Written by Juliane Okot Bitek When Professor Zakes Mda gave his keynote speech at the conference, he beautifully lined out and linked the theme of his speech: “Autobiography, Memoir and Memoires” to the conference theme of “Truth and Memoir”. Writing from memory, he told us, requires emotional truth whereas autobiography […]
Uganda International Writers Conference
This blog was first published on Commonwealth Writers site. By Louise Umutoni, a Rwandan writer and journalist who has worked as a journalist in Rwanda and Canada, and is the founder of Andika Ma, a literary community of Rwandan female writers. Writing from the Uganda International Writers’ Conference, she charts an […]
This blog was first published on Commonwealth Writers site. By Mildred Barya Criticism of an African writer writing from a distance (those born or living in the Diaspora who write about Africa) inevitably focuses on the writers’ identity and the space they occupy, rather than how they’ve crafted their work. […]
Focus on The Etisalat Prize for Literature, Commonwealth Short Story Prize and The Africa39 Project The emergence of literary prizes and writing contests for African writers in the past decade has boosted the creative energies of writers and propelled the winners to international stardom. The winning books are guaranteed high […]
4th March, 2015 Morning session Panelists: Dilman Dila of Lawino Literary Magazine, Uganda and Melissa Kyeyune of KHAMEL Publishing, Uganda. Second morning to afternoon session: Life Writing: Recollecting the Self and Narrating Multiple Voices Panelists: Noo Saro-Wiwa on writing Looking for Transwonderland: Travels in Nigeria, Granta, 2012, and […]
Topic: Memoir as Remembered Narrative Zakes Mda’s autobiography: Sometimes There Is a Void: Memoirs of an Outsider, was the New York Times Notable Book for 2012. It was first published by Penguin books in 2011, and Farrar Straus and Giroux in 2012. Zakes has published 21 books and has been […]
3rd March, 2015. Morning session In the years following independence (1960’s for most African countries), many African writers including Chinua Achebe, Okot p’Bitek, Ngugi wa Thiong’o, Nuruddin Farah, Ama Ata Aidoo, Flora Nwapa, wrote and published high quality literature which has withstood the test of time. Their works launched Africa’s […]
Guests and participants in the 2nd AWT International Conference in Uganda visit FEMRITE offices and hold conversations about the writing process. First, the books. All Femrite publications A few of the guests: More: Catching up
2nd March, 2015 Morning In this room, writers and storytellers gather to talk about books and literary initiatives. It’s the second Uganda International Writers Conference. Among the guests include AWT’s keynote speaker: Zakes Mda from South Africa/USA, UK/Uganda writer: Jennifer Makumbi, Nigeria/UK: Noo Saro-Wiwa, Nigeria/USA: Chinelo Okparanta, Uganda/Canada: Juliane Okot […]