Great African Reads discussion

Hi All,
This is a place to discuss books written by esteemed members of our wonderful group. I'm setting up threads right away (right away as in tomorrow) for Eve Brown-Waite (First Comes Love, Then Comes Malaria), Richard de Nooy (Six Fang Marks and a Tetanus Shot), and Manu Herbstein (Ama, a Story of the Atlantic Slave Trade). Stay tuned for fun and interesting discussions!

I can't believe I posted this over a year ago. Sorry, guys...
But I am trying to catch up and I've just created threads for Dan, Manu, Richard, and Nnedi. Please tell me if I have forgotten any member-authors! Next on my to-do list is to update our Recognition and Accolades thread. If anyone else also has news to share about member-authors and their work, please shout it out in that thread! Thanks!

Oh my goodness, yes you did! Gee, it's been some time!!

Good job, Marieke, always love it when you get right into setting things up and chatting away... ;) (If I was only bit more on the ball, I could actually do some chatting too and not just "tour" around. ;) )

i just found via twitter that the British Library has made audio recordings of interviews and more with African authors available!

That is so cool, thanks for posting, Marieke!!

i may have gotten excited about it too quickly. i think things may be under copyright and may not be accessible online. the rights notice indicated that some items may be accessed for listening only, not downloading, but i'm not sure yet which ones (or how many). still, it's cool to see what's available should you ever have access to these materials.

Ah, well... :) I just looked at a couple of entries and couldn't actually access the recordings, just found details about it and their "shelf locations". But good to know anyway! :)

Muphyn wrote: "Ah, well... :) I just looked at a couple of entries and couldn't actually access the recordings, just found details about it and their "shelf locations". But good to know anyway! :)"

yeah, sorry about that! but i'm also finding it interesting to know the subject matter of the interview and what year it took place. i know, easily entertained... ;)

Glad to be here. Thank you Muphyn for inviting me. I am an African author, who writes novels about the African continent. Looking forward to everyone's posts. I am also an advocate of human rights, anti slavery and protection of war children.

Does anybody have a recommendation for a physical or online Setswana phrasebook?

Marieke wrote: "I can't believe I posted this over a year ago. Sorry, guys...
But I am trying to catch up and I've just created threads for Dan, Manu, Richard, and Nnedi. Please tell me if I have forgotten any mem..."

I am an author, and have written a number of books based in Africa. I would love to be able to share more about my books on a thread. Thanks very much!

‎***AVAILABLE FREE OF CHARGE! The 'Kindle' version of my novel ALIWAL is available to download free of charge until Thurs 14th JUNE 2012.
Go to www.amazon.com , and then search for "ALIWAL" in the KINDLE STORE.***

I'll be grateful for any ratings and or/reviews of this book on Goodreads, be they good or critical!

Tahir wrote: "Marieke wrote: "I can't believe I posted this over a year ago. Sorry, guys...
But I am trying to catch up and I've just created threads for Dan, Manu, Richard, and Nnedi. Please tell me if I have f..."

Tahir, my apologies! I thought a thread had been set up for you, but i must have dreamt that i did it. I'm doing it now.

Adam, i am making one for you as well. And i just got your book. i'm excited to read it but i can't promise i'll get to it immediately.

Thanks very much Marieke!

"Love and Death in the Kingdom of Swaziland," by Glenn Alan Cheney, is about two nuns who work in a semi-arid region, helping people with AIDS (one out of three adults has it), orphans (who all over the place, their entire families having died), and poverty (like you wouldn't believe). The book isn't about the nuns (sisters, actually) but about the place where the work -- the social, economic, and political problems.

You can read part of it and see photos at cheneybooks.com . It's available in print and ebook editions.

I recommend Glenn's book. It might be good for our Swaziland read.

Introducing a South African tale.

My latest novel, ROGUE OF ROUXVILLE, is loosely based on the life of one of my great (? great great) uncles, who must have arrived in the Cape Colony in about 1864. He crossed the Orange River and settled in the then new town of Rouxville in the south-east of the former Orange Free State, and eventually got locked up in the prison there. Much of the book's plot is about how he got himself in trouble and what happened to him (and his young family) after getting into jail.

I have posted a substantial excerpt from my book on Goodreads : http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15... ... please do peruse it!

If you are simply itching to have a copy of the book, it is available in paperback at: http://www.lulu.com/shop/adam-yamey/r...

Congratulations, Adam! i will edit your folder to include both of your books (if it only indicates Aliwal--i can't remember) and make a new thread for this book.

I had meant to come and ask you about your new book, because i was talking to a South African colleague about new books and told her about Aliwal. She was interested in it; i think she has connections to that area. We looked at a map together. Anyway, i went to your website and saw the info about the new book. Congratulations again!

Yes, a belated congratulations from me, also, Adam.

Christian,
That is a very interesting organization. Their website addressed some of my questions about the use of e-readers as opposed to laptops or netbooks, both of which I've explored for my school and rejected due to cost, both of the original purchase and the street value making them a prime target for theft and resale. I'm going to be in contact with yellobric for more advice about the devices. Thanks!

You can get low-cost review copies of "Love and Death in the Kingdom of Swaziland" at cheneybooks.com/reviewers .

Hi all - I'm starting an online radio show interviewing African authors (as well as musicians and film makers) in order to help get them more into the international limelight. So if you are an African author and are interested, please drop me a message. Cheers!

Just in case members of the group haven't heard, the giant of African literature, Chinua Achebe, died today. See http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/23/wor... and http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2...

Thanks for posting those Nina...I was sad to wake up to that news but feel incredibly lucky I got to see him and hear him read. He had an amazing voice...and I don't just mean in the literary sense. :)

Vered, thanks for letting us know about your show. If it is available online, please post a link.

Yes, it is available online and the first show just went up:
http://www.artistfirst.com/africacrea...

More details on http://africacreates.net/

Nina wrote: "Just in case members of the group haven't heard, the giant of African literature, Chinua Achebe, died today. See http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/23/wor......"

Thanks for letting us know.
I have only had the opportunity to hear via videos/webcasts but his personality and passion was still evident/

A friend just forwarded me a wonderful, witty TEDxCapeTown video of Craig Charnock ("Quite a White Ou") on the benefits of learning African languages. This is wonderful. Share

Language learning: Bridge to a better world: Craig Charnock at TEDxCapeTownED
Craig Makhosi Charnock is the founder of UBuntu Bridge, a Xhosa and Zulu language teaching company. In this talk from TEDxCapeTownED 2012, Craig shares brief...

http://tedxcapetown.org/video/quite-w...

Here's the link. Sorry! Enjoy.

I'm excited to watch that!

And here's the original song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOOCQi...

I have to say I learned "book" Swahili, but still am a fumbler. Then, facebook came along and I connected with a lot of college age Kenyans through my kids and my nieces and nephews. Now not only is my Swahili improving, I'm learning some Kalenjin and also a Swahili/English hybrid called "Sheng." I have to in self-defense! :)

Hi everyone,

A couple of months ago, I posted a message on a seperate thread about a book I had serialised on my blog. It is called The Yam Po Club and follows a young girl in her first year of boarding school in Nigeria. Well, it's now out on Amazon and Smashwords (other retailers to follow shortly). If anyone is interested in reading this, I can send you a coupon code for a free Smashwords download in any digital format. Just send a message to my inbox. Thanks for all your support.

Kenechi wrote: "Hi everyone,

A couple of months ago, I posted a message on a seperate thread about a book I had serialised on my blog. It is called The Yam Po Club and follows a young girl in her first year of ..."

You bet I'm interested. I taught in a non-boarding school in Nigeria in 1979-80, and I remember a boarding school girl's story published in those orange covers by Oxford as a school text.... I'll give an honest review. If you first want to check my reviews to see what they are like please see the reviewer 'miakhky' on Amazon.

I'm late posting information here about my first novel written from the expatriate viewpoint Night Must Wait.

There is a political aspect in a semi-white expatriate writing about the most powerful black African nation. I hope I do this humanly. I have read obsessively on Nigeria, lived there (over eight years,) smelled and tasted it, and I have loved it. But I know there is no going back and that it does not belong to me. This is one of the themes pervading every page, the push-me pull-you adoration of a superb and vibrant land, and the inevitable parting from it.

I remember the Nigerian Civil War. Not many Americans do. It was short, it was messy. I was a child evacuee watching TV in New Hampshire, glued to those images the newscasters warned 'might be disturbing' but my parents felt that they could not edit what I knew. I believe they were right, and this novel is my answer.

http://www.amazon.com/Night-Must-Wait...

Robin wrote: "Kenechi wrote: "Hi everyone,

A couple of months ago, I posted a message on a seperate thread about a book I had serialised on my blog. It is called The Yam Po Club and follows a young girl in he..."


Hi Robin, really pleased that you're interested in this. I will send a coupon to your inbox. Your novel sounds really intriguing too. Despite having grown up in Nigeria in the 80s/90s, I've only started reading about the Civil War at an older age. Will give it a look in future.

I'm not sure if this thread is dormant or not? Anyway, just to say that I self-published a book a little while back (2013). It's a recent memoir/travelogue jumping between Zimbabwe-UK-South Africa with a chapter exploring the Rhodesian legacy.
A sample chapter can be downloaded here:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ytqlraxwjwx...

This thread is only dormant in the sense it's been awhile since we have had a new post! :)

Let me know if you would like a thread just for your book, Leo. If people start interacting with you about it here, I will definitely set one up. Or you are actually welcome to make it yourself if it's not too confusing.

Thanks Marieke. We can just wait and see. I'm not on a marketing or publicity campaign :)

Still, it could be fun to have discussions. I'll keep an eye on this space.

Hello everyone

Just want to let everyone know that to celebrate the holiday season, from now until January 5, my novel Journey Towards a Falling Sun, set in Kenya, is available as a free epub download. If you would like a digital copy in another format, please message me.
I'll also start a new topic in this discussion to make this announcement more visible.

If you feel so inspired as to give it a rating/review, can you, if not too much trouble, post it on Amazon as well.

(this offer is also true of The Plain of Jars but this book is set in SE Asia)

Nick

Hi Nick. Would love to download it. What s ePub? I usually use Kindle but let me know how I can get it and you can count on me for a review!

Recently published Zambian authors to watch are Theresa Lungu, Lionel Ntasano, Fiona Burdett, and Teddy Mulenga......hope you enjoy their writing.

Recently published Zambian authors to watch are Theresa Lungu, Lionel Ntasano, Fiona Burdett, and Teddy Mulenga......hope you enjoy their writing.

Hello everyone! I am looking for beta readers for the introduction and first chapter of my memoir of my time living in Burundi, in central Africa, from 2008-2010, just as the civil war was officially declared over and we were able to get out and explore the country more than expats had been able to for the previous years.

They are still in first draft form but I'm seeking input to see if I'm going in the right direction or not. Please send me a message if you are interested. Thank you!

Best,
Stephanie

Hi - my book about life in West Africa with my Senegalese family was published last week. I'm living in a rural village with very erratic internet, but read a lot (currently trans-wonderland) and will visit this group whenever I can.

Best,
Simon

Ya na! That is a close spelling to "Good Afternoon" in the Loma dialetc spoken in Liberia. I am new to Good reads and have just joined this group. I hope that this is the right place to post this and that I haven't broken any rules. If so, I've been told that it is better to ask for forgiveness than permission. Maybe the Moderators can move this if it's in the wrong place. My name is Keith Knecht and I lived in Zorzor, Liberia from 1952-1955 My schooling took only half a day and the rest,I spent in the jungle learning about the animals,language,customs,and people. I returned to Africa,aboard a C2 freighter in 1964,and spent time in Dakar,Conakry,Freetown,Douala,Abidjan,Lagos,Matadi,Luanda, and Point Noire. I have published two books based loosely on my childhood in Liberia. "Zahwu" has a Lexile score of 800 and while that makes it a book for young adults, it has been equally well received by readers of all ages. "The Lost Ones" completes the story begun in the first book. I am excited to be part of this group and look foward to getting to know you all. Keith

Western civilisation has transformed the world; but I'll say partially. You know what women in Africa face for no reason other than they're women? I call it African mentality. I have a mother who's my best friend. It's funny and crazy and makes me wonder what most men -Africans, think about their mother. This may sound funny. Some men marry a second wife because the first wife has always given birth to female. A king in England wanted a divorce because a queen give birth to a female. Refusal by the Pope started the Anglican church. But that's a story now. The west has gone far beyond that. Africa is still swimming in that pool of mess. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_nos...

Hi Marieke

I hope this is the right thread to post this. I am a Zimbabwean based author. I write fantasy set in Africa and short story collections.

My book, The Sleeping Pool II, is currently running a Kindle Scout campaign. I believe it might be the first African fantasy on the program. Last month there was Catriona from South Africa running a campaign in a different genre. It is exciting that Kindle Scout is also considering authors from Africa. The Kindle Scout page is here:

https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/2QJT...


And if anyone wants to know anything about my experiences on Kindle Scout, please feel free to message me or comment. I will respond and share all.

Hi , I am an African Author - and 2017 is my year. I launched my first book called ; Why Great Leaders Are Catalysts.

Please list it under African Reads