From Road Nipple to Eating Insects: Silly Things African Writers Only Say on Twitter

August 22, 2014

Nnedi Okorafor asks us to eat more insects. Taiye Selasi in Bikini. Zakes Mda is not impressed by Beyonce. Efemia Chela opines on Nikki Minaj’s anaconda dance. Sarah Lotz opens up on her “killer profile.”

Wainaina Binyavanga freaks out about a certain Nigerian delicacy. Ikhide Ikheloa is interested in “road’s nipples.” Don’t ask me what that means.

If only we read just their tweets! African writer wouldn’t seem so stern, serious, and stodgy.

The lying down twerk Nicki Minaj does in the Anaconda video seems like my kind of thing. Half lazy, half motivated. — LanaViolence (@efemiachela) August 21, 2014

We should eat more insects. — Nnedi Okorafor, PhD (@Nnedi) August 20, 2014

wen god came to earth he stopped i lagos and ate some moin moin and said shit that stuff is great! pic.twitter.com/22Om0srlhJ — Binyavanga Wainaina (@BinyavangaW) August 19, 2014

— Mukoma Wa Ngugi (@MukomaWaNgugi) August 13, 2014

Stupid predictive text. I type Beyond it comes up with Beyoncé. What do I want with Beyoncé? — Zakes Mda (@ZakesMda) August 20, 2014

My killer profile is Psychopath, what’s yours? https://t.co/tjsZ6lTWUv #BrokenMonsters out now pic.twitter.com/ABDIFsqtpa — Sarah Lotz (@SarahLotz1) August 13, 2014

American Airlines: reminding you why you hate to fly. — Dinaw Mengestu (@dinawmengestu) February 22, 2014

Years of writing: 4.5. Number of drafts: 10. Having the finished book in your hand? Priceless. pic.twitter.com/Ei7MqHGJea — Laila Lalami (@LailaLalami) August 12, 2014

The pictures of me breakdancing have been destroyed. — Lauren Beukes (@laurenbeukes) August 12, 2014

#100happydays day 98: this happy, healing, wholly lovely summer in #Berlin pic.twitter.com/lk79w0nOhD

— Taiye Selasi (@taiyeselasi) August 8, 2014

Nigeria: The forests and the streams bring food to the road, the road’s nipples feed us all day, breasts full, groaning on grumbling trucks. — Lord of the Gourds (@ikhide) August 19, 2014