non-exhaustive list of some excellent African women writers, and the books that put them on my list. If you click on the name, you will be taken to the author’s Wikipedia page, where available. Where I wrote a review on my blog, I have added the link below. Petina Gappah I’m in awe of Ms Gappah’s writing, which in my opinion is always excellent, with her distinct authorial voice. My post on Out of Darkness, Shining Light. Molara Wood I loved this collection. My post on Indigo. Yvonne Vera Yvonne Vera is one of the giants of Zimbabwean literature. My post on Butterfly Burning here, and on The Stone Virgins here. Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi Another amazing writer, consistently…
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10 African Songs of the last Decade you should know_engl/ger
African secular music has always been evolving with new sounds and genres being birthed on a regular. However, it’s in the past decade (2010-2020) when African music has really come into one with lots of inter-country collaborations. Music is indeed powerful if it can get people dancing even though they do not even understand what is being sung. African music has successfully proven this over time. Nowadays, somebody in Ghana could as well be enjoying music from Uganda and vice versa. With music videos being released on YouTube and music streaming services readily available, the rest of the world too gets to discover African music.
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Akono Publishing and Blog – Spot on Africa: Afrikanische Literaturen und Kultur sichtbar machen – Interview – ger/engl
Akono Publishing and Blog: It was important to me to present African realities of life through literature and to work towards translating these literatures. Historical fiction is a focus in the publishing programme, African perspectives from Africa and not from Europe. Mir war es wichtig, über die Literatur afrikanische Lebensrealitäten darzustellen und daran mitzuwirken, dass diese Literaturen übersetzt werden. Historische Fiktion ist ein Schwerpunkt im Verlagsprogramm, afrikanische Perspektiven aus Afrika und nicht aus Europa.
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„It can’t just be about technology. Much more needs to be changed, especially the mindset.“ 3Es4Africa: Interview with Contimi Kenfack Mouafo ger/engl
Education-Empowerment-Ecofriendliness, das sind die drei Es, die Ländern in Afrika bessere Perspektiven geben sollen. Ein gemeinnütziger Verein aus Aachen in Deutschland will diese Perspektiven bieten. Das Besondere ist ist nicht, dass der Verein aus Deutschland kommt. Das Besondere ist, dass es überwiegend in Deutschland lebende afrikanische Studierende sind, die dieses Projekt 2020 aus der Taufe gehoben haben und auch betreiben. Voller Enthusiasmus und mit viel Engagement wollen sie eine Lücke im europäischen Entwicklungsfeld mit Afrika schließen, die es so bisher nicht gab: Zusammenarbeit auf Augenhöhe, Gleichberechtigung und Fairness. Studierende und Promovierende in Kamerun, Ghana und Namibia sind an diesen Projekten beteiligt. Gründungsmitglied des Vereins und Vorstandsvorsitzender ist der gebürtige Kameruner Contimi Kenfack Mouafo. Das Interview führte Hans Hofele für cultureafrica. German and English
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Tsitsi Dangarembga and much more: Orlanda Verlag /Publishing House Berlin- Interview ger/engl
Orlanda Verlag. Das ist ein klingender Name in der Verlagswelt. Vom Namen her gibt es ihn seit 1974 und wurde als engagierter Frauenbuchverlag in Deutschland bekannt. Auch die afro-deutsche Schriftstellerin May Ayim hatte bei Orlanda ihr Zuhause. FOR ENGLISH VERSION PLEASE SCROLL DOWN Der Orlanda Verlag, wie er heute besteht, hat sich ab 2017 strukturell verändert. Personell, strukturell und inhaltlich ist er anders geworden. Erfolgreich obendrein: Die Autobiographie »Mist, die versteht mich ja« von Florence Brokowski-Shekete wurde zum Bestseller, Tstsi Dangarembga, deren deutsche Übersetzungen bei Orlanda erscheinen, wurde der Friedenspreis des Deutschen Buchhandels verliehen. Der Verlag hat außerdem den von der Kulturstaatsministerin verliehenen „Deutschen Verlagspreis 2021“ bekommen. Die Bücher spiegeln das Verlagsmotto „Frauen, Weltkultur, Bewegung“ wieder. Sachbücher über Afro-Deutsche Geschichte, Migration, Aufklärung, Sexualität. Neben Tsitsi Dangarembga kommt auch Tete Loepers „Barfuß in Deutschland“ als deutsche Übersetzung auf den Markt. Neu im Verlagsprogramm sind auch…
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Softie – Kenya’s Political Documentary Sensation – Interview with Sam Soko and Njeri Mwangi
Boniface “Softie” Mwangi has long fought injustices in his country as a political activist. Now he’s running for office in a regional Kenyan election. Softie follows Boniface from the moment Boniface decides to run, telling his wife, Njeri, in passing with a hesitant laugh, he responds to each challenge with optimism. But running a clean campaign against corrupt opponents becomes increasingly harder to combat with idealism alone. And Boniface soon finds that challenging strong political dynasties is putting his family at risk. Should country really come before family, as he’s always believed?
