From Kenya, with love and attitude. This is rumored to be East Africa’s first big viral web hit. Glad to see some of the good new music making the rounds! (Via Naijablog.)
Archive for the Arts in Africa Category
Kenya Goes Viral: Go Ahead, Makmende
Posted in Africa, Arts in Africa, Video on April 12, 2010 by frankburesBooks in Africa
Posted in Africa, Arts in Africa, Books, Clips on November 2, 2009 by frankbures
For those of us who don’t want to be online all the time, books are the perfect technology. For places where being online isn’t always an option, they’re not bad either. I just did a story for The Africa Report about the state of publishing on the continent, which of course is an industry with its challenges. But there is a crop of new, young, smart publishers who are putting out amazing work, places like Kwani?, Story Moja, Langaa, Cassava Republic and others. They are the ones who know what publishers have always known: that, as important as dollars and naira and shillings are, we put books out into the world for more than that.
Six Wives and One Night Off
Posted in Africa, Arts in Africa, Clips on July 19, 2009 by frankbures
On the Utne Reader’s website is an interview I did with Hermas Zopoula, a fine musician and songwriter from Burkina Faso, as well as a very friendly and funny guy. We had a great conversation via Skype that ranged over many things: modern-day griots, his new album, and his 36 brother and sisters. But in a bit of (probably sensible) editing, the last part of our conversation was cut. It’s not essential to the review, or the music, or to understanding the essence fo Hermas Zopoula. But we both got a chuckle out of it. For better or worse, here it is:
FB: ….Well, I think that all my questions for now. Was there anything else you wanted to say?
HZ: Yes. I had another thing to let you know: Out of 36 brothers and sisters I am the last born. My father was married to six wives. I’m the last one of the family. I was born when my father was nearly 80 years. Some people say he was 90 years.
FB: So you still have time to have children.
HZ: Yes, I have to live more than my father! He lived more than 120 years before he passed away. I have a lot to do, because we have a saying here in Burkina Faso: Every child is supposed to do better than his father. So maybe I’ll be looking to make 40 children. (laughs.) I’m joking. And maybe 10 wives, or 20. I don’t know. (laughs)
FB: You need to get started.
HZ: No, I will look for only one wife. But you know I asked my father one day, “How did you manage to become married to six wives?” And he said “No, I did nothing. They were all gifts.” (laughs). He says when he was about 40 or 50 years, when you do good to somebody, to pay you back, the person said, take my daughter and let my friendship stay for a long time. So that was how he married up to six wives.
FB: That’s a lot of wives.
HZ: Yes, (laughs) Not easy.
FB: No, no, not easy at all.
Read more »
Hippies and Afropop
Posted in Africa, Arts in Africa, Books, Clips, Travel Writers on July 4, 2009 by frankbures
In the new issue of the Utne Reader are a few reviews I did. One is of Rory MacLean’s great new book, Magic Bus: On the Hippie Trail from Istanbul to India. The other is of the album Espoir, by Burkinabe musician Hermas Zopoula. Both are worth a look, if you get a chance.
Small Press
Posted in Africa, America, Arts in Africa, Press, Travel on October 5, 2008 by frankbures
Good thing for google alerts, or I might have missed the fact that I’m a “literary scholar,” according to a nice piece in Malawi’s Nation newspaper. I also got a kind mention in Stephen Regenold’s piece on where travel writers like to travel. My destination of choice, however, didn’t make the cut. Lagos isn’t quite what what Forbes Traveler readers are looking for, but I do think it’s one of the greatest cities on the world. Which may be why I don’t usually read Forbes Traveler.
Ngugi, Starbucks and speaking of tongues: An Interview
Posted in Africa, Arts in Africa, Books, Clips, Writing on June 2, 2008 by frankburesI was sitting across the table from Ngugi wa Thiongo in a crowded cafeteria when his son, Mukoma came up with his father’s cup of coffee. Ngugi looked at the cup, then at Mukoma.
“Is this Starbucks?” he asked.
“Ah…no,” said Mukoma, who seemed surprised. “It said ‘Peruvian medium roast.’”
“I want Starbucks.” Ngugi said. “I want the real thing!” Then he turned to me, as if to explain, and said, “I like Starbucks.”
He took a sip, shrugged, and decided Peruvian medium roast was okay. We got on with our interview, in which the author of Wizard of the Crow and Decolonising the Mind talks about the audience in Africa, what you owe your language, and the Damocles sword on the imagination. You can read it in the current issue of The Africa Report, or download a copy here.
