Adipo Sidang, Mugabi Byenkya feature at Goethe-Institut Nairobi’s Literary Crossroads.

Adipo Sidang and Mugabi Byenkya were the featured writers at the Literary Crossroads series at Goethe-Institut Nairobi on June 27, 2019. They were moderated by Aleya Kassam.

Literary Crossroads is an event where writers meet colleagues from all over the continent and from the African diaspora to discuss trends, topics and themes prevalent in their literatures today. The Goethe-Institut project which happens in Johannesburg, Lagos, and Nairobi usually pairs a writer from the local country and a writer from another African country.

In the past, Literary Crossroads in Nairobi has hosted pairings like Ayobami Adebayo and Zukiswa Wanner, Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi and Okwiri Oduor, Elnathan John and Kinyanjui Kombani, as well as Hawa Jande Golakai and Kenyan Muthoni Wa Gichuru.

This past Thursday, it was the turn for Kenyan poet and writer Adipo Sidang to feature on the popular series stage. Sidang who we last saw performing at Artistic Encounters has written the poetry collection Parliament of Owls as well as the Burt Award-winning A Boy Named Koko. He shared the stage with Ugandan writer Mugabi Byenkya who has written the novel Dear Philomena.

The two performed from their respective works with Byenkya picking sections of Dear Philomena a few of which he was accompanied by a horn player. Sidang referenced his award-winning A Boy Named Koko.

At the end of the performances, there was a moderated session led by Aleya Kassam before she opened it for the audience.

All the images in this post taken by Wamwiri Kimachia are courtesy of the Goethe-Institut.