Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi charmed residents of Nairobi and Kigali on her Manchester Happened East African tour.
Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi won the Kwani Manuscript prize in 2013 giving her name recognition across the continent. The manuscript published as Kintu in the following year earned the writer many accolades like being longlisted for the Etisalat Prize. The Ugandan also showed that she was no slouch in the short story arena winning the Commonwealth Short Story Prize both for Africa and for the world in 2014. She is also a recipient of the Windham Campbell Prize.
Her newest title Manchester Happened is a short story collection that weaves between Manchester and Kampala reimagining the journey of Ugandans who chose to make England their home. East Africans got to see one of the most beloved authors in recent times in the cities of Nairobi, Kenya, and Kigali, Rwanda.
Nairobi – May 9 at Goethe Institut, May 10 at Prestige Books.
The first event of the book tour, incidentally the first for the book in the world, started with a reading and book discussion at the Goethe-Institut in Nairobi on Thursday, May 9. Makumbi read from the collection and would participate in a book discussion moderated by Kenyan based South African author and publisher Zukiswa Wanner.
On May 10, Makumbi was available for a book signing at what is turning out to be a very popular bookshop in Prestige Books on Mama Ngina Street. The Nairobi section of the tour was supported by Prestige Books proprietor Ahmed.
Here are images and video from the two different events courtesy of Goethe Institute, Prestige Books, Zukiswa Wanner, and this blogger.
Prestige Books
Goethe-Institut Nairobi
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Kigali – May 11 at Goethe-Institut Kigali.
On Saturday, May 11, all literary roads led to the Kigali Public Library where the Goethe-Institut Kigali and Huza Press were hosting the celebrated author. The event they were hosting was under “#KigaliLit” which in the recent past has hosted writers like Perpétue Miganda, Zukiswa Wanner, and Boniface Mwangi.
Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi read from both her internationally acclaimed book Kintu and her recently published collection of short stories Manchester Happened. A conversation beautifully led by Donnalee Donaldson occurred centring on processes of writing, African literature and books, African livelihood and reading referencing Makumbi’s books would follow.
Below are some images from the book launch in Kigali taken by Rurangwa Emmanuel courtesy of Huza Press.
Kampala residents get their chance at their homegirl at the Uganda Writers Conference that starts tomorrow May 15, 2019.
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