Category Archives: Fun

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Niq Mhlongo lives it up at Edinburgh Literary Fest 2014

Niq Mhlongo

Niq Mhlongo was one of the battalion of South African writers who invaded Scotland for one of the biggest literature festivals on the planet: The Edinburgh International Book Festival. The writer is well known for his books Dog Eat Dog, After Tears and his latest Way Back Home which is as good a book as I have read in recent times.

The author did several literary type events including a reading for the Amnesty International Imprisoned Writers series on August 13. Later on in that day he was joined by Anna Whitwham at the Writers Retreat where he discussed the following topic: ‘When Traditions Collide with Modernity’. The writer was exploring the importance of African cultures and beliefs with reference to his aforementioned novel ‘Way Back Home’.

He wasn’t just about serious literary stuff as he decided to check out the political scene (these South Africans SMH) and opted to sign for the party of his choice in that land. Here is his official statement on the matter.

Niq’s registration form to the SSP

“I’m glad to announce that I have just joined the Scottish Socialist Party here in Edinburgh today. We are a socialist wing advocating an independent socialist Scotland, soon to happen after 18th of September referendum. Few reasons why I decided to join this party at Weverley today are:

1. The UK visa for a South Africans is way too expensive, therefore SSP will abolish it as UK citizens are not required to pay anything to come to SA.

2. In the independent Scotland, it will be compulsory to learn African literature and Geography to avoid confusing South Africa with Kenya, Southern Africa or Africa. This will also help Scottish people to learn that the icon Nelson Mandela was not the only good and honest man to come out of Africa/ South Africa.

3. There will be a month long annual African Literature Literary Festival in Glasgow and Edinburgh to help Scott people learn about other writers other than the late legendary Nadine Gordimer, Achebe and JM Coetzee.

4. We will do away with the pound, which is heavy and all the notes that don’t fit into an African wallet, esp the 50 note.”

With this kinds of incentives I too want to join the Scottish Socialist Party hehe.

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A letter to the Man Booker Prize 2014 judging panel

#BringBackMyManBooker

AC Grayling,,
Chair of judges,
Man Booker Prize 2014,
England

Re: Lack of African Authors on Man Booker Prize

I am happy to note that you have earlier today announced the Man Booker Prize longlist earlier today and the names on the list are quite impressive and are listed here;

  • Joshua Ferris (US) – To Rise Again at a Decent Hour
  • Richard Flanagan (Australia) – The Narrow Road to the Deep North
  • Karen Joy Fowler (US) – We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves
  • Siri Hustvedt (US) – The Blazing World
  • Howard Jacobson (Britain) – J
  • Paul Kingsnorth (Britain) – The Wake
  • David Mitchell (Britain) – The Bone Clocks
  • Neel Mukherjee (Britain) – The Lives of Others
  • David Nicholls (Britain) – Us
  • Joseph O’Neill (Ireland) – The Dog
  • Richard Powers (US) – Orfeo
  • Ali Smith (Britain) – How to Be Both
  • Niall Williams (Ireland) – History of the Rain

There is no African author on this esteemed list of authors and this letter is a complaint about that. As you are aware last year’s award had Zimbabwe’s Noviolet Bulawayo as a shortlisted author. You can imagine the prestige that this brought to people on the continent and the amount of traffic I got to my blog when I wrote about it as a leading blogger of African literature. Now with your failure to longlist any African authors, you have denied me the opportunity to be as important as I was last year. Last year’s awards coverage gained me an “army of fans” and made me really cool to my friends as I gave exclusive coverage from my part of the world. Now what am I to do? Blog about the opening of Text Book Centre’s newest book store at the TRM Mall on Thika Road? There’s no international traffic in that!

You have to help a brother out. Pretty please?

James Murua
Jamesmurua.com

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The African Authors World Cup 23 world person squad

The FIFA World Cup is here. Four years ago the world biggest sporting tournament left African soil having being organised very well by South Africa. This year all eyes will be on Brazil as the tourney starts tonight with a match between Brazil and Croatia.

As the world cup rolls into town you have to wonder what kind of team the African literature fraternity would send if they were given the opportunity. This is the purpose of this blog; to imagine who would be in the African writers squad in the world cup.
The task is simple really. Choose three goalkeepers, eight defenders, eight defenders and five strikers to send to Brazil like in any world cup team. In this instance, the goalies are the ones that ensure that the they keep the faith as the last barrier against bad prose. The defenders wouldn’t be the ones we keep talking about in the news or blogs but like good defenders do a lot in ensuring that the craft is defended with good prose.

The midfielders would be of two types; the energetic types churning out many good books and supporting the business to have a positive bank balance. These are also the ones you see at festivals either well known or that you may never heard of but represent the continent’s prose the fullest. Strikers are the ones for whom everything they put out is a hit with the critics and the market.

So here you have it, the JamesMurua.com African writers 23 person World Cup squad.

Goalkeepers
Zukiswa Wanner, Chibundu Onuzo, Doreen Baingana.

Defenders
A Igoni Barret, Thando Mgqolozana, Dinaw Mengestu, Chika Unigwe, Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor, Petina Gappah, Hawa Golakai, Mukoma Wa Ngugi.

Midfielders
Teju Cole, Helen Oyeyemi, Nii Ayikwei Parkes, Binyavanga Wainaina, Kinyanjui Kombani, Lola Shoneyin, Niq Mhlongo, Angela Makholwa.

Strikers
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Lauren Beukes, Nadifa Mohamed, Noviolet Bulawayo, Aminatta Forna

Coach
Bibi Bakare (Cassava).

Who do you think would make it to the first eleven in your squad? Either comment below of tweet using the hashtag, #AfricanWriterWorldCupSquad stating their name and their position.