Just over a year ago on 26 August 2016, I remade the acquaintance of a writer whose work I have reviewed before on an earlier version of this blog, Tony Mochama. He was in conversation with Nigerian poet, novelist and lawyer Chuma Nwokolo, at the launch…

Some years ago I met a white South African man who admitted that he had no idea that apartheid existed until he was 18 years old, despite having grown up during apartheid. I was flabbergasted. How could anyone live such a…

Sometimes immigrant stories can have a certain cliche quality to them. The central theme is often the same: the characters find themselves in the West for a variety of reasons. They struggle to adjust. They wistfully remember a homeland they cannot return to…