Great African Reads discussion

Read so far 8/16

New-to-you country: Burkina Faso The Parachute Drop by Norbert Zongo
Recent (2019-21)
African Island
Diaspora author On Black Sisters Street by Chika Unigwe
Short stories
Spanish or Portuguese
Free Choice For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf by Ntozake Shange
Published 1980-90
Theme: Family The Joys of Motherhood by Buchi Emecheta
Poetry
Africa39 Author
A debut novel
Non-diaspora author The Desert and the Drum by Mbarek Ould Beyrouk
A Group Read African Psycho by Alain Mabanckou
Non-fiction Looking for Transwonderland: Travels in Nigeria by Noo Saro-Wiwa
Prize winner Batuala by René Maran

I'm nor a planner, it makes me sad to have a journey all planned out beforehand, I like to keep options open and see what happens. However that does not mean no planning, just more ...tentative... planning of possibilities :)

So here are my thoughts so far - to be updated as I go:

New-to-you country I am missing these countries:
Burkina Faso: The Fortunes of Wangrin by Amadou Hampâté Bâ, Folktales from the Moose of Burkina Faso (Engelsk)
Alain-Joseph Sissao
CAR: Batouala. Daba's Travels from Ouadda to Bangui by Makombo Bamboté
Comores: A Fish Caught in Time: The Search for the Coelacanth 
Guinea Bissau: Det barn bliver til noget stort : Afrikas første kvindelige præsident Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf
Lesotho: Chaka by Thomas Mofolo
M'Atsepo Nthunya: Singing Away the Hunger
Liberia: Kourouma Allah is Not Obliged / Allah er ikke forpligtet
Mauretanien:  Silent Terror: A Journey into Contemporary African Slavery 
Seychelles: (The Edge of Eden)

Recent (2019-21) A book published in 2019, 2020 or 2021.

African Island I'll be trying for one of the yet unread countries, so Seychelles or Comores (Books are sparse, to if anyone has rec's, bring 'em on!)

Diaspora author A book written by a diaspora author - any one you like, list for inspiration here: https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
Plenty of options here! Probably a few in the 50 AW challenge as well as my TBR challenge pile.

Short stories A collection of short stories. Here's a list of Caine Prize winners for inspiration: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/3...
I wonder if there isn't a few in one of the other challenges? If not, I still haven't read Purple Hibiscus

Spanish or Portuguese A book originally written in Spanish or Portuguese.
I love Agualusa J. Eduardo and have a few unreads of his. Hated the Ondjaki I read last year and The Tuner of Silences by Mia Couto killed off my TBR-reading in 2020, but there must be more great ones out there for a Borges and Saramago fan... I should probably ask my portuguese friends (one of whom was born in Angola)...

Free Choice Any great African read! (well that's easy)
Published 1980-90 Any book first published in the 80s
- should be possible with something that fits in another challenge

Theme: Family Maybe a new Maaza Mengiste I just assume there is a family history in her's?

Poetry Any poetry We'll see - I don't read much poetry, but something will turn up (I've read Warsan Shire and Jean-Joseph Rabearivelo already)

Africa39 Author A book by one of the authors featured in the Africa 39. Well it's time to finally read my paper copy of Africa 39 thank you, to whoever suggested this category, maybe it was Carolien?

A debut novel Shouldn't be hard with all the interesting new stuff appearing, and if not, all the more seasoned authors did have a debut too :)

Non-diaspora author I wonder how many new authors are still living on the continent - a lot of the new publications available online and in Europe tend to be from people living and working abroad / in their second homeland and often teaching at higher education institutions in US, UK or elsewhere in Europe. But I trust Nigeria to have a lot of homegrown authors who hasn't left the continent yet - and if not, there is alway the more historic stuff.

A Group Read Well there will be plenty to read from...

Non-fiction Well I didn't manage last year, but maybe this year I will get there?

Prize winner Shouldn't be a problem. I DO have a Nobel challenge elsewhere, but there are so few African recipients in literature (I've read Naguib Mahfouz and Nadine Gordimer already, without loving their styles, so that leaves Wole Soyinka) and I have so many other things I want to read, so unless anyone really really recommends him, I'll be sticking with some other prize - maybe the Caine.

These are what I call elaborate thoughts:))
Thanks for sharing, indeed - there are some intriguing titles in the new-to-me section!
I share your thoughts on the many authors living in the diaspora and have the feeling that the publishing policy that goes along with it focusses on this group rather than on the authors with African residencies sadly enough.

I thought Purple Hibiscus was a novel (not a short story collection) and Coetzee also got the Nobel Prize some years ago? I know he is now a citizen of Australia but as he has probably lived most of his life in SA, I consider him to be from the African continent :))
I am looking forward to recommendations for the category Spanish/Portuguese and will probably be re-reading Soyinka this year (I cannot remember anything of The Road and other plays I read some decades ago, so that will be an interesting read for me and I will report back)
I am also looking forward to Africa 39 (my favourite category at the moment :))
So have a good time with the bingo and thanks again for hosting it!!

Ah yes, forgot Coetzee, this list of Nobel prize winners also counts a few french authors born in Africa: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...
And you're right about Purple Hibiscus, I keep mixing it up with The Thing Around Your Neck. Must find something else then :)
Thank you for participating, I'm already enjoying checking out other people's bingo lists!

Realising I am down to 8 countries (though not easy ones) maybe I should aim to 'finish' my tour of Africa this year? We'll see.

That's a great list of options. For a non-diaspora author, you can have a look at South African writers (Zakes Mda, Fred Khumalo, Sue Nyathi, Kopano Matlwa) or at more indie presses.

Valerie wrote: "That's a great list of options. For a non-diaspora author, you can have a look at South African writers (Zakes Mda, Fred Khumalo, Sue Nyathi, Kopano Matlwa) or at more indie presses."

Thanks good idea :)

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. You have some interesting plans. Some ideas for your blanks:

I read Equator for Sao Tome and Principe this year. Can work for either an island or Portuguese. I enjoyed it more than I expected. You can also consider The First Wife: A Tale of Polygamy for Portuguese.

Voices: Short stories from the Seychelles Islands may work or our group read from last year The Last Brother for an island.

JM Coetzee has lived in Australia since the 1980's. We South Africans claim him when he wins a prize and otherwise regard him as an Australian. I haven't read Naguib Mahfouz. so will be reading him. Otherwise stick with the Caine, lots of nice choices there.

Short stories - have a look at Chris van Wyk maybe as well. I'm probably reading How Shall We Kill the Bishop? and Other Stories. I've also found The Alphabet of Birds on my shelf.

Theme: A Family Affair: A Novel would fit and also The Old Drift.

I'm so glad everybody likes the Africa39 category. I'm probably reading The Wren Hunt. She's also won the Caine prize.

Lots of South African authors for non-diaspora to choose from. You're welcome to plunder my South African bookshelves. Also Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani.

Non-fiction: there's the group reads or you can take a look at the Alan Paton award winners - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunday_... and see if anything looks interesting.

Good luck!

A Girl Called Eel was published in late 2020 and appears to be set in the Comoros

@Carolien Thanks for suggestions and links - Lots of good ideas there :) I read The Last Brother already, and I think I'll double down on 'missing countries' and island, as I have quite an overlap there.
So far I've not found any favorites from South Africa yet, but it's not been a priority og mine either, there is just so much Africa to explore...
@Annette - Thanks for reminding me! I actually have A Girl Called Eel in a paper copy (and I always need a Z author for my alphabetical challenge elsewhere, so that's perfect!)

First read: On Black Sisters Street by Chika Unigwe, I am slotting that into "Diaspora author" (but like Wim said: I might move things around later on.)

Second read: The Parachute Drop by Norbert Zongo
I liked it a lot - managed to borrow it off a stranger by mail, rather then have to order it across the globe from the US.
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I'll post it as "New Country" as it is my first read from Burkina Faso.