Beata Umubyeyi Mairesse and Renee Edwige Dro are the guests of the James Murua Literary LiveStream on Wednesday, September 29, 2021 at 18:00 GMT/ 19:00 WAT/ 20:00 CAT/ 21:00 EAT. You can join the stream, brought to you in cooperation with Frankfurter Buchmesse with financial support from the German Federal Foreign Office, on Facebook, YouTube, or Twitter.
In 2020, we introduced the James Murua Literary LiveStream to shine a light on the African literary ecosystem and ways to make it better. Previous guests to the stream have been Abubakar Adam Ibrahim, Maaza Mengiste and Antje Rávik Strubel; Ondjaki and Philipp Khabo Koepsell; Mariette Tchamda Mbunpi and Annette Michael; as well as Nyana Kakoma and Mariela Nagle. The latter events were brought to you in cooperation with Frankfurter Buchmesse with financial support from the German Federal Foreign Office.
In 2021, the literary LiveStream returned with Tsitsi Dangarembga, Volha Hapeyeva and Ralf Nestmeyer; Chikè Frankie Edozien and Michaela Dudley; Okechukwu Ofili and Lena Renold; Sharon Dodua Otoo and Dr Joyce Nyairo; Jama Musse Jama and Stefanie Hirsbrunner; abd Kalaf Epalanga and Jessemusse Cacinda.
The guests for September are Beata Umubyeyi and Edwige Renée Dro and their topic of discussion will be;
Francophone Literature in Africa and its Diaspora
We shall be discussing Francophone literature on the continent and some of its challenges and opportunities now and going forward.
Here is more information about the personalities taking part in the livestream;
Beata Umubyeyi Mairesse
Beata Umubyeyi Mairesse was born in Butare, Rwanda, and came to France in 1994 after surviving the genocide against the Tutsi. She now lives in Bordeaux.
She studied political sciences and worked for NGOs, living in different continents.
Her first collection of short stories, Ejo, was published in 2015, and her second, Lézardes, two years later, both winners of several French literary awards. Her debut novel Tous Tes Enfants Dispersés, was acclaimed by critics and won the Prix des cinq continents de la francophonie 2020.She also writes poetry.
Edwige Renée Dro
Edwige Renée Dro is a writer, a literary translator and a literary activist from Côte d’Ivoire. Her writings have been published by Bloomsbury, Harper Collins and in magazines like Popula, This is Africa, etc.
She has judged and facilitated many writing competitions such as the PEN International Short Story Prize, the AfroYoungAdult anthology project or the Bakwa Magazine Literary Translation workshops.
She strongly believes that arts and literature are the tools that can change society for the better and in February this year, she set up 1949, a library of women’s writings from Africa and the black world. 1949’s mission is to unearth and shine the light upon the contributions of African and black women to the world in order to inspire present and future generations.
The two will join the LiveStream at 18:00 GMT/ 19:00 WAT/ 20:00 CAT/ 21:00 EAT. To interact with them, you can join the stream on Facebook, YouTube, or Twitter.
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