Tag: Blog 2016

Africa Writes 2016: The Round-Up

Written by Kelechi Iwumene Africa Writes 2016: A whirlwind weekend for African literature that celebrated the festival’s fifth year at The British Library, 1-3 July.  From  Bisi Alimi’s drag alter ego, to the fiery wisdom of Nawal El Saadawi, to…

A Brief History of Africa Writes

A Brief History of Africa Writes – by Sheila Ruiz, Head of Programmes, Partnerships & Operations at The Royal African Society  The idea was simple – to offer an annual platform to showcase established and emerging literary talent from across Africa…

A Child’s Eye View of Corruption

A Child’s Eye View of Corruption[1] A review of Robtel Neajai Pailey’s Gbagba by Daniel Agbiboa Corruption has become the real stuff of public discourse and everyday practice in many African societies, implicating both citizens and subjects, both public and private…

The F Word: Control over the female body.

Continued from The F Word (Episode 2): Harassment and #killallmen  K: You said something very interesting Henry. You talked about men asserting their power over women to affirm their masculinity- and the idea that women don’t have control over their…

The fragmentation of knowledge

In an acceptance speech published in the American Society for Information, Science and Technology (Feburary/ March 2001) Professor Emeritus Donald R. Swanson comments on this idea of ‘the fragmentation of knowledge.’ He highlights three aspects of the context and nature of…

Africa’s Brain Drain

In a September open letter in Le Monde, the heads of 10 successful French start-ups pleaded with Silicon Valley expatriates to come back to a revived Paris full of new opportunities. In 2016, the European Union launched a seven million euros education program…

Africa Writes 2016: Ticketed Events

Africa Writes is the Royal African Society’s annual literature festival. Celebrating its 5th year, Africa Writes 2016 will bring together over 50 authors, poets, publishers and experts for a stimulating and exciting three days! Every year we showcase established and…

Swipe left for Africa

Mobile phones have been slowly transforming society within African countries. Many Africans look to their mobile to provide services that their local area may fail to provide. Banking, health, and farming apps have contributed to help manage and improve the…

Caine Prize 2016: Shortlist announced!

On Monday 4 July 2016, the day after the UK’s biggest African literature festival – Africa Writes, The Caine Prize for African Writing will announce its winner at the Bodleian Library in Oxford, UK. Every year a panel of judges…

Saadawi on FGM

‘I had to study medicine to get rid of it. I have to know politics in order to challenge politics’. There’s something quite ironic in Nawal El Saadawi openly challenging the same structures of professionalism she was educated by. And…