From Friday 17 June to Sunday 19 June 2022 we’ll be celebrating contemporary literature and thought from Africa and the African diaspora with a series of book launches, conversations, performances and workshops online and in Exeter.
Africa Writes is the UK’s leading platform curating the best contemporary African and African diaspora writing. As part of Exeter’s UNESCO City of Literature programme, we’ve been working to establish an Exeter-based edition of the festival. This launched in 2020 with the Africa Writes – Exeter digital book club, and now returns with an exciting literary weekend offering a blended programme of online and in-person events.
Africa Writes – Exeter is brought to you by the Royal African Society and Saseni! working in partnership with the University of Exeter and local independent bookshop Bookbag.
Africa Writes – Exeter has been supported by funding from University of Exeter’s International Institute for Cultural Enquiry and the College of Humanities.
Friday 17 June 2022
Writing Mothers and Daughters: Yewande Omotoso and Okwiri Oduor in Conversation
Time: 16:00 – 17:00 (BST)
Location: Crowdcast
Tickets: FREE
Yewande Omotoso’s An Unusual Grief (Cassava Republic Press, 2022) writes a mother’s journey of self-discovery as she faces the loss of her daughter, while Okwiri Oduor’s Thing They Lost (Oneworld, 2022) writes a daughter’s quest to save her mother. Join two of the most exciting voices shaping contemporary African literature for a conversation discussing the complex and entangled mother-daughter relationships in their novels. While Omotoso’s narrative is fuelled by grief and Oduor’s by magic and mystery, both writers will reflect on their writing process and their positioning of the bond between mothers and daughter as fragile and fractured yet vital to a process of self-definition.
Accessibility Statement: The event will take place on Crowdcast, details will be emailed 48 hours ahead of the event.
Wahala: Nikki May in conversation with Kadija Sesay George
Time: 18:00 – 19:00 (BST)
Location: Bookbag, 7-10 McCoys Arcade, Fore Street, Exeter, EX4 3AN
Tickets: FREE
Wahala has been described as Sex and the City with a killer edge for fans of Big Little Lies and My Sister, The Serial Killer. This gripping novel of friendship and revenge follows the lives of Ronke, Simi and Boo – three mixed-race friends living in London, all with ties to Lagos. Author Nikki May will be in conversation with Kadija Sesay about Wahala, talking about the writing of friendship, food, fashion and family.
Accessibility Statement: Bookbag is an accessible venue located on street level with step free access and with access to a disabled bathroom. For further info do contact them directly via info@bookbag.shop.
An Evening of Poetry hosted by Roots Resistance
Time: 20:00 – 22:30 (BST)
Location: Exeter Phoenix, Gandy Street, Exeter, EX4 3LS
Tickets: FREE
The Roots Resistance is proud to collaborate with Africa Writes Exeter and Bookbag to present an Evening of Poetry, finishing it off with an Open Mic session. The Roots Resistance is a multidisciplinary collective of creatives based in Exeter seeking to engage with the arts as a means of transformative expression. Through creativity, discussion and the exchange of ideas, the Roots Resistance is a project that brings together Black and POC communities, and their allies, in Exeter and beyond. We are excited to present An Evening of Poetry, featuring Nii Ayikwei Parkes, Kadija Sesay George, Al- Saddiq Al-Raddi with Bryar Bajalan & Nour Khairi. The evening will finish with an Open Mic session.
Accessibility Statement: There is a steep slope from the street leading to the main entrance and a flight of stairs up to our front door. More level access is possible by approaching from Exeter Central Library on Castle street. Step-free access to the building is available via a ramped entrance on the side of the building. The side entrance is equipped with automatic doors. All ground floor spaces are fully accessible with a mix of level flooring and gentle ramps. Spaces on our first floor are accessible via lift or the main staircases with level floor access throughout. Unfortunately, our second floor is not accessible via lift. Access from the first floor is via one flight of stairs.
Saturday 18 June 2022
Adanko Writing Workshop with Nii Ayikwei Parkes (for 8-12 years)
Time: 10:30 – 12:00 (BST)
Location: Exeter Central Library, Castle Street, Exeter, EX4 3PQ
Tickets: FREE
Hosted by Adanko Workshops, join performance poet and children’s writer Nii Ayikwei Parkes for a poetry workshop linked to his collection of stories Tales from Africa. This session will explore poetry and how it can be used to express creativity in different parts of the world. Participants will have the oppportunity to explore their poetic voice and create a poem as part of a display piece to celebrate African literature in Exeter.
Structure of workshop and safeguarding guidelines: The 90-minute workshop is hosted in Exeter Central Library. After the workshop is completed your child will have the opportunity to add their poem to a collective piece to showcase their work and celebrate the Africa Writes Exeter festival. You will need to register your child(ren) for the workshop via Eventbrite. The workshops are aimed at children aged 8-12 years old, especially those from ethnic minorities and low socio-economic backgrounds. If you have any questions about this event please email adankowriters@gmail.com.
an/other pastoral with Tjawangwa Dema and No Bindings
Time: 15:00 – 16:15 (BST)
Location: Exeter Phoenix, Gandy Street, Exeter, EX4 3LS
Tickets: FREE – register via Eventbrite
an/other pastoral explores history, belonging and race as it converges with climate crisis, ecosystems and care. Join us for one of the first opportunities to hear Tjawangwa Dema read from this compelling new polyvocal poetry collection
an/other pastoral has been beautifully produced by Bristol-based No Bindings with illustrations from Tebogo Cranwell. After a chance to hear these vibrant poems being read, both Dema and No Binding’s founder Lily Green will be in conversation about their collaboration on the making of this book, as well as its powerful intervention in representations of nature and what it means to be human now.
This dialogue will be chaired by Louisa Adjoa Parker, an acclaimed south-west based poet whose work has also engaged deeply with the relationship between the environment and race.
Accessibility Statement: There is a steep slope from the street leading to the main entrance and a flight of stairs up to our front door. More level access is possible by approaching from Exeter Central Library on Castle street. Step-free access to the building is available via a ramped entrance on the side of the building. The side entrance is equipped with automatic doors. All ground floor spaces are fully accessible with a mix of level flooring and gentle ramps. Spaces on our first floor are accessible via lift or the main staircases with level floor access throughout. Unfortunately, our second floor is not accessible via lift. Access from the first floor is via one flight of stairs.
Writing the South West: Karla Neblett in Conversation with Zakiya McKenzie
Time: 17:00 – 18:00 (BST)
Location: Bookbag, 7-10 McCoys Arcade, Fore Street, Exeter, EX4 3AN
Tickets: FREE
King of Rabbits tells the story of Kai, growing up on a rural council estate in Somerset. It is a compelling novel that explores realities of growing up with addiction, racism and poverty. Join Karla Neblett as she talks to Zakiya McKenzie about writing nature, mental health and the south west.
Accessibility Statement: Bookbag is an accessible venue located on street level with step free access and with access to a disabled bathroom. For further info do contact them directly via info@bookbag.shop.
Extraordinary Colours and Striking Forms: Irenosen Okojie in Conversation with Billy Kahora
Time: 19:00 – 20:30 (BST)
Location: Exeter Phoenix, Gandy Street, Exeter, EX4 3LS & Crowdcast
Tickets: FREE
Irenosen Okojie’s critically acclaimed short stories have been variously described as ‘innovative’, ‘dark and lyrical’, ‘immersive’, ‘fantastical’ and ‘not bound by logic, time or place’. Don’t miss AKO Caine Prize winner Okojie in conversation with Billy Kahora about the form of the short story and its creative possibilities, as they explore her latest collection Nudibranch (Dialogue, 2020) and her writing trajectories.
Accessibility Statement: There is a steep slope from the street leading to the main entrance and a flight of stairs up to our front door. More level access is possible by approaching from Exeter Central Library on Castle street. Step-free access to the building is available via a ramped entrance on the side of the building. The side entrance is equipped with automatic doors. All ground floor spaces are fully accessible with a mix of level flooring and gentle ramps. Spaces on our first floor are accessible via lift or the main staircases with level floor access throughout. Unfortunately, our second floor is not accessible via lift. Access from the first floor is via one flight of stairs.
Crowdcast details will be emailed 48 hours ahead of the event.
Sunday 19 June 2022
Rhyme and Rhythm – The Art of Rap: Workshop hosted by Roots Resistance
Time: 19:00 – 20:30 (BST)
Location: Exeter Phoenix, Gandy Street, Exeter, EX4 3LS
Tickets: FREE – register via Eventbrite
Join rapper Silai Estatira for a collaborative workshop for 16-24 year olds exploring rap music through a look to some of the genre's best story tellers : MF Doom, Lupe Fiasco, Nas...
We're going to break down some of their methods & techniques and then experiment together with flow, cadence and wordplay to create some magic together. Just bring yourself, an open mind and be ready to craft some music.
Silai Estatira is a hip hop and spoken word artist who explores themes such as societal injustice and spirituality through her work. Drawing on both shared and personal experiences, Silai uses music as an art form to channel and push.
The Roots Resistance is proud to collaborate with Africa Writes Exeter and Bookbag to present a Workshop on Rap for young people between 16-24 years old. The Roots Resistance is a multidisciplinary collective of creatives based in Exeter seeking to engage with the arts as a means of transformative expression. Through creativity, discussion and the exchange of ideas, the Roots Resistance is a project that brings together Black and POC communities, and their allies, in Exeter and beyond.
Accessibility Statement: There is a steep slope from the street leading to the main entrance and a flight of stairs up to our front door. More level access is possible by approaching from Exeter Central Library on Castle street. Step-free access to the building is available via a ramped entrance on the side of the building. The side entrance is equipped with automatic doors. All ground floor spaces are fully accessible with a mix of level flooring and gentle ramps. Spaces on our first floor are accessible via lift or the main staircases with level floor access throughout. Unfortunately, our second floor is not accessible via lift. Access from the first floor is via one flight of stairs.