Knowing we are currently in a pandemic, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o graciously wrote this poem and would like it to be shared widely. We hope it brings you comfort. The poem was written on March 23, 2020. Read it and share! *** I know, I know, It threatens the common gestures of human bonding The handshake, […]
Tag Archives: Mukoma Wa Ngugi
#WeTurnToBooks: An Instagram Live Series | Mukoma wa Ngũgĩ
#WeTurnToBooks is Brittle Paper‘s first ever Instagram Live series. Our second guest for the series, following Jeanne-Marie Jackson-Awotwi, was Mukoma wa Ngũgĩ. Mukoma is an Associate Professor of English at Cornell University and the author of The Rise of the African Novel: Politics of Language, Identity, and Ownership, the novels Mrs. Shaw, Black Star Nairobi, and […]
Tanzanian Writers Lello Mmassy & Mohamed Songoro Win Mabati Cornell Kiswahili Prize for African Literature
PRESS RELEASE: The winners of the Mabati Cornell Kiswahili Prize for African Literature 2019 were announced by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Abdilatif Abdalla, together with the the Safal Group CEO, Mr. Anders Lindgren, during a special ceremony at Intercontinental Hotel, Nairobi, on Thursday, 27 February 2020. The guests of honor included Ms […]
Kenyan Writers React to 25-Year-Ruling Former President Daniel Arap Moi’s Death
Daniel Arap Moi. Credit: The New York Times. Kenya’s former president Daniel Arap Moi recently died. The ex-teacher and politician had ruled Kenya for 25 years, from his succession to Kenya’s first president Jomo Kenyatta in 1978 to his stepping down in 2002 after the constitution barred him from running again. He is, needless to […]
Writing Your Other: A Concise Guide for White Writers | Mukoma Wa Ngugi
Controversies surrounding White appropriation of Black and Brown cultures seem to pop up every few weeks. The most recent one surrounds American Dirt by Jeanine Cummings, who claims she is only guilty of giving a face to “the faceless brown mass” of Mexican immigrants at the US border. To which her critics counter that she […]
The Anticipated Books of 2020
The year 2019 was full. In December, we released our list of The Notable Books of 2019. In January, we released our list of The Top 15 Debut Books of 2019. Now we look ahead into 2020 with our list of the most anticipated books of the year in fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. The buzz […]
The Mabati-Cornell Kiswahili Prize, for Fiction & Poetry in African Languages, Announces 2019 Shortlists
The Mabati-Cornell Kiswahili Prize for African Literature has announced its 2019 shortlists in fiction and poetry. Founded in 2014 by Dr. Lizzy Attree, long-time Caine Prize administrator and now Short Story Day Africa board member, and Dr. Mukoma wa Ngugi, Associate Professor of English and Africana Studies at Cornell, the prize “has the express goal […]
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