The Caine Prize for African Writing 2017 Anthology | Book Review

Another year, another Anthology from the Caine Prize for African Writing. Reading the 2015 Caine Prize Anthology was such a good experience I decided to review it every year in December. This year's winner of the Caine Prize for African Writing is Sudanese author Bushra al-Fadil with his short story, The Story of the Girl Whose Birds Flew Away. The 2017 Anthology contains five shortlisted stories and eleven stories from the annual writer's workshop. Let's begin!

2017's Shortlisted Stories
Lesley Nneka Arimah's (Nigeria) Who Will Greet You at Home opens this years collection. It's a beautifully written, moving and haunting tale that I fell in love with when I read her short story collection, What It Means When a Man Falls From the Sky, in April of this year. She announced on Twitter a few months ago that it will be adapted into a film and I honestly can't wait. FARAFINA is her Nigerian publisher and they released her work just last month. You need to read this short story and you need to read What It Means When a Man Falls From the Sky. Lesley's writing is a gift from the gods and I eagerly await her future offerings.

Chikodili Emelumadu (Nigeria) follows Lesley's lead with the haunting tale, Bush Baby. I've always been a little unsure about African tales like this but this tale is one to remember especially with that chilling last sentence. Love it!

The third story in this line up is The Story of the Girl Whose Birds Flew Away by Bushra al-Fadil (Sudan). I was desperate for this story to end. It was such a bore. I usually try to avoid spoilers and news about the Caine Prize so I can be surprised at the end of the year when I put together this review and so it wasn't even until I was done with this anthology that I discovered he was this years winner. His story was a waste of my time.

Arinze Ifeakandu (Nigeria) wrote God's Children Are Little Broken Things. The first time I saw that title was on Facebook via the literary blog, Brittle Paper, and I've been in love with that title just because of its literal translation. The title alone and its subject matter seemed to promise a good read and maybe a good cry but it delivered neither. After reading this tale about forbidden love set in one of the most dangerous places to love the same sex - Nigeria - I felt nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Zilch. That in itself is a feat. This story did not hit any spots whatsoever. The only thing I found remotely interesting was that it was set in the University of Nigeria, my old alma mater. This tale was very disappointing.

The Virus was written by Magogodi oaMphela Makhene (South Africa). I just couldn't get through this story. I couldn't. I'm a little embarrassed that I couldn't muscle through it but at the same time it's freeing to say I couldn't. Does that make any sense? I hate the title. After a few pages I checked the page count, skimmed through its pages and just moved on.

Writers' Workshop Stories 2017
Fidel, written by Ethiopia's Agazit Abate, was a tale I did not "get" or care for so I moved on after reading a few pages.

By the time I got to The Secret Language of Vowels by Abdul Adan (Somalia/Kenya) I had settled into a pattern. I read the first page just to get a "taste" of the story then finding it severely deficient I rush to count how many pages of prose I have to get through in order to be free. The Caine Prize 2017 has more dead stories than other collections so far. I gave up on this story too.

Lesley Nneka Arimah (Nigeria) rushed in to save me with the amazing, amazing, amazing, amazing, amazing short story Shells.  I'm not even done with the first paragraph and I'm arrested by her storytelling. I even paused during my reading to Google "can birds eat crabs". Crabs are supposed to be impenetrable and threatening to a degree so I couldn't see how a bird could feast on it. Anyway, I digress. Lesley's writing is gorgeous. Her imagination is breathtaking and she "brings it" every. single. time. Every time she steps up she freaking delivers. I read Shells greedily, flipping page after page after page, lapping it all up as my heart pounded. The best stories always seem so short! When I got to the end of the tale I put down the collection and I wanted to cry. I honestly wanted to just bawl. So many things about that story moved me. It's sad, unforgettable and haunting. Why isn't this in her story story collection What Happens When a Man Falls From the Sky??? I wanted to reread it but I put it off for after I finished the anthology, a reward for completing this task. Much kudos to Lesley. I'm a fan.

Tendai Huchu (Zimbabwe) wrote An Unperson Stands on the Cracked Pavement Contemplating Being and Nothingness. If you follow this blog you've read my review of Tendai's Huchu terrific debut novel The Hairdresser of Harrare. I love Tendai but I didn't have any patience for this story. It’s boring and wordy like its title and so I hurried off to the next story.

My Mother's Project by Lydia Kasese (Tanzania) is an interesting read.

I felt This Is How the Heart Breaks into a Thousand Pieces and Then Folds into a Stone by Lidudumalingani (South Africa). The death of a child fractures a family and almost suffocates it. It's a good story.

Right off the bat The Goddess of Mtwara by Esther Karin Mngodo (Tanzania) is riveting, humorous. I enjoyed it.

The Storymage by Cheryl S. Ntumy (Ghana/Botswana) is terrific. I'm really impressed by this one. I'm hoping it gets adapted to film. Applause, applause, applause.

Five Is Not Half of Ten by Daniel Rafiki (Rwanda) is a good story too. I'm not crazy about the ending but it's good.

In That Little House in the Village by Zaka Riwa (Tanzania) two men hide in a house to do something that's forbidden. It's a good tale.

In Family Ties by Darla Rudakubana (Rwanda) estranged siblings come together for the sake of their father. I like it.

Most Memorable Stories
1) Shells by Lesley Nneka Arimah
2) Who Will Greet You At Home by Lesley Nneka Arimah
3) Bush Baby by Chikodili Emelumadu

I loved the opening story and the closing story was good enough but there were fewer hits and more misses in this collection. This was a great year for African writing and I can't wait to see what 2018 brings. Have a wonderful and fulfilling and Happy New Year!

READ:
The Caine Prize for African Writing 2015 Anthology | Book Review
The Caine Prize for African Writing 2016 Anthology | Book Review

[Image via CainePrize]

Book Release!!! | FARAFINA Released 3 New Titles This November

FARAFINA released three new books this November!
- What It Means When a Man Falls From the Sky (Nigerian Edition) by Lesley Nneka Arimah
- How to Win Elections in Africa by Chude Jideonwo and Adebola Williams
- Anike Eleko by Sandra Joubeaud and Alaba Onajin

FARAFINA is an imprint of Kachifo Ltd and on November 13th it released these three titles on online platforms and in selected bookstores nationwide. I've been fortunate to read What It Means When A Man Falls From the Sky. It's a stellar collection of gripping short stories that I love, love, love. You can find my review of it HERE. On October 27th, 2017 Lesley announced on her Twitter account that one of her short stories from the collection, Who Will Greet You at Home, has been optioned by a filmmaker! That's exciting!! If you read my book review you'll know that's one of my favorite stories in the collection. I can't wait to see how it gets reimagined for film. Kudos Lesley!!! I haven't read How to Win Elections in Africa but my good friend dedicated an entire Facebook post to Chude Jideonwo praising the book sooo I know it will be really good. I haven't heard anything yet about Anike Eleko but I love that book cover already and you know book lovers judge books by their covers. Here's a press release from Farafina accompanied by praise for these beautiful books from other accomplished authors:
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What It Means When a Man Falls From the Sky by Lesley Nneka Arimah
The collection of short stories, which was shortlisted for the 2017 Caine Prize for writing, boasts of powerful storytelling, unique female protagonists, and a world where women are depicted as the center of the society.

Praise for What It Means When a Man Falls From the Sky
"Arimah has a gift of crafting intimate familial relationships... and the pressures and strains of those relationships form the most intricate and astonishing narratives. The powerful stories in this dark and affecting collection will show you that magic still exists in our world." - Tendai Huchu, author of The Hairdresser of Harare, and The Maestro, The Magistrate & The Mathematician. 

"Masterfully moving between the speculative to the mundane, this is a riveting read that will stay with you long after you've put it down." - Chinelo Onwualu, Editor of Omenana Magazine

"From the very first story in What It Means When a Man Falls From the Sky this thunderstruck reader began to glean the answer to the question embedded in the book's title... Lesley Nneka Arimah has landed in my rereading list like a blast of fresh air" - Igoni A. Barrett, author of Blackass and Love Is Power, or Something Like That

About the Author
Lesley Nneka Arimah's work has received grants and awards from Commonwealth Writers, AWP, the Elizabeth George Foundation, the Jerome Foundation and others. Her short story What It Means When A Man Falls From the Sky was shortlisted for the 2017 Caine Prize for African Writing. She currently lives in Minneapolis.
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Anike Eleko written by Sandra Joubeaud and beautifully illustrated by Alaba Onajin
Anike has to hawk eko every morning but that does not stop her from going to school. She loves school and wants to be a doctor. However, her mother has decided her fate: once she finishes primary school, she will join her Aunt Remi in the city as a tailor.

When a mystery guest visits Anike's school, she has the chance to win a scholarship that will change her fate. With the help of her friends Oge, Ileri and Ariyo the cobbler be enough?

Written by Sandra Joubeaud and illustrated by Alaba Onajin, Anike Eleko tells a colorful story of one girl's courage in the face of opposition to her dreams.

About the Authors
Sandra Joubeaud is a French screenwriter and script doctor based in Paris, France. She has also worked on Choice of Ndeye, a comic book commissioned by UNESCO and inspired by the novel, So Long a Letter (Mariama Ba).

Alaba Onajin is a grapic novelist with a diploma of Cartooning and Illustration from Morris College of Journalism, Surrey Kent. His work includes The Adventures of Atioro, and other collaboration projects with UNESCO and Goethe Institut, He lives in Ondo State, Nigeria.

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How to Win Elections in Africa by Chude Jideonwo and Adebola Williams
Democracy involves the process of changing custodians of power from time to time in order to maintain a useful equilibrium of performance and accountability. But the post-colonial narrative in most African countries has been one of strongmen and power brokers entrenching themselves deeply across the crucial levels of society. The past few years have however seen citizens become more aware, and some revolt against these systems.

How to Win Elections in Africa explores how citizens, through elections can uproot the power structures. Using examples from within and outside Africa, this book examines the past and present to map a future where the political playing field is level and citizens can rewrite existing narratives.

Politicians have been handed their notice: It is no longer business as usual.

About the Authors
Chude Jideonwo is the managing partner of RED, which brands include StateCraft Inc, Red Media Africa, Y!/YNaija.com and Church Culture. His work focuses on social movements shaking up and transforming nations through governance and faith, with the media as a tool. He teaches media and communication at the Pan-Atlantic University. In 2017, he was selected as a World Fellow at Yale University.

Adebola Williams is the co-founder of RED and Chief Executive Officer of its communication companies - Red Media Africa and StateCraft Inc. A Mandela Washington Fellow under President Barack Obama, he has been a keynote and panel speaker at conferences across the world including at the London Business School, Wharton, Stern, Yale, Columbia, Oxford and Harvard.

Go get yourselves copies of these beautiful books!!!

What It Means When a Man Falls From the Sky by Lesley Nneka Arimah | Book Review

What It Means When a Man Falls From the Sky is a collection of twelve exceptional short stories by new author, Lesley Nneka Arimah. It begins with
The Future Looks Good, a tale spanning three generations of women, then continues with War Stories, Wild, Light, Second Chances, Windfalls, Who Will Greet You at Home, Buchi's Girls, What It Means When A Man Falls From the Sky, Glory, What Is a Volcano? and ends with Redemption, a tale about a young girl who's enamored with the new housemaid next door and unable to put into words the new feelings this arrival stirs in her. I loved every story in this impressive debut collection. Every. Single. Story.

The first time I read anything by Lesley was last year when I reviewed the Caine Prize for African Writing 2016 Anthology in which What It Means When A Man Falls From the Sky was shortlisted for the prestigious prize. In spite of that I still felt like I was coming to this collection without a good sense of Lesley and the directions she would/could go literarily. The Future Looks Good is a great opener. It's heartwarming from the beginning but in the last sentence Lesley thrusts a knife into my chest. I had to pause like...ohh gawd... Why would you string us along like that? Like everything would be alright? I was shocked, "hurt", impressed, and nervously excited about the rest of the collection. Again and again Lesley showed that she wasn't one for happy endings and I love that in any author that I read. Her tales cover love, heartbreak, grief, guilt, homosexuality etcetera. Windfalls was goood. Who Will Greet You at Home seems like the sort of tale you'd expect from Stephen King. I couldn't finish it in one sitting lol. My anxiety rose with each page I flipped especially because I had become aware of what Lesley could do. I love Who Will Greet You at Home a lot. Love it. Somehow What It Means When A Man Falls From the Sky felt like a brand new tale and that ending... No... (insert sad emoji). What Is a Volcano is brilliant, well written and so absorbing. I love it. I don't know if it's drawn from an actual folklore told by any of the various community of peoples Lesley's multicultural background has exposed her to but I really like it. Lesley's tales are unforgettable. Thank you Lesley. Thank you. You should read this. 

The Caine Prize for African Writing 2016 Anthology | Book Review

The Caine Prize for African Writing is a prestigious literary prize awarded to African writers annually beginning in the year 2000. Each year an anthology comprising of shortlisted stories and workshop stories is published by New Internationalist in the UK and in 8 African countries (South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Zambia, Cameroon & Uganda). This is my second year reviewing the anthology series on my blog. Last year's anthology was titled Lusaka Punk and Other Stories. This year's anthology is titled The Daily Assortment of Astonishing Things and Other Stories. The collection begins with the five shortlisted stories and then continues with the twelve stories penned by the workshop participants. Here we go.

Shortlisted Stories 2016
Somalian/Kenyan author Abdul Adan's The Lifebloom Gift opens this year's collection. It's an odd story. It's not long before I know I don't like it and so I check quickly to see how many pages it is (11 pages) and then I continue. The protagonist worked as a TSA attendant until he was fired about two days ago upon accusations of inappropriately touching a traveler during an airport frisk. He denies the charges then goes on to narrate other incidences of touching strangers without their consent including a man (who seems a bit challenged) called Ted Lifebloom. I wasn't comfortable with this story.

Lesley Nneka Arimah (Nigeria) follows with What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky. Nneoma is a mathematician but a special kind. She can calculate grief and pain and from those calculations she and her colleagues can make it all go away. It's a pricey procedure obviously. Contrary to my initial fears I liked the story.

Tope Folarin's (Nigeria) short story is called Genesis. This is my first work by Tope Folarin and something about his narration and the story just made me sit up a little, readying myself for a goood story. The protagonist tells of his childhood in Utah, U.S.A. It's one spent in terror of his mentally ill mother. Alternately pleasant and abusive she is a threat to her spouse and two sons. Our narrator observes meltdowns and the physical abuse of his father. He's the big brother absorbing double portions of physical and emotional abuse just to protect his little brother. Tope Folarin's incredible. I'm sooo impressed. Love this story.

Bongani Kona (Zimbabwe) penned At Your Requiem. It's a tale of two cousins who grew up in the same house as brothers fighting for the love an affection of a twisted mother. They grow older and the toxins and big secret from their childhood cause them to spiral out of control as they try to escape via substance abuse. It doesn't seem like their relationship will be repaired anytime soon.

Memories We Lost is by Lidudumalingani (South Africa). Lidudumalingani is the WINNER of the 2016 Caine Prize for African Writing. It's a tale of two sisters. One of them battles mental illness and everyone in their community 's at loss on how to handle this problem so she's subjected to all sorts of rituals. The narrating sister begins to interfere with the medicinal treatment because her sister seems more alive without them. Once she gets wind of the latest treatment proposal she takes matters into her own hands. Memories We Lost is okay.

Workshop Stories 2016
The curiously titled His Middle Name Was Not Jesus was penned by NoViolet Bulawayo (Zimbabwe). We all know Bulawayo. I LOVE her book We Need New Names and I reviewed it in 2013. Mukaka works at a wildlife resort in Zambia and he's infatuated with a lady currently at the resort. He mistakes her tenderness for something deeper and he doesn't handle it well in the end. For a tale by Bulawayo I'm surprised I did not respond sooner to this story.

In Koba Umwine - Peel It Yourself by Chilufya Chilangwa (Zambia), Mumbi's marriage seems set to crumble just three weeks after her nuptials because of an infidelity. A phone call from her mom helps her realize what's important to her.

The Goat is Tope Folarin's second submission and it stands out in the workshop short story lineup. In this boy's family the father is the problem and his mother does her best to mitigate the effects of his fathers rashness. I love this story.

Walking was written by Nigeria's Elnathan John. I remember him from last year's collection and I reviewed his debut novel Born On a Tuesday this past October. In Walking an overweight man exercises daily to fight the weight off. We're privy to all his thoughts & his judgement of other regulars on his exercise route. He's a big man with just as many insecurities, grudges, and issues as the rest of us. I like it.

In Shiko by Billy Kohora, a bunch of old school friends reunite. These boys are in their forties and secondary/high school was a long, long time ago. This is no Real Housewives of Atlanta reunion. This group, at a bar drinking beer and eyeing women, lacks members with any star quality. It's an lackluster band of friends. The business opportunity they meet to discuss is very shady. The protagonist tries to borrow money from his girlfriend and then his dad but that doesn't work. The only thing he's able to bring to the table is secret company intel. During their gathering at a drinking spot that's an office during the day and a brothel at night, one of them calls the narrator a "homo" and everyone freezes. My first thought was "ohh damn... here comes the drama" but... It's a decent story.

The Wandering Festival was written by Bwanga "Benny Blow" Kapumpa (Zambia). Here the protagonist attends "The Wandering Festival" so he can write about it. He's hoping that writing about this once in a decade event will help revitalize his writing career. I just wanted this story to be over.

In the Garden was written by FT Kola (South Africa), another name I recognized from last year's anthology collection. I did not like this story or its narration. There's a marble palace with handmaidens and limestone sphinx sculptures and "precious silk" and stuff. It's possible that this borrows from the ancient empire for artistic purposes. It's definitely not my thing.

Timwa Lipenga of Malawi wrote Duty. The main character heads to prison to see her father. The visits are tough but more so because of the reason he's incarcerated. This is a story that had me wanting more. I like it.

77 Steps by Kafula Mwila (Zambia) isn't engaging. From the beginning the protagonist seems tense. He has questions about his history and the death of his mother years back. Unable to get answers at home he goes out to seek them.

Space II is by Masande Ntshanga (South Africa). Here's a laid back male character whose life seemed promising in the beginning per his father. He hasn't come anywhere close to his potential after all these years. His is a life of prostitutes and prescription drug abuse. I'm surprised I liked this story. It wasn't exciting or moving but it was good in the end.

The titular story of this collection The Daily Assortment of Astonishing Things was written by Okwiri Oduor (Kenya). Immediately it's clear I have my favorite story. Dudu is a little monster who constantly exasperates his mom and terrorizes little kids around him. He steals and destroys everything in his path. During one of his rampages he captured a chicken, broke its wing and burst open its head. He's wild and crazy and unmanageable. This story is very entertaining. I love it. I love it. I love it. I look forward to future literary offerings from Okwiri Oduor.

Namwali Serpell (Zambia) closes this anthology with her story Zo'ona. She's another familiar name I remember from last year's anthology. I LOVE this story sooo much. It starts out with the early morning receipt of an email and before the end of the day lives have been ruined. We hop all over with Serpell from character to character to see the ripple effect of a simple error. I LOVE this story a lot.

Most Memorable
1) The Daily Assortment of Astonishing Things by Okwiri Uduor
2) Zo'ona by Namwali Serpell
3) Genesis by Tope Folarin
4) The Goat by Tope Folarin

As always this is an eclectic compilation of stories from the African continent. Much kudos to all the publishers for putting this together in a tidy little collection. Last year I loved the opening short story but disliked the closing short story of the 2015 anthology. I had felt that the closing short story then wasn't memorable enough to close the collection. This year the reverse is the case. I really like the closing story but not the opening story. Once again I'm glad I chose to review this anthology series annually. I can't wait to see what 2017 brings. Happy Holidays!!

READ: 
The Caine Prize for African Writing 2015 Anthology | Book Review
[Image via Amazon]