Featured
'Dr Kavirondo' and the disconcerting psychology of the Luo voter
Perhaps the Luo voter doesn't need another political messiah. We already had that in Baba. The tragedy is that after his death, the Luo voter has not yet learnt that…
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Our pick of essays, news and conversations from African publishing.
Featured, page 2 of 5
Featured
The conundrum that marriage poses for women as they alternate from such titles as Miss, Mrs or even Ms
We spend a great deal of time talking about how, when and why women should get married. We talk about dating, beauty, femininity, fertility, compromise, being a “good…
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10 books every Kenyan should read to understand memory, resistance and democracy
The problem is not that young people have forgotten. It is that too few of us have been taught what came before. History and Government is treated as an elective in our…
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The day God created Adam and Eve
But the Creator instinctively knew that would be a waste of time. As time would demonstrate, corporal punishment, or the rod if you may – and counselling – are…
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Walls have ears: Barbara Adair on Nairobi's Art Deco buildings, African Asian heritage and why stories matter
"The Art Deco Buildings of Nairobi" is the latest work by South African writer Barbara Adair. More than a study of architecture, the book documents the memories and…
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'The Polygamist' and the shame of being seen loving
Anthropologists and historians have long distinguished between polygyny—the practice of one man having multiple wives—and infidelity or promiscuity. Across many African…
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What Nikolas Mukoko reveals about modern masculinity
Theatre is like juggling multiple balls at once. You’re in character, but you’re also aware of the audience, your scene partners, and the technical aspects of the show…
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Writing for kids: Shiko Nguru shows the way at Africa Forward Fest
Shiko’s passion for books began in childhood. As a child, she would sometimes fake being unwell at school just so she could sit in the secretary’s office and read the…
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How popular books ‘dull our minds’ instead of building resistance
Panellists shared how social media has made us have “brain rot”. It has shaped our perceptions and ideologies and made us rely on small talk and conversations that don’t…
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Reclaiming memory: Women’s role in liberation struggle retold at Africa Forward Fest
In many ways, the festival became a space where women’s contributions to liberation movements were repositioned from the margins to the centre. Rather than appearing as…
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Africa Forward Fest goes beyond the literary festival format
From 7 to 9 May, the Alliance Française de Nairobi will host the fifth edition of Africa Forward Fest, now expanded into a pan-African platform that brings together…
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Whose Right to Life? Reading Kenya’s Abortion Ruling Through Mad Women
Last week, while writing about Joan Thatiah’s Mad Women, I returned again and again to Zawadi, a young woman whose life ends after a clandestine abortion in a…