AMAKA Books is a heartwarming and enlightening virtual series that brings book fans, our host, Stephanie Smith Strickland, and authors together in one room for an intimate and informational 45 minute conversation. The thought-provoking, insightful and entertaining discussion between Stephanie and the writers will include an analysis of the themes and issues of the book, as well as open chats about the authors’ careers, writing processes and much more!
Our host Stephanie Smith Strickland is a writer, editor and content creator working primarily in music, culture and lifestyle. She has written for a wide variety of publications including Complex, PAPER, Valet Magazine and Billboard.
Launching for World Book Day on 23rd April, 2021, at 6pm GMT and in celebration with Freedom Month, our first AMAKA Books interview will be with South African actress, activist and author Rosie Motene. We will be discussing her book, Reclaiming the Soil: A Black Girl's Struggle to Find Her African Self.
Following our first interview with Rosie, we’ve got an array of award-winning, versatile and exciting authors on the last Thursday of every month for the rest of the series including: Upile Chisala, Bolu Babalola, Leila Aboulela and Jennifer Makumbi.
Read the bios below to find out more about our talented author line-up and details of their interviews:
Rosie Motene (April 23rd, 6pm GMT) - South African actress and author Rosie is a Pan African queer feminist, activist and speaker who continually uses her experience, platform and writing to speak up for issues surrounding gender-based violence and the LGBTQ+ community in Africa. Rosie’s 2018 memoir, ‘Reclaiming the Soil: A Black Girl's Struggle to Find Her African Self’, is her extraordinary story of cultural confusion during the apartheid era in South Africa. The book follows Rosie’s journey from her fog of alienation to self-discovery as an African woman. In 2018, the memoir was officially chosen as the piece of literature for the ‘One City, One Book’ campaign for Ethekwini municipality.
Upile Chisala (May 27th, 6pm GMT) - Upile is a Malawi storyteller, sociologist and activist who is the author of poetry books ‘soft magic’ and ‘Nectar’. Upile uses her written work to help others and herself come to terms with the past, celebrate the present and confidently dream big futures. Her debut book, soft magic, is a shared healing journey offering an exploration of the self, joy, Blackness, the experience of Diaspora, spirituality, matters of the heart, and most of all, how we survive. Nectar is the second collection of poetry and prose that focuses on self-love and our roots followed by acknowledging all the fruits of these experiences.
Bolu Babalola (June 24th, 6pm GMT) - Bolu is a British/Nigerian journalist and author whose debut novel ‘Love in Colour’ was published in 2020. The book became a Sunday Times bestseller and was on the Waterstones Book of the year shortlisted collection. Bolu finds the most delightful love stories from history and mythology and rewrites them with effervescence and wonderful new detail. She beautifully fuses the magical folktales of West Africa, iconic Greek myths and ancient legends from the Middle East. In addition to her debut book, Bolu has written for publications including Dazed, GQ, Cosmopolitan and Stylist.
Leila Aboulela (July 29th, 6pm GMT) - Cairo-born author Leila’s short story ‘The Museum’ - which was published in her collection Elsewhere, Home - was the first winner of the Caine Prize for African Writing in 2000. The story follows Shadia - a Sudanense bride-to-be engaged to Fareed back home - who is studying a master’s degree in Scotland and suffering anxiety about the new culture she is experiencing. The narrative follows Shadia taking steps out of her comfort zone and wrestling the cultural and social implications. Leila’s work has received critical recognition for its distinctive exploration of identity, migration and Islamic spirituality. Furthermore, her plays The Insider, The Mystic Life and others were broadcast on BBC Radio.
Jennifer Makumbi (August 26th, 6pm GMT) - Ugandan fiction writer Jennifer’s novel, ‘Kintu’, won the Kwani? Manuscript Project in 2013. The book is an epic tale of fate, fortune and legacy. Set in 1750, Kintu Kidda sets out for the capital to pledge allegiance to the new leader of the Buganda kingdom. During his journey, he unleashes a curse that will plague his family for generations. Jennifer has a long-list of accolades to her name including receiving the Overall Winner of the 2014 Commonwealth Short Story Prize and being awarded a Windham-Campbell Prize in the fiction category in 2018.
Join us in celebration of prose and purpose.
