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Africa and the Frankfurt Book Fair 2021 – Part 1 – Roundup and Interviews
After the almost complete standstill in 2020, this year there was a cautious approach to earlier times. There was hardly any crowding, many halls were very airy with stands. The usual crowds, the sheer abundance of stands were not there this time. After more than 300,00 visitors in 2019, there were now 70,000, including 35,000 mtrade visitors. It was very noticeable among the international publishers, some of whom stayed away or were there with a smaller presence or joint stands. Cultureafrica also visited and looked around at the African publishers and the publishers with African authors.
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Friedenspreis 2021 for Tsitsi Dangarembga: This planet today urgently needs a new Enlightenment! ger/engl
Tsitsi Dangarembga is not only a worthy laureate, she is, as the speech also showed, a thinker of substance, as Zimbabwe and the whole of Africa needs her, and perhaps even more so the West. If it can finally listen to voices that have actually always been there.
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Tsitsi Dangarembga – Friedenspreis 2021_Portrait from shonatiger (Zimbabwe)
The Friedenspreis des Deutschen Buchhandels is the latest award. Congratulations to one of my personal literary heroes! I am so glad for her that she's also being recognised for her heroism in standing up for the rights of Zimbabweans, in addition to her well-deserved literary acclaim.
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Invisible Inventories – Nairobi – Cologne – now Frankfurt – Interview mit/with Leonie Neumann ger/engl
We do not avoid conflicts, but certainly this project has become very big and has connected many houses. It is also an opportunity for our house to learn from it for future projects, to grow from it and also to learn through dialogue and discussion with those affected, the representatives of the communities.
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Learning Feminism from Ruanda – Flinn Works Berlin Interview – ger/engl
Vor einem Jahr berichtete ich über das Theaterprojekt Learning Feminism from Ruanda von Flinn Works. Die gepante Tournee im Spätherbst 2020 und Anfang 2021 fiel den Corona Restriktionen zum Opfer. Theater wurden geschlossen. Doch das spektakuläre Stück is back. Mit zunächst Aufführungen in Freiburg und Hannover. It's a year ago, I made the article about the theater performance from the German Ruandan project 'learning feminism from ruanda'. Covid stopped the Performances. But now they are back.
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African Cinema into the Future – Wo liegt die Zukunft des afrikanischen Films? ger/engl
In the era of market-driven streaming, what are the pitfalls and potentials for African cinema? Wo liegen im Zeitalter des marktgesteuerten Streamings die Fallstricke und Potenziale für das afrikanische Kino?
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We want to build Bridges – 1st Salon de Livre Africain in Paris – Interview in fr/engl/d
Le public était visiblement enthousiasmé par l'abondance de la littérature africaine, qui est rarement proposée sous cette forme. En conséquence, les visiteurs étaient impatients d'acheter. Beaucoup avaient des piles de livres sous le bras. L'absence de librairies appropriées, ou le fait que de nombreux livres ne sont pas exposés dans les magasins, est un défaut majeur de la littérature africaine et de ses éditeurs. Il existe également de grandes différences en Afrique.
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Shona_ Book Review – Rhodesia und Who killed Hammarskjöld?
Two exciting political books on African contemporary history are the focus of shonas book review. One book deals with the history of Rhodesia, today's Zimbabwe, the second shows the international machinations in connection with the death of UN Secretary-General Hammarskjöld in the 1960s.
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SiHene: Preserving Ghana’s Cultural Heritage – Interview with Founder Rita Mawuena Benissan engl/ger
Si Hene, in her own words "serves to preserve the archives of the Chieftaincy and traditional culture of Ghana, bringing accessibility and awareness of our culture. We provide a deeper perspective and preserves the legacy of the individuals that once ruled from the 1800s to the modern day. We hope through this foundation to reclaim the power as Ghanaians and bring more accessibility to learn about our royal history!" Si.Hene is very sucessful on social media, shares many unseen photos and film clips and comments.
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shonareads – Favourite Books of 2021 (so far) engl/ger
shontiger from Zimbabwe regularly writes reviews of books she reads for cultureafrica. African authors, but also about all other fiction and non-fiction books. Always in her refreshingly personal view.