Yari Yari Ntoaso Digital Salon: Kadija George

March 19, 2013 by Leave a Comment

We’re not quite done with our digital salon series. Today we feature author and publisher Kadija George. It is not too late for you to support these women writers as Yari Yari Ntoaso draws near.  Donations continue to be accepted via Paypal and check; Visit www.indiegogo.com/owwa!

******

Zora:  I write because…

KG: It’s like a healthy snack in between my breakfast, dinner, and lunch which is the activism work I do – It’s very enjoyable, often hidden but absolutely necessary to my sanity and survival!

Zora:  If you were only allowed to own one piece of literature by a single author (e.g novel, short story collection, memoir, poetry collection), what work would you choose and why?

ZG: This isn’t a fair question. I need to have one for each genre,  so just know that I’m allowed to change this if anyone asks me, so today I will say Segu by Maryse Conde. Why? Because of the way she presents an epic African tale in a contemporary way. It is one of the few books that I really want to read again  -something I rarely have the time to do .

Zora:  Has the emergence of new media or electronic forms of outreach (e.g., blogging, social media) changed how you write or interact with readers?

KG: The only thing that has changed for me is that I have forced myself to work directly on to my computer rather than handwriting first, but I still keep my drafts and number them, and I still ‘think’ and do some edits on paper. It has changed how I interact with writers I work with in regards to their professional development so yes, I expect it to change how I interact with readers although I haven’t found the most satisfying/comfortable way to do that yet.

Zora:What is your proudest artistic moment thus far?

ZG: I’m proud of all my artistic achievements so there isn’t ‘one’ – I don’t want to upset the other achievements

Zora: What should people know about women writers in and of the African Diaspora?

KG: That one, does not speak for all. We are a wide range of voices, in different languages, tones, colours and emotions.

Zora: Why should people support this year’s Yari Yari Ntoaso indiegogo campaign?

ZG: These are tough times and however people have supported Yari Yari so far, is wonderful. It goes to show that it is needed and that that the team who have made it happen this year are marvelous. They could have given up after their charismatic leader Jayne Cortez passed away but they renewed their energies and moved forward. It couldn’t have been easy. What it does show is that women need this – it has been a struggle  financially for many of us to get there  – but we know that it will be worth it as the support and vibe that emanates from this gathering  is unique (a word I rarely use)  and I’m sure we will be looking forward to planning and ensuring that there will be a 4th one.

Zora: How can Zora Magazine and our readers learn more about you and your work?

Readers can visit SABLE LitMag to learn more about me and my work.

** Kadija (George) Sesay is a graduate of Birmingham University (Maj. West African Studies). She is the founder/publisher of SABLE LitMag, and SABLE LitFest. She is the editor of several anthologies of work by writers of African and Asian descent, the latest fiction one being, Dreams Miracles and Jazz: New Adventures in African Fiction (Picador Africa 2008) edited with Helon Habila. She is the series editor for the Inscribe imprint for Peepal Tree Press, their first anthology is Red: Contemporary Black British Poetry (2010). Other anthologies include, Dance the Guns to Silence: 100 Poems for Ken Saro-Wiwa (with Nii Ayikwei Parkes) and IC3: The Penguin Book of New Black Writing in Britain (with Courttia Newland) and Write Black, and Write British: From Post Colonial to Black British Literature. She is also an Associate Editor for Callaloo, the premier journal of arts, letters, and cultures of the African Diaspora. She has published her own poetry, short stories, essays and articles in magazines, journals, anthologies and encyclopedias in the UK, USA and Africa and has been broadcast on BBC World Service.  She is the General Secretary of African Writers Abroad (PEN) Centre, a fellow of the George Bell Institute, a Fellow of the Kennedy Arts Centre of Performance Arts Management and an associate of Vision Quest International. She has received several awards for her work in the creative arts.

Filed Under: Blog, Culture, Featured, Interviews Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Yari Yari Ntoaso Digital Salon Series: Rosamond King

March 13, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Today’s Digital Salon Interview features Rosamond King- writer, performer, scholar and director of The Organization of Women Writers of Africa. We’ve also caught her interview on film! We hope that you will join us in celebrating the fullness of black female literary artists and support OWWA in their mission to raise the necessary funds for all the women writers participating in Yari Yari Ntoaso!

Filed Under: Blog, Culture, Featured, Interviews Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Yari Yari Ntoaso Digital Salon: Mamle Kabu

March 11, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Happy Monday Zora Family! There are just FOUR days left in the OWWA indiegogo campaign. Have you donated? If not, we hope this third salon interview with Ghanaian author Mamle Kabu will be just the right amoung of good energy you need to make a contribution.

******

Zora: I write because…

MK: I have an impulse to do so and it always feels good.  I don’t feel fulfilled unless I’m doing something creative.  There are many creative things I dabble in when I have the time but writing is probably my favourite.

Zora: If you were only allowed to own one piece of literature by a single author (e.g novel, short story collection, memoir, poetry collection), what work would you choose and why?

MK: If I were only allowed to own one piece of literature by a single author I would rebel against whoever was in charge or go underground with my collection!  It would include the complete works of many including the Brothers Grimm, Charles Dickens, the Brontës, Thomas Hardy, Evelyn Waugh, Lord Byron, Scott Fitzgerald, Chinua Achebe, Chimamanda Adichie, Chuma Nwokolo, Mario Vargas Llosa and Laura Esquivel for starters.

Zora:  Has the emergence of new media or electronic forms of outreach (e.g., blogging, social media) changed how you write or interact with readers?

MK: It has mainly given me the opportunity to interact with other writers eg. sharing our work via facebook.  I also participated in a British Council Programme called ‘Crossing Borders’ many years ago, which paired up new African writers with professional British writers via email.  I plan to publish some of my writing on e-books.

Zora: What is your proudest artistic moment thus far?

MK: Knowing that my short story ‘The End of Skill’ was shortlisted for the Caine Prize without ever being edited.  Especially in view of several frustrating editing experiences I have been through.

 Zora: What should people know about women writers in and of the African Diaspora?

MK: I don’t think I’m well placed to answer this one as I’m on the continent, not in the diaspora.  Unless it applies to writers on the continent too?

Zora: Why should people support this year’s Yari Yari Ntoaso indiegogo campaign?

MK: Because it will promote the voices of African women writers and through them, the voices of other African women who will probably not be heard any other way.

Zora: How can Zora Magazine and our readers learn more about you and your work?

 MK: By googling me.  And most of my publications are available through Amazon.com

 

** Mamle Kabu, a writer of Ghanaian and German parentage, was born in Ghana and moved to the United Kingdom in her early teens, where she completed her education, graduating from the University of Cambridge.  She returned to Ghana in 1992 where she has since been resident and works as a freelance consultant in development issues.  Mamle took up fiction writing in the late 1990s and has since written a number of short stories, all of which have been published in various anthologies and journals.  In 2009 she was nominated for the Caine Prize for African Writing for her story “The End of Skill.”  In 2011, for the first time, she branched into writing for children and wrote ‘The Kaya-Girl,’ a young adult novel, published under the name Mamle Wolo.  This book won her the 2011 Burt Award for African Literature in Ghana. Mamle has also written poetry, two screenplays and is working on a novel.  She is a co-director of the Writers’ Project of Ghana and a mother of two.**

Filed Under: Blog, Culture, Featured, Interviews Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Yari Yari Ntoaso Digital Salon Series: Evelyne Trouillot

March 7, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Zora is happy to bring you another writer in our salon series! This time we feature Hatian writer Evelyne Trouillot.  Please consider making a financial contribution in support of these women storytellers. Visit www.indiegogo/owwa to give.  

******

Zora: I write because…

ET: I fulfill a need when I write.  Writing allows me to fully be myself.  It is the best way for me to question life, to try to find answers, to react against what I find unbearable and try to make sense of what I see around me. It is a process that is at the same time painful, beautiful and powerful.  It takes a lot from me but I feel so much better when I feel I have achieved what I wanted…until the next book.

Zora:  If you were only allowed to own one piece of literature by a single author (e.g novel, short story collection, memoir, poetry collection), what work would you choose and why?

ET: It is very difficult to choose one single piece. I read every day and am still discovering new authors, new books that enchant me. They come join the old ones to enrich my life, the corpus of books and images that inhabit my imagination. But since I have to choose one book I will go back to The Little Prince, the classic book by Antoine de St Exupéry. Because it delves in such an original way to the basic human dilemma: all relationships come with risks, all human sentiments require some type of commitment. What constitutes our humanity comes with the risks of deception, of hurt, but it is worth it and without these sentiments life is worthless. The beauty of The Little Prince is that St Exupéry manages beautifully to convey these ideas to readers of all ages.

Zora:  Has the emergence of new media or electronic forms of outreach (e.g., blogging, social media) changed how you write or interact with readers?

No, not really. I think writing remains a solitary act, a way to travel inside oneself. What are new are the opportunities to share what we write with many more people depending on the medium that we choose. The act of writing whether one uses a keyboard, a pencil or a pen will involve the same intimate connection between thoughts, ideas and words. Plus, I have to admit I am not big on social media.

 Zora: What is your proudest artistic moment thus far?

ET: My happiest moments occur when readers sense what I wanted to convey in a way that goes beyond what I imagine and makes me discover something new about my writing. The power of art, of literature is that it does not belong to any individual; it becomes part of the reader’s own world. I love this moment when I meet a reader and I feel that we share the same world because of one of my books.

Zora: What should people know about women writers in and of the African Diaspora?

ET: When I read other women writers of African descent whether they live in Africa or out of Africa, I feel the power of history. Literature, poetry and art in general can transcend all prejudice, horrors of the past, woes of the present and transform them in something beautifully powerful. I think many women writers of African descent achieve that.

Zora: Why should people support this year’s Yari Yari Ntoaso indiegogo campaign?

ET: Promoting world literature is one of the best ways to work towards a world where people are more respectful and tolerant of each other. Also, Yari Yari gives the opportunity to women writers, artists and scholars who have a lot in common, but come from different contexts to share their views, and to reflect on their works. It will ultimately allow more creativity and diversity in the world.

Zora: How can Zora Magazine and our readers learn more about you and your work?

ET: As a Haitian writer living and working in Haiti, I write in our two official languages, Creole and French. Some of my work is translated into English, Spanish, German and Italian. I will recommend the ilenile site where readers will find samples of my writing and information about my work and my interview with Edwidge Danticat on Bomb magazine where I share with Edwidge my views about writing and living in Haiti among other things.

You can also visit Repeating Islands and Words Without Borders to continue engaging with Evelyne!

 

** Born in Port-au-Prince, Haïti, Évelyne Trouillot lives and works there as a French Professor at the State Universtiy. She published her first book of short stories in 1996. In 2004, Évelyne Trouillot received the award: Prix de la romancière francophone du Club Soroptimist de Grenoble for her first novel Rosalie l’infâme. In 2005, her first piece for the theater Le bleu de l’île received the Beaumarchais award from ETC Caraïbes. Évelyne Trouillot has published two books of poetry: Sans parapluie de retour in 2001, and Plidetwal in Creole in 2005. Her poetry has been translated in Spanish and English and published in numerous magazines in France, Canada, Mexico and Cuba. Her latest novel La mémoire aux abois published in France, Éditions Hoëbeke, in May 2010 received the prestigious award Le prix Carbet de la Caraïbe et du Tout-Monde in December 2010. It has been translated into Spanish by La Casa de las Americas, Cuba.**

 

Filed Under: Blog, Culture, Featured, Interviews Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Howard University Students Respond to Somali Crisis

January 30, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Somali women and girls are in crisis.

Shaken by extreme famine and drought since last July, the country’s most vulnerable citizens have become the target of increased sexual violence.  The famine has resulted in the displacement of thousands of people and those who have been displaced are disproportionally women and children. Most often, these women and children seek shelter in refugee camps. However, the threat of violence still looms and the political instability of the nation is heightened not only by current social conditions but the rise in power of the Shabaab Islamic group.

According to  NY Times Bureau Chief Jeffery Gettlemen, the Shabaab ,which controls a large portion of southern Somalia, has created a system of temporary marriages where families are forced to give up their daughters as wives of fighters. Yet, as Gettlemen notes, this practice is nothing more than rape. Those women who avoid temporary marriage and enter a refugee aid camp are not necessarily immune to such sexual atrocities. Somali soldiers too pose a danger, further deepening a cycle of violence where women become the spoils of war.

The UN reports that approximately 1.5 billion dollars are needed to provide  humanitarian relief for famine victims. There is no doubt that much of this aid will go to  woman and girls. And while the UN is a powerful tool for human rights work, it is not the only source of help. Individuals, organizations and places of worship can all become agents of change.

The students of Howard University are agents of change.

After learning about the Somali crisis, several students formed the Howard University Somalia Relief Team. United by a common commitment to social justice, the members of the Relief Team have organized the Eternal Voices Benefit, an art showcase and fundraiser.

“Through this event, we are not only raising awareness about the crisis in the horn of Africa, but also testing the legacy of this esteemed university,” says Victoria Fortune, Eternal Voices co-coordinator.

Eternal Voices will feature the legendary Amiri Baraka with musical performances by GWN and the Afro- Blue Vocal Band. The event is apart of  a yearlong campaign in conjunction with CARE International that ultimately aims to raise $10,000 towards Somali relief efforts.

The plight of women, children, and famine victims in Somalia cannot be fixed over night but the utilization of our collective resources as a means of support is a step in the right direction.

Eternal Voices will be held on Thursday February 9th at 7pm in the Cramton Auditorium of Howard University. Tickets can be purchased online at ticketmaster.com

If you are in the D.C area, I urge you to attend.

 

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Tagged With: , , ,

Be The Media: 4 Projects by Black Women You Can Support Now

January 17, 2012 by Leave a Comment

The rise of crowdfunding has been one of the most exciting entrepreneurial developments of the past few years. Companies like Kickstarter and Indie GoGo are helping  writers, builders, and artists achieve their dream. I’ve been a frequent contributor to Kickstarter campaigns because they embody the way technology is flattening barriers. A decade ago,  filmmakers had little choice outside the studio system to expose their films to the world. Today, all it takes is a quick upload on Youtube (and of course, tons of promotion and a bit of luck). Even something like Zora would have been impossible before technology lowered the cost and gave us open source tools to build online sites.

One of the laments we often have as people of color is that our stories aren’t being told enough. And when we do get featured in mainstream media, the stories often seem designed only to perpetuate stereotypes and sell advertising. So it’s been encouraging to see so many people, in particular black women, fully engaging with technology to take back our narratives.  As with everything else though, one can only go so far on passion and energy. Changing the world costs time and money, and we must financially support the content we find worthy.  In this new paradigm, we have to band together to support and fund black women doing amazing work.  Many of you probably spent part of last week watching the season finale to The MisAdventures of Ackward Black Girl, one of the breakout web series of 2011. The second half of the season would not have been possible were it not for a very successful crowdfunding campaign. 

So please make room in your budget. Give up a night of takeout, give up one visit to the salon (you look beautiful anyway), buy used books this semester, do whatever it takes to give a vote of confidence to these enterprising projects by awesome black women:

Blak.Woman.Dynamik-ReBoRn

A group based in Jacksonville Florida are raising funds to put on another production of a successful 2009 play that explores domestic abuse, HIV, molestation and more from the perspective of a black woman. The seasoned artists have already been successful in film projects and a prior production of the play. With the new production, the team hopes to use the play as outreach to schools, and other community groups:

Donate to Black.Woman.Dynamik-Reborn

Death of the Diva by Amanda Seales

Writer and performer Amanda Seales is putting on a one-woman show exploring the way women are presented in mainstream media. I love one-woman shows and we need to encourage up-and-comers to be the next Anna Deaveare-Smith or Nilaja Sun. From the looks of the promo below, Seales has assembled a great team:

Donate to Death of A Diva

Downtown Girls by 1990Lex

Our friends (and fellow NYU alums!) are producing a webseries titled The Girl that details the experiences of four girls coming of age in NYC. Their Kickstarter campaign is so close to reaching its $6K goal. You can watch the promo of what promises to be a hilarious series below:

Donate to The Girls on Kickstarter

Nice & Rough: Black Women in Rock

This documentary project aims to share the history and role of black women in rock music. It looks to be an interesting film that provides a look into a world that is rarely seen in the mainstream:

Donate to Nice & Rough

The list above is definitely not comprehensive; they’re simply projects that have come under our radar in the past few weeks. If you know of any others, please drop them in the comments. And don’t forget to watch these videos, pick a project that speaks to you, and contribute!

Filed Under: Blog, Culture, Featured Tagged With: , , ,