Will This Be a Problem Anthology launch.

Will This Be a Problem Anthology launches in Nairobi

The fifth edition of the Will This Be a Problem Anthology was launched in Nairobi, Kenya on Friday, January 31, 2025.

Will This Be a Problem is a literary journal dedicated to publishing speculative fiction, science fiction, fantasy, horror, essays, and book reviews since it was established in 2014. They amplify voices from African writers and those across the African diaspora showcasing the vast, barely explored realms of African fantastika. In the last eleven years, they have had one edition of their literary journal (we featured it here) and four anthologies.

Olivia Kidula speaks at the event. Photo/Royal Photography
Olivia Kidula speaks at the event. Photo/Royal Photography

The fifth anthology edited by founder Olivia Kidula and Somto Ihezue was introduced to the Kenyan public at an event at the Olive Gardens in Nairobi on Friday. The evening started with Olivia Kidula speaking about the journey of the Will This Be A Problem project to the packed audience. The former blogger had collaborated with others who attended the Bloggers Association Of Kenya Awards 2014. While they didn’t win in the fiction category, they came third behind that year’s winner BikoZulu, the experience allowed them to start publishing their work. Kidula took a hiatus from the writing and Internet business before returning with a new outfit called the Shilitza Publishing Group. The evening’s proceedings were to unveil both the anthology and the firm.

Dennis Mugaa reads Photo/Royal Photography
Dennis Mugaa reads Photo/Royal Photography

That presentation gave way to the readings as attendees were introduced to the publication which has contributions from among others Shingai Kagunda, Yvette Lisa Ndlovu, Gabrielle Emem Harry, Alex Temei, Victor Forna, Peter Nena, Kevin Rigathi, Tonny Ogwa, and Andrew Dakalira. The readings were conducted by Denis Mugaa, Olivia Kidula, Shiro Mutero, and K. G. Nderitu.

K. G. Nderitu & Olivia Kidula in conversation. Photo/Royal Photography
K. G. Nderitu & Olivia Kidula in conversation. Photo/Royal Photography

The readings then gave way to the panel section where Olivia Kidula and K.G. Nderitu spoke about the process of getting the publication to exist, an overview of Kenyan publishing and writing, and other issues of interest. You can get a copy of the book by clicking here.

Here are some images from the event taken by David Ayub Galgalo and Bradox Philemon. You can watch the event in full by clicking here.

Peter Nena. Photo/Royal Photography
Peter Nena. Photo/Royal Photography
Alex Tamei. Photo/Royal Photography
Alex Tamei. Photo/Royal Photography
Shiro Mutero reads. Photo/Royal Photography
Shiro Mutero reads. Photo/Royal Photography
Full house at the event. Photo/Royal Photography
Full house at the event. Photo/Royal Photography
Tonny Ogwa. Photo/Royal Photography
Tonny Ogwa. Photo/Royal Photography

Please support our work at Writing Africa with a one-off donation or regularly on PayPal, Ko-Fi, Patreon, or Mobile Money by clicking here.


Posted

in

,

by

Tags:

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.