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On this episode, we discuss the significance of King Charles visit to Kenya and how neo-colonialism persists and thrives at the seeming aid of African leadership. Fret not though, while leadership is the weakest link in the decolonial dialogue, artists and authors continue to push back and write alternative narratives. We share some of our reading recommendations that we feels challenge and push back against colonial narratives. Books we mention: 1. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe 2....

This week we dive into the magical and oft times messy world of bookclubs. We reminisce on how we met, spoiler alert- it was at a book club! Together and separately, we have been responsible for founding and running some of the most successful book clubs in Kenya and we share all the wisdom we have gathered over time; some best practice and anecdotes on how to start and keep going. We hope this guide empowers you to create a thriving book club that not only discusses great literature but...

What happens when two kindred spirits, driving purely by passion and vision and not so much common sense come together? They dare to put together an African Book Fair and commit to bringing in 10000 books to the country in their first attempt! Madness! This is Muthoni and Wendy’s story of bringing to life the African Book Fair, held from 1-5 August 2023 at the McMillan Memorial Library. In this episode, they go back, tracing where the idea started, how it was birthed and grew legs and then...

Since her debut Stay with Me came out in 2017 to critical acclaim, Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀ has gone on to become a household name. The story of Yejide and Akin is one that tagged at our heartstrings and for a lot of readers, it opened up wounds and conversations and reflections. We here at Soma Nami Podcast, as with the rest of the world, have been waiting with bated breath for a sophomore book to drop, so when we heard rumours that A Spell of Good Things was in the works, we knew we had to get Ms...

When we sat down to reflect on how our reading habits have changed or evolved over the years we quickly realised that this could not be a one-dimensional conversation.  As a starting point, we sought to answer the question, 'Why do we read?' And with so many things influencing why and how we read, we had to go back to the beginning to unpack. We take a journey back in time and reminisce on our reading evolution from reading age inappropriate books as pre-adolescents to reckoning with the...

On this winded book recommendations episode, we touch on five books we’ve each read and liked in 2022, why the books resonated with us and why you should consider adding them to your reading list.  Wendy’s List She Would be King- Wayetu Moore When we were Birds- Ayanna Banwo Lloyd Things they Lost- Okwiri Oduor Beloved- Toni Morrison Finding Me- Viola Davis Muthoni’s List Their Eyes were Watching God- Zora Neale Hurston These Ghosts are Family- Maisy Card Against the Loveless...

We missed you and are so glad to be back for another season on the podcast! When we closed for season one, we set out to find out all we can about Literary Festivals on the continent, are they worth your time, money and travel? How is curation done? What would we do different if we curated our own festival? Would we recommend that you save up for the next LitFest in your locality? In the last few months we attended 2 Literary Festivals – The Macondo Festival in Nairobi, Kenya and the Ake...

On this episode we speak to Trinidad and Tobago author of Pleasantview, Celeste Mohammed.  Celeste has been a lawyer since 2001 but she has been telling stories all her life. A native of Trinidad and Tobago, in 2016, she graduated from Lesley University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, with an MFA in Creative Writing (Fiction). Celeste’s goal is to dispel all myths about island-life and island-people, and to highlight the points of intersection between Caribbean and North American interests. In...

On this episode, we speak to Nana-Ama Danquah on her 2022 AKO Caine Prize shortlisted story ‘When a Man Loves a Woman’, originally published in Accra Noir (2021) edited by Nana-Ama herself. We talk about how a love story ends up in Noir fiction and explore the very thin line between love and hate, or something like it. What happens when a couple’s essence is upended and they are unable to redefine their new reality? Listen in and enjoy! ********* Nana-Ama Danquah is an author, editor,...

Drawing her inspiration from her home town of Kilifi on the Kenyan Coast, Idza Luhumyo tells the story of a lonely but gifted young girl who has the gift of growing rain in her hair. This gift however comes with its own challenges as she falls out of favour with her family and her quarter. Along the way, she will also meet people who will disguise their true intentions for her. Will she discover this too late? On this episode, Idza speaks to us about her inspiration for this 2022 AKO Caine...

In a city where things move at cut throat speed, there’s never time to stop and think about the next person. It’s not therefore uncommon for ambition and the need for survival to trump humanity and human connection. Accra’s underbelly is one of this places and Billie Mcternan in her Caine Prize nominated story ‘The Labadi Sunshine Bar’ tells the story of an ambitious sex worker with dreams of her own, who will do anything to achieve her dreams. In a hustle, it’s kind of irrelevant what you do...

Stories abound about children found dumped and abandoned on the side of the road or in garbage bins across the globe. Our Caine Prize shortlisted writer has always been curious about what becomes of them and explores this in his award winning story 'Collector of Memories'.  In this story about a young woman, abandoned as a child and learning about the circumstances surrounding her abandonment later in life, Joshua Chizoma wants to challenge you to ask yourself, 'Who are you?' What parts of...

On this Episode we speak to American-born Ethiopian, Hannah Giorgis whose short story 'A Double-Edged Inheritance' originally published in Addis Ababa Noir (2020), has been shortlisted for the 2022 AKO Caine Prize for African Writing. We explore the idea of home and what it means for different people - is home a place or a person? How do our experiences and history shape us and where is home when that connection to home no longer exists? We also draw parallels between Hannah's own experiences...

On this episode, the duo catch up on their June #ReadCaribbean plans. They discuss the books they have already read, are planning to read and the books they are loving. Listen along for recommendations and for ideas on what to potentially read next. #ReadCaribbean is a campaign in celebration of Caribbean literature which takes place in June alongside the Caribbean heritage month.

On this episode, the duo shares their excitement on the announcement of the AKO Caine prize 2022 shortlist, including a trip down memory lane featuring the Kenyans who have won the prize in previous years.  The AKO Caine Prize for African Writing is a literature prize awarded to an African writer of a short story published in English. The Prize was launched in 2000 to encourage and highlight the richness and diversity of African writing by bringing it to a wider audience internationally. The...

On this episode, we sound off on a recent copyright stand off. We also go deep on the importance of representation in literature and art and the role it plays in forging identity and esteem. Listen, leave a rating and share this episode with one person.

On this episode we have a family meeting on some things that need to change in the book market in Kenya. Piracy abounds and pirates are bold and fearless. We educate you on the signs to look out for for pirated books. We also sound off on the history of the Arts scene in Kenya and how that has affected the modern day book industry and the current status of Kenyan publishing. Listen in, engage and share

The duo is back! And on this episode, we look at a new (or old) kind of othering where we constantly compare ourselves to the west and firmly latch on to the belief that anything African + Natural = backward, whereas anything and everything Western is the ideal. What is the basis of such assumptions and what can we do to flip the script? We also look at the genesis of the term Afropolitan and go into why we are very uncomfortable with it. Is there a reason why even the biggest proponents of...

On  this episode, we continue the conversation between the Soma Nami Duo and Troy Onyango on reading, writing, Lolwe the literary magazine and much  more. Troy is a writer and editor from Kisumu, Kenya. Troy’s work has been  published Prairie Schooner, Doek!, Wasafiri, Isele Magazine,  Johannesburg Review of Books, AFREADA, Nairobi Noir, Dgeku Magazine, and  Transition among others. He is also an avid reader and the  Founder and  Editor in Chief of Lolwe. Troy’s Short Story collection titled...

On this episode, we listen to a conversation between the Soma Nami Duo and Troy Onyango on reading, writing, Lolwe the literary magazine and much more.  Troy is a writer and editor from Kisumu, Kenya. Troy’s work has been published Prairie Schooner, Doek!, Wasafiri, Isele Magazine, Johannesburg Review of Books, AFREADA, Nairobi Noir, Dgeku Magazine, and Transition among others. He is also an avid reader and the  Founder and Editor in Chief of Lolwe. Troy’s Short Story collection titled ‘For...

On this episode we bring you a conversation with Okwiri Oduor the author of Things They Lost, a debut novel that tells the story of a lonely girl living in a small town and her struggle to free herself from her mercurial, charming mother. Okwiri Oduor is a Kenyan writer, who won the 2014 Caine Prize. In April 2014 she was named on the Hay Festival's list of 39 Sub-Saharan African writers aged under 40 with potential and talent to define trends in African literature with her story "Rag Doll"...

The duo is back with another episode and this week we talk about what is grinding our gears and voter apathy, but most importantly, we talk about honoring those who have come before us and set the path, allowing us to do what we do.

On this episode the Soma Nami duo ask the question - Who gets to tell a story? What happens when someone decides to tell a story that is not their lived experience, or of characters that do not share in their identity? We also tackle the #ownvoices debate and share our take on it.