Africa

Short fiction by Nhlanhla Junior Ngulube (South Africa)

Nhlanhla Junior Ngulube says of himself: “My name is Nhlanhla Junior Ngulube. I was born in Zimbabwe, raised in Johannesburg, and now live in China where I am pursuing my Masters degree. I hold an undergraduate degree in Accounting (With honors in Finance) from the University Of Cape Town. Writing, however, remains my primordial love,…

Weaver Press Launches New Short Story Anthology, by Beaven Tapureta

HARARE, ZIMBABWE:  Weaver Press has launched a new short story anthology entitled  Writing Mystery and Mayhem.  This is a genre collection which features mystery stories by twelve writers, one of whom is late poet Freedom Nyamubaya’s son, Naishe Hassim. Speaking on the sidelines of the launch of Writing Mystery and Mayhem held at the Zimbabwe-German Society…

New Fiction by Pemi Aguda (Nigeria)

Pemi Photo by Tolu Talabi Pemi Aguda writes short stories and flash fiction. We have published her before, and now she returns with another touching story entitled “Help Jimi Help Himself”.  Her stories have appeared online and off – in literary journals and anthologies. Her short story “Caterer, Caterer” won the 2015 Writivism Short Story Prize; published in…

New Shona Story by Idzai Iris Mushayabasa

Born in Masvingo Province in Mwenezi District, Idzai Iris Mushayabasa holds a Bachelor of Arts General Degree (English and Linguistics) from the University of Zimbabwe and has taught at Vurasha Secondary School in Mberengwa, Mwenezi High School and Chibaya Secondary School in Masvingo Province. She is a new poet and writer who has three of…

New Fiction by Bongani Sibanda (Zimbabwe)

photo source: Weaver Press In the fiction section, we present a new short story by Bongani Sibanda, entitled “The Preventer of Disasters“.  Bongani is a Zimbabwean writer based in Johannesburg, South Africa.  Born in 1990, at a village in Mat. South, he has been writing since he was a child in primary school. His short…

The Informant by Judith Joubert (SA)

Judith grew up in Polokwane, South Africa. She lived in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe for two years before moving back to her hometown in 1994. She worked as a proofreader at a newspaper printing company and has since been a writing housewife. Her writings have appeared in Vision Magazine, Ancient Paths Christian Literary Magazine, The Kalahari Review…

Pemi Aguda Wins the 2015 Writivism Short Story Prize

The results are out, and the winning story, “Caterer, Caterer”,  is by Nigerian writer Pemi Aguda. The story, along with four others shortlisted for the Prize, is published here. Pemi Aguda writes short stories and flash fiction. Her stories have appeared in The Kalahari Review, Black Fox Literary Magazine, Prufrock Magazine, The Wrong Quarterly and the…

African Literary Prizes, Legitimacy, and the non-African Gaze by Bwandugi Mugarura

Every year the African continent holds its breath as we wait for the announcement. We’ve blogged the stories, Googled the authors, engaged in furious debate about the style of writing, about the story, about the author. Then the tweet drops, the website is updated and we all find out who won the Caine Prize. The…

My Experience at the 2015 Caine Prize Writers Workshop in Ghana by Nkiacha Atemnkeng

I was one of the participants of the 2015 Caine Prize Writers Workshop, held in Elmina, a picturesque coastal town in Ghana, from April 6 to 19. I travelled from Douala on Ethiopian Airlines, so I spent the night in Addis Ababa and boarded the long flight to Accra the next morning. We landed at the…

Naomi Benaron Reviews ‘This House Is Not For Sale’ by E.C. Osondu

Take a collection of colorful, madcap characters linked by a Family House and the despotic grandfather, part god, part politician, and part semi-benevolent dictator, who rules the house. Add a rich sense of culture peppered by local dialect, humor, and the scents of cook fires and earthy, delicious foods. Spice with a hint of political…