Our Guest, Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi, use Labi Siffre’s song, Something Inside So Strong to unpick the migrant narratives in her collection of short stories, Manchester Happened (published in the USA as Let’s Tell This Story Properly), we explore the ways in which Sweet Mother by Nico Mbaga contribute to conversations on the treatment of indigenous Ugandan feminism in relation to western feminism in the novel, The First Woman (published in the USA as A Girl Is A Body of Water), and we also...

What challenges do African writers encounter when attempting to publish literary fiction that exclude the white gaze? What is the real value of winning literary prizes such as the Kwani! manuscript project? What power do literary editors have in steering a writer’s career?   Our guest Jennifer Nansubuga Mamukbi, award winning author whose novels include Kintu (pronounced ChinTu), The First Woman (published as A Girl Is A Body of Water in the USA), and the short Story collection, Manchester...

What is psychogeography? How does architecture affect our emotional, mental, and psychological wellbeing? Caleb Femi, a poet, educator, and multidisciplinary artist whose debut collection of poetry, Poor, celebrate and interrogate youth culture and masculinity, while the articulating the complex lived experiences of working class migrant communities in the UK join us in conversation. We use the music of Burna Boy, J-Hus, Wizkid, Guggs, Sunny Ade, and more to explore the problematic...

What do writers mean when they say they are ‘possessed’ by a character or a story? How much intuitive freedom does MFA courses offer writers, andhwat is it like to discover and translate a 3000 year old Hieroglyph Egyptian love story? We discuss these and more with writer and researcher, Ayesha Harruna Attah, author of four books including the recently published novel, The Deep Blue Between -- a multi-directional migration story of a displaced set of twins in 1800s Ghana, and its predecessor,...

We explore why romance genre is generally disregarded or overlooked by literary critics, the privileges of being published by a small independent press, and so much more with Sareeta Domingo, an accomplished author whose third novel, If I Don’t Have You, a love story between a Black British journalist and an Afro-Brazilian film-maker is published as part Jacaranda Books and Arts #Twentyin2020 project.   We use the music of ESKA, Prince, Erykah Badu, Neneh Cherry and more to discuss her...

Do writers of African descent have the freedom to write whimsical and quirky stories? How can readers support the works of under-discussed writers during COVID-19 global pandemic?   We discuss these topics and more with Tola Rotimi Abraham, whose debut novel, Black Sunday (a coming of age novel set in Lagos, Nigeria, which tells the story of a fractured family coming to terms with an unexpected loss) has been shoirtlisted for the 2020 Kirkus Prize for Fiction. We use the music of Adekunle...

What is Bookstagram and how is it shaping readers' engagement with books? What are the strategies for maintaining a healthy reading habit amidst COVID-19 pandemic? Is the term ‘African literature’ a form of self othering? We discuss these and more in today's episode with Muthoni Muiruri, a Kenyan researcher and literary activist.   Muthoni is the founder SomaNami.co.ke, a blog where she promotes and reviews books by Continental and diaspora African writers. She is the co-founder of The...

Ebissé Wakjira Rouw, co-founder of the Dutch multimedia powerhouse, Dipsaus (Dipsaus.org) join us in conversation about the Dutch publishing landscape. We use music by Luther Vandross, Nas, Lil Wayne, City Girls and Mahmoud Ahmed to discuss publishing while Black in the Netherlands and Europe, navigating work-life balance in light of COVID-19, translating writings by Continental and Diaspora African writers and more. We also discuss recent and forthcoming Dipsaus publications such as: the...

Ever wondered what goes on in the judging panels of literary prizes? Look no further as we speak with one of the judges of the AKO Caine Prize for African Writing on the process We speak to Ebissé Wakjira Rouw, an Ethiopian-Dutch literary editor, publisher, co-founder of Dipsaus – a multi-media organisation that specialises in amplifying the voices and lived experiences of Black and People of Colour in the Netherlands. Ebissé was also a judge for the 2020 AKO Caine Prize for African...

We conclude our one-to-one conversation with the shortlisted writers for the 2020 AKO Caine Prize for African Writing. Today’s guest is Jowhor Ile, a Nigerian writer, author of the novel And After Many Days and visiting professor at West Virginia university whose story, Fisherman Stew is vying for the £10,000 prize. We use the music of Fela Kuti, Sade, Lauryn Hill, Nina Simone, Onyeka Owenu, Cardinal Rex Lawson and more as selected by Jowhor to discuss food as an expression of love in his...

We continue our special one-to-one interview with the shortlisted writers for the AKO Caine Prize for African Writing with Remy Ngamije, a Rwandan born, Namibian writer, editor and photographer whose story, The Neighbourhood Watch is vying for the £10,000 prize. The Neighbourhood Watch is a narrative of five disenfranchised people on their quest for survival on the margins of society. We use the music of Hugh Masekela, Salif Keita, Yemi Alade, Lady Smith Black Mambazo - as selected by Rémy...

Erica Sugo Anyadike, the Tanzanian multi-hyphenated creative powerhouse discuss her subversive story, How To Marry an African President which is currently shortlisted for AKO Caine Prize for African Writing. We use selected music curated by Erica to unpack among other things, depictions of female partners of powerful men, writing for a specific audience and writing against the singular African narrative. We discuss the process of writing the How To Marry An African President, and what it...

In the concluding conversation on his memoir, Lives of Great Men, Chike Frankie Edozien offers greater depth into his career as a journalist in the United States of America (USA). We use a specially curated soundtrack as a musical backdrop to discuss Edozien's experience as one of few African Journalists who covered the highly publicised case against the New York police department for the racial profiling and murder of Guinean student, Amadou Diallo. Edozien elaborates on the importance of...

Journalist and Lambda award winning author, Chike Frankie Edozien, offers an intimate portrait of his life in his memoir, Lives of Great Men: Living and Loving as an African Gay Man. We begin the discussion with Edozien’s reaction to the attention the memoir has garnered (including winning the 2018 Lambda literary award), after which we reflect on the importance of being reviewed critically by astute readers, coming of age as same gender loving young man in Nigeria, the criminalisation of...

Novuyo Rosa Tshuma provides deeper context to her critically acclaimed novel, House of Stone – a sophisticated, philosophical and darkly humorous (re)telling of Zimbabwe’s history. We explore writing for a specific audience, censorship in Zimbabwean publishing landscape, weaponisation of history, the importance of documenting Gukurahundi massacre in fiction, understanding the ‘Born Free’ generation and so much more.   Books mentioned in this episode (widely available for purchase online and...

Celebrated writer and poet, Jumoke Verrisimo, discuss the complexities of fictionalising personal pain in fiction, idealisation of mothers in Yoruba culture, the infliction of emotional traumas on loved ones as coping strategy for much deeper unarticulated psychological distress, and her debut novel, A Small Silence - a quietly disturbing coded novel that humanises historically underserved communities in fiction while inviting the reader to explore the psycho-social implication of loneliness...

Novuyo Rosa Tshuma provides deeper context to her critically acclaimed novel, House of Stone – a sophisticated, philosophical and darkly humorous (re)telling of Zimbabwe’s history. We explore writing for a specific audience, censorship in Zimbabwean publishing landscape, weaponisation of history, the importance of documenting Gukurahundi massacre in fiction, understanding the ‘Born Free’ generation and so much more. The songs featured in the episode are available on Spotify and...

In celebration of the 10th anniversary launch of In Dependence, Sarah Ladipo Manyika takes us through the musical landscape of th novel, Independence, a sweeping love story underpinned by pan-African post colonial politics. We use the playlist curated by Sarah Ladipo Manyika to unpack the reasoning, research and writing process behind the Independence. We explore the import of musicians such as Hugh Masekela, Nina Simone, Bob Marley, and many more in bringing literary narratives to life....

A special live episode recording with the shortlisted writers for the Caine Prize for African Writing, 2019: Lesley Nneka Arimah (Nigeria) ‘Skinned’, Meron Hadero (Ethiopia) ‘The Wall’,  Cherrie Kandie (Kenya) for ‘Sew My Mouth’ Ngwah-Mbo Nana Nkweti (Cameroon) for ‘It Takes A Village Some Say’, and Tochukwu Emmanuel Okafor (Nigeria) for ‘All Our Lives’; in partnership with the Caine Prize. A playlist of the songs featured in this episode including a soundtrack to each sti The stories can...

This week’s guest is Oyinkan Braithwaite, author of My Sister The Serial Killer, the critically acclaimed debut novel recently shortlisted for the 2019 Women’s Prize for Fiction. We discuss her strategies for coping with criticisms, the importance of being grounded in faith, and the eccentricities of Nigerian humour which underpins the novel. In the second half, Oyinkan takes us on a musical journey through several books including Jane Eyre, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, and why she...

I am joined by Saraiya Bah, a British poet and cultural producer of Sierra Leonian descent, whose work draws on the West African tradition of storytelling. In our discussion, Saraiya draws connections between Malcom X & Nas, Erykah Badu’s music & teenagers in inner city London, and Saraiya situates Lauryn Hill’s work in Mariama Ba’s iconic nove, So Long a letter. Saraiya Bah is an entire mood! Her honest engagement with literature is inspiring. Listen to her poetry and find out more...

This episode is an absolute treat as Namwali Serpell, author of the critically acclaimed debut novel, ‘The Old Drift’, takes us on a musical journey through the 20 year period of writing the book, the problematic nature of literary prizes, the strangeness of reality, and the real meaning of the phrase 'Muzungu'. Namwali Serpell has curated a special playlist to her debut novel, ‘The Old Drift’ for Books & Rhymes which you can listen to on YouTube and Spotify. Subscribe to Books &...

Welcome to Books and rhymes, the podcast that makes you fall in love with reading, whilst flipping the script with a musical twist on your favourite books. I invite guests to pair a book with a song or an album that sparks the same emotional connection. I’m your host, Sarah, a west African in the diaspora with a deep abiding love for the written word. Join me every Monday on a musical journey through the works of new and classic authors.  An extended playlist of songs featured in each...