The Afrolit Sans Frontieres Virtual Literary Festival, an initiative of writers of African origin curated by Zukiswa Wanner, kicks off on the Internet from March 23 – 30, 2020.
In the last few weeks, the world has become unrecognisable as the Corona Virus pandemic reaches across the planet. Activity has ground to a halt in many spaces and the literary world is no different as book launches, literary festivals, and award ceremonies are deferred to different months or cancelled altogether.
With people locked up in their homes, a new initiative from writers of African origin called the Afrolit Sans Frontieres virtual literary festival is set to shake things up. The festival, curated by Zukiswa Wanner, has 16 writers from 10 African countries sharing their work from 15 different cities in English, French, and Portuguese to a virtual audience over eight days. They will read their work on either their Facebook live or on the official Instagram account of the festival at Instagram.com/afrolitsansfrontieres and then engage with the audience for half an hour. Where technical issues arise, writers will record their readings beforehand before sharing online and availing themselves for interaction.
The schedule for the festival will be as follows;
Monday, March 23: Richard Ali Mutu & Leye Adenle – Sex and the City.
Richard Ali Mutu and Leye Adenle will kick off matters as they deal with the theme “Sex and the City.” Ali will be reading at 12 noon GMT in French from his Kinshasa base on Facebook Live followed by Adenle reading in English in London, UK on Instagram at 6pm GMT.
Tuesday, March 24: Hawa Jande Golakai & Rémy Ngamije – Black Shags in Fair Cape.
The Tuesday novelists will be Hawa Golakai and Rémy Ngamije dealing with the topic “Black Shags in Fair Cape.” Rémy Ngamije kicks off in his Windhoek, Namibia base at 12 noon GMT on Instagram followed by Hawa Jande Golakai who will have recorded a reading of her work from Monrovia, Liberia before sharing to Facebook at 6pm GMT. Both will read in English.
Wednesday, March 25: Maaza Mengiste & Mukoma Wa Ngugi – Love and Revolution.
Maaza Mengiste & Mukoma Wa Ngugi will on Wednesday deal with the topic “love and revolution.” Maaza Mengiste will be reading in Zurich, Switzerland at 12 noon GMT while Mukoma Wa Ngugi will be reading from Ithaca, New York, USA at 6pm GMT. Both will read in English from Instagram.
Thursday, March 26: Nozizwe Cynthia Jele & Abubakar Adam Ibrahim – Grave and deadly.
On Thursday, Nozizwe Cynthia Jele and Abubakar Adam Ibrahim will deal with the topic “Grave and Deadly.” Nozizwe Cynthia Jele will be streaming from Johannesburg, South Africa at 12 noon GMT while Abubakar Adam Ibrahim will be reading from Abuja, Nigeria at 6pm GMT. Both will read in English from Instagram.
Friday, March 27: Bisi Adjapon & Yara Monteiro – Sex @ Home Or Abroad.
On Friday, Yara Monteiro and Bisi Adjapon will tackle the topic “Sex @ Home Or Abroad.” Yara Monteiro starts proceedings from Lisbon, Portugal reading in both Portuguese and English at 12 noon GMT while Bisi Adjapon will be reading in English in Accra, Ghana at 6pm GMT. Both will do their sessions on Instagram Live.
Saturday, March 28: Mohale Mashigo & Shadreck Chikoti – Afrofuturistic Sextualities.
On Saturday, Mohale Mashigo and Shadreck Chikoti will tackle the topic “Afrofuturistic Sextualities.” Mohale Mashigo starts proceedings on Instagram from Cape Town, South Africa at 12:00 noon GMT followed by Shadreck Chikoti on Facebook from his Lilongwe, Malawi base at 6pm GMT. Both writers will read in English.
Sunday, March 29: Chiké Frankie Edozien & Kalaf Epalanga – Displacement and micro-Orgasms.
Chiké Frankie Edozien and Kalaf Epalanga’s topic for Sunday will be Displacement and Micro-Orgasms” Chiké Frankie Edozien starts the day from his Accra, Ghana base in English at 12 noon followed by Kalaf Epalanga who will be streaming from Berlin, Germany in Portuguese at 6pm GMT. Both writers will stream on Instagram.
Monday, March 30: Natasha Omokhodion-Kalulu Banda & Zukiswa Wanner – Sex to Kill/Die For.
The festival wraps up on Monday, March 30 with readings by Natasha Omokhodion-Kalulu Banda and Zukiswa Wanner with the topic “Sex to Kill/Die For.” Natasha Omokhodion-Kalulu Banda starts with a reading from her Lusaka, Zambia base from Instagram at 12 noon GMT before festival curator Zukiswa Wanner wraps it up in Nairobi, Kenya from her Facebook at 6pm GMT.
Please note that all Instagram readings will be done from the official festival account here. The Facebook livestreams will be shared on this blog on the day of the festival.
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