This program happened live on Monday, December 6, 2021 at 12:00 PM ET
Watch the full program here:
The Africa Center in partnership with Brittle Paper presents a discussion on African writing and literary culture.
Ainehi Edoro, founder and editor of Brittle Paper – a leading platform dedicated to African writing and literary culture – will be joined by literary academic, Ellah P. Wakatama. In the spirit of celebrating the year and African literary excellence, the two will discuss Brittle Paper’s list of “50 Notable African Books of the Year”. Launched in 2018, the list is a curated collection of the most impactful African books in a given year. The list showcases an array of genres and writing styles, as well as offers readers a solid collection of books to launch their exploration of African writing. Books make the list based on their contribution to enriching the literary culture and readers’ experience. Pan-African diversity is prioritized in the selection process so that readers get an inclusive view of African literary culture. The conversation will explore the strong presence of books by women writers of African descent and the explosion of African speculative fiction. It will also highlight publishers and other culture curators making strides in keeping African literary culture lively with boundary-pushing books.
Dr. Ainehi Edoro-Glines is a Nigerian academic. She is an Assistant Professor of English at the university of Wisconsin-Madison with a joint appointment in the African Cultural Studies Department. She teaches and does research on African literature and digital culture. Edoro is the founder and Editor of Brittle Paper, a leading online platform dedicated to African writing and literary culture. She is working on her book titled “Forest Imaginaries: How African Novels Think.” In 2018, she made Okay Africa’s Top 100 Women list in honor of her work in media and publishing. Her writing and commentaries have been featured on The Guardian, BBC World News, and Africa is a Country.
Ellah P. Wakatama, OBE, (Hon) FRSL, is chair of the AKO Caine Prize for African writing. She is also Editor-at-Large for Canongate Books and is the Creative Manchester Senior Research Fellow at the University of Manchester. She was the founding Publishing Director of the Indigo Press, deputy editor of Granta magazine and Senior Editor at Jonathan Cape Random House. She has judged a number of international literary prizes including the International Dublin Literary Award and the Booker Prize.
Event Image Credit: Dziana Hasanbekava