Great African Reads discussion

I'm again participating this year and hope to score a full bingo!

Read so far 16/16 !!

New-to-you country: L'Africain du Groenland par Tété-Michel Kpomassie
Recent (2019-21): Pris au piège par Nafissatou Faouzzia Sondo
African Island: Les rochers de Poudre d'Or by Nathacha Appanah
Diaspora author: L'Etrange Affaire du pantalon de Dassoukine par Fouad Laroui
Short stories: Il n'y a pas de petite querelle : Nouveaux contes de la savane par Amadou Hampâté Bâ
Spanish or Portuguese: Neighbours: The Story of a Murder by Lília Momplé
Free Choice: De purs hommes par Mohamed Mbougar Sarr
Published 1980-90: Nehanda by Yvonne Vera
Theme: Family: La femme aux pieds nus par Scholastique Mukasonga
Poetry: The January Children by Safia Elhillo
Africa39 Author: The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives by Lola Shoneyin
A debut novel: Memory of Departure by Abdulrazak Gurnah
Non-diaspora author: Chaka: une épopée bantoue by Thomas Mofolo
A Group Read: L'Ombre d'Imana par Véronique Tadjo
Non-fiction: Afrotopia par Felwine Sarr
Prize winner: I Do Not Come to You by Chance by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani

Great! I am looking forward to your comments!

First square: I finished La femme aux pieds nus which qualifies as group read, non-fiction, diaspora author, but I will use it for the family theme.

More comments in my short review and in the group read thread.

:))) still a lot of variables to fit the titles

Orgeluse wrote: ":))) still a lot of variables to fit the titles"

yes, and I allow myself the liberty to reassign books in the course of the year so they fit better... :)

I guess that we all procede like that and that is also fun :))) Happy reading anyway!

Wim wrote: "Orgeluse wrote: ":))) still a lot of variables to fit the titles"

yes, and I allow myself the liberty to reassign books in the course of the year so they fit better... :)"

That's my strategy too :)

Second square: for De purs hommes I already had to use the easiest categorie "free choice" ... it didn't seem to fit anywhere else.

You're making great progress so early in the year!

Third square: L'Ombre d'Imana by Véronique Tadjo is our group read in French (short review here).

Bly me! If you continue at this pace you will be done by February ;-))) Thanks for your thoughts on the book! I am more and more into Tadjo's work. After having read and dnf-ed The Blind Kingdom two years ago, I read As the Crow Flies and am still thinking about what to make of it. Then I really liked Far from My Father and now I have Queen Pokou in the waiting line for January/February!
I really have the feeling I should give The Blind Kingdom another try as I also get more and more into this unfamiliar way of writing that seems to be deeply rooted in oral traditions!

It really is going fast, just added two more squares:
I read the non fiction book Afrotopia by Senegalese writer, economist en artist Felwine Sarr (see review here, and the 2020 short story collection Pris au piège by the young Burkinese writer Nafissatou Faouzzia Sondo (only published locally, see short review here)

Orgeluse wrote: "I am more and more into Tadjo's work. After having read and dnf-ed The Blind King..."

I have only read As the Crow Flies and L'Ombre D'Imana, but would love to read more by Véronique Tadjo too.

At the rate you are going on, you will be able to do a second Bingo card this year. Afrotopia looks interesting.

Carolien wrote: "At the rate you are going on, you will be able to do a second Bingo card this year. Afrotopia looks interesting."

I agree! And I also added Afrotopia to my TBR :)

Thank you both. Afrotopia indeed is interesting: it's available in an English translation and it's a short read.

Wim wrote: "It really is going fast, just added two more squares:
I read the non fiction book Afrotopia by Senegalese writer, economist en artist Felwine Sarr (see review here,..."

Nafissatou Faouzzia Sondo sounds interesting and a pity it is only published locally (though good for the locals indeed!).
And guess what I found on my shelves? Afrotopia ;)) I got it when African dance and theatre productions were invited to an arts festival in my area. I remember I thought it was interesting at the time I read it, but I can also see that it might not provide many new aspects for readers that are familiar with modern Africa as you point out in your review...

Orgeluse wrote: "And guess what I found on my shelves? Afrotopia ;)) I got it when African dance and theatre productions were invited to an arts festival in my area. I remember I thought it was interesting at the time I read it, but I can also see that it might not provide many new aspects for readers that are familiar with modern Africa as you point out in your review..."

Great you already read the book. It is indeed a fine and short introduction too many important aspects of Africa's history and future.

Sixth square: I Do Not Come to You by Chance, Nigerian author Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani's debut novel. It also won the following prizes: Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa (2010), Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best First Book in Africa (2010), Nigeria Prize Nominee for Literature (2012), Betty Trask Award (2010).

Here is my short review.

And a seventh book: Il n'y a pas de petite querelle : Nouveaux contes de la savane by Amadou Hampâté Bâ for the square 'Short stories'.

I read Fouad Laroui's L'Etrange Affaire du pantalon de Dassoukine. Laroui is from Morocco but living in the Netherlands since his early twenties.

Halfway the bingo card already (but I only just finished the easiest categories...).

Ninth square: the fiction debut of Lola Shoneyin: The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives.

And number ten, a book first published in 1994: Nehanda by Zimbabwean writer Yvonne Vera.

With my eleventh square I discovered two new countries: Togo and Greenland. It was my first read by a Togolese author: the fascinating travelogue L'Africain du Groenland by Tété-Michel Kpomassie.

Still 5 to go and I did not make any progress since May. I will have to select some books proactively...

Square #12 is for non-diaspora author Thomas Mofolo from Lesotho and his book Chaka: une épopée bantoue that I read in French translation from the Sesotho language.

Wim wrote: "Square #12 is for non-diaspora author Thomas Mofolo from Lesotho and his book Chaka: une épopée bantoue that I read in French translation from the Sesotho language."

...Just about to start that one too - though not in French :) And you're almost done! Well done :)

Thank you Anetq. If you have any poetry suggestions, that would be of great help!

I remember Orgeluse raving about The January Children if that helps. A South African poet you could consider is Antjie Krog.

I'm busy with Chaka and it is interesting so far. Chaka was not a nice man.

Thank you Carolien, I'll check that out!

And yes, Chaka was not nice at all...

Wim wrote: "Thank you Anetq. If you have any poetry suggestions, that would be of great help!"
Ah, not many I think... There was an old french one from one of the islands... (starts with an R?)
And 'teaching my mother how to give birth' is poetry isn't it? Yvonne Vera has some poetry as well as far as I remember?

I wonder if Ngugi wa Thiong'o's latest book The Perfect Nine: The Epic of Gĩkũyũ and Mũmbi could count as a poem? I have seen classic epics like The Odyssey and The Lusiads being referred to as poetry.

Carolien wrote: "I remember Orgeluse raving about The January Children if that helps. A South African poet you could consider is Antjie Krog.

I'm busy with Chaka and it is interestin..."

Yes, I can highly recommend Safia Elhillo!

Valerie wrote: "I wonder if Ngugi wa Thiong'o's latest book The Perfect Nine: The Epic of Gĩkũyũ and Mũmbi could count as a poem? I have seen classic epics like The Odyssey and The Lusiads being re..."

Oh yes! Of course!
And it is even available as an audiobook which is presumably the most "proper" way of "reading" this epic :))
Wim, I am looking forward to your choice for the category of poetry (which will probably be a surprise for all of us :)))

I read an African island book: Les rochers de Poudre d'Or by Mauritian author Nathacha Appanah.

Three squares left... and only one month.

I just finished Neighbours: The Story of a Murder by Mozambican writer Lília Momplé. I read the English translation of this book that was originally written in Portuguese. This helps me to progress in the 50 books by African women challenge (only 12 left!).

In the meantime, I changed some squares and put Lola Shoneyin's The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives in the Africa 39 Author's square and Memory of Departure as debut novel.

So only one square left: poetry!
Planning to read Safia Elhillo's The January Children very soon!

Wim wrote: "I just finished Neighbours: The Story of a Murder by Mozambican writer Lília Momplé. I read the English translation of this book that was originally written in Port..."

Well done Wim!!
And I hope you will enjoy The January Children!!

Well done, Wim. Look forward to your final review of the year!

And I just finished square #16 to complete the bingo challenge, just in time!
I read the wonderful poetry debut The January Children by Safia Elhillo.

Congratulations on finishing the challenge Wim! Which ended up being your favourite book?

Well done, Wim!

Wim wrote: "And I just finished square #16 to complete the bingo challenge, just in time!
I read the wonderful poetry debut The January Children by Safia Elhillo."

Congrats and I'm glad you enjoyed The January Children. Her first prose text Home Is Not a Country is on my TBR for this year :)

Valerie wrote: "Congratulations on finishing the challenge Wim! Which ended up being your favourite book?"

Difficult to say... maybe Nehanda? I also really enjoyed De purs hommes, The January Children and L'Africain du Groenland.

Orgeluse wrote: "Congrats and I'm glad you enjoyed The January Children. Her first prose text Home Is Not a Country is on my TBR for this year :)"

I saw that she had a new book, but didn't know it wasn't poetry. I'd be very interested in your thoughts on that book!

Wim wrote: "Orgeluse wrote: "Congrats and I'm glad you enjoyed The January Children. Her first prose text Home Is Not a Country is on my TBR for this year :)"

I saw that she had a new book, but didn't know it..."

I will report back!