The Stone Virgins- Yvonne Vera (Zimbabwe)
"At times bordering on a prose poem, this dense, kaleidoscopic novel by Zimbabwean
author Vera (Butterfly Burning) is set against the civil war that ravaged her country in the
early 1980s, shortly after Zimbabwe won its independence from Britain. The story takes
place largely in the rural outpost of Kezi, a small hamlet of mud huts 200 kilometers
away from the city of Bulawayo. The heart of Kezi is Thandabantu Store, one of the few
commercial establishments, site of the bus stop and Kezi's only phone booth (which
has neither wires nor handset), and the town's unofficial gathering place. Here a young
woman named Thenjiwe meets a worldly museum curator from Bulawayo and begins
a tentative affair. The civil war intrudes, however. Caught up in the orgiastic killing frenzy,
a soldier named Sibaso murders Thenjiwe and rapes and mutilates her sister
Nonceba. Thandabantu Store is destroyed in a final conflagration, but Nonceba finds
her way to Bulawayo and takes shelter with Thenjiwe's former lover, offering a pallid ray
of hope. The story shifts between the perspectives of Thenjiwe, Nonceba and Sibaso.
Vera's impressionistic writing can make it difficult to grasp the political context and
chronology of the war, but it perfectly captures the terrifying chaos of the fighting, as well
as the rhythms of provincial African life ("In truth, the bus drives from Bulawayo to Kezi....
But on the slim wooden plaque suspended next to the conductor's window, Kezi comes
first, and in the minds of the residents of Kezi, of course, Kezi comes first: the bus,
therefore, is seen as driving from Kezi to Bulawayo")."
Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.
"At times bordering on a prose poem, this dense, kaleidoscopic novel by Zimbabwean
author Vera (Butterfly Burning) is set against the civil war that ravaged her country in the
early 1980s, shortly after Zimbabwe won its independence from Britain. The story takes
place largely in the rural outpost of Kezi, a small hamlet of mud huts 200 kilometers
away from the city of Bulawayo. The heart of Kezi is Thandabantu Store, one of the few
commercial establishments, site of the bus stop and Kezi's only phone booth (which
has neither wires nor handset), and the town's unofficial gathering place. Here a young
woman named Thenjiwe meets a worldly museum curator from Bulawayo and begins
a tentative affair. The civil war intrudes, however. Caught up in the orgiastic killing frenzy,
a soldier named Sibaso murders Thenjiwe and rapes and mutilates her sister
Nonceba. Thandabantu Store is destroyed in a final conflagration, but Nonceba finds
her way to Bulawayo and takes shelter with Thenjiwe's former lover, offering a pallid ray
of hope. The story shifts between the perspectives of Thenjiwe, Nonceba and Sibaso.
Vera's impressionistic writing can make it difficult to grasp the political context and
chronology of the war, but it perfectly captures the terrifying chaos of the fighting, as well
as the rhythms of provincial African life ("In truth, the bus drives from Bulawayo to Kezi....
But on the slim wooden plaque suspended next to the conductor's window, Kezi comes
first, and in the minds of the residents of Kezi, of course, Kezi comes first: the bus,
therefore, is seen as driving from Kezi to Bulawayo")."
Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.
The Seasons of Beento Blackbird- Akosua Busia- (Ghana)
Publishers Weekly Review:
"Unabashedly sentimental and preachily uplifting, Busia's
sprawling first novel maps the physical, erotic and spiritual
migrations of Solomon Wilberforce. Under the pseudonym of
Beento Blackbird, Solomon is a gifted writer of children's books
that enlighten black children all over the world about their rich
African cultural roots. A blend of American, Caribbean and African
antecedents, he's the walking embodiment of the multicultural
African diaspora. He seems to have it all and then some: genius,
charisma, great looks and the devotion of three women. Solomon
spends winters on the Caribbean island of Cape Corcos with
Miriam (nine years his senior) and summers in Ghana with his
young bride, Ashia. In New York, his literary agent, a woman
named Sam, has been in love with him for years, completely
unaware of his other lives. Busia enriches her narrative with
glimpses of her native Ghana and scenes in London and New
York. Too often, however, she mistakes purple prose for lyricism
and sentimentality for true feeling. Only late in the story, when the
precarious balance of Solomon's life goes awry, do the
characters experience anything remotely resembling a convincing
crisis. And even then, the resolution lacks gravity. At one point,
Busia writes that Solomon's "inner child was eager to come out
and show him how to lead the children into a bright new world."
This is book is written with a similar, wide-eyed eagerness."
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Publishers Weekly Review:
"Unabashedly sentimental and preachily uplifting, Busia's
sprawling first novel maps the physical, erotic and spiritual
migrations of Solomon Wilberforce. Under the pseudonym of
Beento Blackbird, Solomon is a gifted writer of children's books
that enlighten black children all over the world about their rich
African cultural roots. A blend of American, Caribbean and African
antecedents, he's the walking embodiment of the multicultural
African diaspora. He seems to have it all and then some: genius,
charisma, great looks and the devotion of three women. Solomon
spends winters on the Caribbean island of Cape Corcos with
Miriam (nine years his senior) and summers in Ghana with his
young bride, Ashia. In New York, his literary agent, a woman
named Sam, has been in love with him for years, completely
unaware of his other lives. Busia enriches her narrative with
glimpses of her native Ghana and scenes in London and New
York. Too often, however, she mistakes purple prose for lyricism
and sentimentality for true feeling. Only late in the story, when the
precarious balance of Solomon's life goes awry, do the
characters experience anything remotely resembling a convincing
crisis. And even then, the resolution lacks gravity. At one point,
Busia writes that Solomon's "inner child was eager to come out
and show him how to lead the children into a bright new world."
This is book is written with a similar, wide-eyed eagerness."
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Everything Good Will Come- Sefi Atta (Nigeria)
""It is 1971, and Nigeria is under military rule -
though the politics of the state matter less than
those of her home to Enitan Taiwo, an
eleven-year-old girl tired of waiting for school to
start. Will her mother, who has become deeply
religious since the death of Enitan's brother, allow
her friendship with the new girl next door Sheri
Bakare? This novel charts the fate of these two
Nigerian girls, one who is prepared to manipulate
the traditional system and one who attempts to defy
it." Written in the voice of Enitan, against the
backdrop of political turmoil in Nigeria, Everything
Good Will Come is Enitan's story; one of a fiercely
intelligent, strong young woman living in a culture
that still insists on feminine submission. "
Publisher: Interlink Publishing Group, Incorporated
""It is 1971, and Nigeria is under military rule -
though the politics of the state matter less than
those of her home to Enitan Taiwo, an
eleven-year-old girl tired of waiting for school to
start. Will her mother, who has become deeply
religious since the death of Enitan's brother, allow
her friendship with the new girl next door Sheri
Bakare? This novel charts the fate of these two
Nigerian girls, one who is prepared to manipulate
the traditional system and one who attempts to defy
it." Written in the voice of Enitan, against the
backdrop of political turmoil in Nigeria, Everything
Good Will Come is Enitan's story; one of a fiercely
intelligent, strong young woman living in a culture
that still insists on feminine submission. "
Publisher: Interlink Publishing Group, Incorporated
Tropical Fish- Doreen Baingana (Uganda)
Publishers Weekly Review:
"Ugandan-born Baingana chronicles in her debut collection
of linked stories the lives of three sisters growing up in
Entebbe after the fall of Idi Amin. Though most of the stories
take place in Africa, "Lost in Los Angeles" follows the
principal character, Christine Mugisha, as she travels to
California, where she grapples with a different breed of
racism than she faces in her own country. The title story,
"Tropical Fish," follows Christine's apathetic affair with an
older, affluent white man who woos her with the many perks
of his money. "A Thank-You Note" is a letter from Christine's
older sister, Rosa, to an ex-lover that angrily and poignantly
recounts her battle with AIDS. Baingana's characters are
confined by a passivity and powerlessness (Christine
likens herself to a plastic doll) rarely broken, though the
collection ends on a hopeful note, as Christine rejoins her
mother and sister Patti—Rosa has already died—thinking
about how she "would have to learn all over again how to
live in this new old place called home." Baingana's richly
detailed stories are lush with cultural commentary. (On sale
Sept. 12)
Copyright © Reed Business Information"
Publisher: Harlem Moon
Publishers Weekly Review:
"Ugandan-born Baingana chronicles in her debut collection
of linked stories the lives of three sisters growing up in
Entebbe after the fall of Idi Amin. Though most of the stories
take place in Africa, "Lost in Los Angeles" follows the
principal character, Christine Mugisha, as she travels to
California, where she grapples with a different breed of
racism than she faces in her own country. The title story,
"Tropical Fish," follows Christine's apathetic affair with an
older, affluent white man who woos her with the many perks
of his money. "A Thank-You Note" is a letter from Christine's
older sister, Rosa, to an ex-lover that angrily and poignantly
recounts her battle with AIDS. Baingana's characters are
confined by a passivity and powerlessness (Christine
likens herself to a plastic doll) rarely broken, though the
collection ends on a hopeful note, as Christine rejoins her
mother and sister Patti—Rosa has already died—thinking
about how she "would have to learn all over again how to
live in this new old place called home." Baingana's richly
detailed stories are lush with cultural commentary. (On sale
Sept. 12)
Copyright © Reed Business Information"
Publisher: Harlem Moon
| "BBC's 'Africa On Your Street': African Music in the UK" |
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Juju Fission: Women's Alternative Fictions from the Sahara, the Kalahari,
and the Oases in-Between
by Chikwenye Okonjo Okonjo Ogunyemi (Sierra Leone)
"Women, especially leaders, holding tête-à-têtes with men to address political
impasses have been recognized as shrewd, double headed, or witchlike
distinctions that link them with juju or extraordinary, survivalist powers. Juju
Fission: Women's Alternative Fictions from the Sahara, the Kalahari, and the
Oases In-Between is a theoretical and analytical book on African women
writers that focuses on seven representative novels from different parts of
Africa: Bessie Head's Maru (South Africa/Botswana); Nawal El Saadawi's
Woman at Point Zero (Egypt); Ama Ata Aidoo's Our Sister Killjoy; or Reflections
from a Black-Eyed Squint and Changes (Ghana); Assia Djebar's A Sister to
Scheherazade (Algeria); Calixthe Beyala's The Sun Hath Looked Upon Me
(Cameroon); and Yvonne Vera's Nehanda (Zimbabwe). In her analysis,
Chikwenye Okonjo Ogunyemi demonstrates how women are viewed and how
they operate in critical times. Ogunyemi explains how the heritage is passed
on, in spite of dire situations emanating from colonialism, postcolonialism,
ethnicism, sexism, and grinding poverty. An important contribution to many
fields, Juju Fission is excellent background material for courses on African
studies, women's studies, African Diaspora studies, black studies, global
studies, and general literature studies. "
Publisher: Lang, Peter Publishing, Incorporated
and the Oases in-Between
by Chikwenye Okonjo Okonjo Ogunyemi (Sierra Leone)
"Women, especially leaders, holding tête-à-têtes with men to address political
impasses have been recognized as shrewd, double headed, or witchlike
distinctions that link them with juju or extraordinary, survivalist powers. Juju
Fission: Women's Alternative Fictions from the Sahara, the Kalahari, and the
Oases In-Between is a theoretical and analytical book on African women
writers that focuses on seven representative novels from different parts of
Africa: Bessie Head's Maru (South Africa/Botswana); Nawal El Saadawi's
Woman at Point Zero (Egypt); Ama Ata Aidoo's Our Sister Killjoy; or Reflections
from a Black-Eyed Squint and Changes (Ghana); Assia Djebar's A Sister to
Scheherazade (Algeria); Calixthe Beyala's The Sun Hath Looked Upon Me
(Cameroon); and Yvonne Vera's Nehanda (Zimbabwe). In her analysis,
Chikwenye Okonjo Ogunyemi demonstrates how women are viewed and how
they operate in critical times. Ogunyemi explains how the heritage is passed
on, in spite of dire situations emanating from colonialism, postcolonialism,
ethnicism, sexism, and grinding poverty. An important contribution to many
fields, Juju Fission is excellent background material for courses on African
studies, women's studies, African Diaspora studies, black studies, global
studies, and general literature studies. "
Publisher: Lang, Peter Publishing, Incorporated
The Niger Festival 2008 (Festival sur le Niger 2008) January 31st - February 3rd 2008 Ségou, Mali |
| FESTIMA The International Festival for Masks and Art of Dédougou (Festival International des Masques et des Arts de Dédougou) May 24th - May 31st 2008 at the French Cultural Center (Centre Culturel Francais) Brazzaville, Congo |
| Mindelo Carnival 2008 February 5th, 2008 Mindelo, Cap Vert |
| Kyssi Wète Concert (Reggae) February 15th, 2008, 9PM at the "Zèbre de Belleville" Paris, France |
SAKIFO Music Festival August 1st - August 5th 2008 Saint-Leu - Reunion Island Featuring: Nathalie Natiembé (Reunion Island) Ismaël Lô (Senegal), Ayo (Nigeria), Rachid Taha (Algeria), Davy Sicard (Reunion Island), et bien d'autres! |
Julien Jacob- Barham (Bénin)
Genre: Folk/Acoustic/Roots Music
Genre: Folk/Acoustic/Roots Music
Diogal- Li lan la (Sénégal)
Genre: Folk/Mbalakh
Release Date March 25th
Genre: Folk/Mbalakh
Release Date March 25th
Tom Diakite- Fala (Mali)
Genre: Mandingue Fok Music
Genre: Mandingue Fok Music
Mariana Ramos- Mornador
(Cape Verde)
Genre: Funana/Coladeira/Morna
(Cape Verde)
Genre: Funana/Coladeira/Morna
Liz Wright- The Orchard (US)
Genre: Jazz
Genre: Jazz
