Troy Onyango’s short story We Are the Water People was the first to be unveiled in the new “Afrolit Now” series on Audible on October 14, 2021. The series is curated by Zukiswa Wanner.
In 2020 while in the middle of the biggest pandemic in a century, a new initiative called Afrolit Sans Frontières was founded by author, curator, and publisher Zukiswa Wanner. The initiative brought together readers and writers when everyone was hunkering at home worrying about being taken out by Coronavirus or Covid19. By the end of the series, the hundreds who tuned in interacted with some of the leading names in African literature both on the continent and its diaspora. The series featured writers from Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa, Rwanda, Uganda, Ethiopia, Angola, Mozambique, Cote D’Ivoire, Martinique, Jamaica, Canada, Brazil, United Kingdom, United States, and many other countries.
A new series called “Afrolit Now” curated by the Afrolit Sans Frontières founder Zukiswa Wanner and Audible was started this October. Audible is an American online audiobook and podcast service owned by Amazon that allows users to purchase and stream audiobooks and other forms of spoken word content. The new series is described thus;
“Inspired by Afrolit Sans Frontières, the virtual literary festival founded by South African author and curator Zukiswa Wanner, the Afrolit Now series brings to life short stories from the best in contemporary African fiction. Showcasing a wide range of countries, genres, and subjects—be it joy, heartbreak, love, or laughter—these pieces prove that a truly great story has no frontiers.”
The first of the writers in the series is writer and editor Troy Onyango who is the founder of the Lolwe Journal, Nalif Award winner, and Caine Prize 2021 shortlistee. The first story, We Are The Water People, comes with the following blurb;
From critically acclaimed author Troy Onyango comes a dark, suspenseful tale of spirits bearing witness to a crime that rocks an island community, based on the Luo legend of the water people.
When fishermen on Nam Lolwe (commonly known as Lake Victoria) return with the body of a young boy found inside the sack, a close-knit island is thrown into mourning, and they all suspect foul play in the death of the child. But who could have committed such a terrible crime, and why? To discover the truth, the islanders must rely on the water spirits beneath the lake’s surface – the only souls who serve as witnesses to the vile act.
To get a hold of this story, please click here.
Leave a Reply