Welcome to August!
Here are 10 African literature recommendations you should definitely pick up. I promise on my honour that you'll love every one of them.
If you haven’t read anything by Sefi Attah, this is your cue to pick up this book, whose title is a prayer. Everything Good Will Come is a coming-of-age African Literature read following the life of Enitan in post-colonial Nigeria.
Also written as a social commentary, Sefi Attah perfectly sets up her audience for a historical account that accurately highlights the reality of the times and tensions during Nigeria's military regime. The story also highlights the conflict within Nigeria between its Hausa, Yoruba, and Igbo ethnic groups, which culminated in the Biafran War.
The themes here are religion, parent-child relationships, and feminism. It’s a great read and you should totally pick this up. You might dislike Sheri’s audacity in the beginning, get annoyed at Enitan’s mum, and maybe love Enitan’s father and Enitan, but stay positive.
I consider this book an asset and one of the best books you should pick up. Sefi Attah is phenomenal, and if she had half the PR Chimamanda Adichie has, her influence would know no bounds.
Merely this book's title is enough motivation to pick it up because of all the things you'd steal for me; why a goat? I love meat, but goat??? Why not gold? Silver? Or even diamonds?
You are not about to crack your ribs with laughter because of the title. It's not quite Nearly All the Men in Lagos Are Mad, but I can assure you that you'll laugh at some of the stories in this book if you have a good sense of humour. It's definitely a great read!
For You, I’d Steal a Goat is a collection of short stories set in South Africa about South African life. And no, this isn’t an apartheid book. Through these stories, Niq explores not only “the things people do for each other, but also to each other.” He tackles political and social injustices, love, family conflict, corruption, and desires, among other topics.
These 10 stories will grip you from beginning to end. It’s definitely a must-read, and if you are a writer, you're definitely collecting your sub in one of the stories.
Yes, because writers are not good people!
I know that the number one place for gossip (which is a healthy part of human living) is a hairdressing salon. But this particular salon in Harare was a special kind.
As the title suggests, this book is set in Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, and follows the lives of two hairdressers. This story is the typical story of a girl who has always been first in the class, and then one day, a newcomer comes and tops the class. So they start fighting and then eventually get along.
But if this was all there is to this story, would I even bother to recommend it? Definitely not. There is more to this mysterious newcomer, Dumi, who seems to have stolen Vimbai’s popularity as the best hairdresser in the salon.
Honestly, I was pretty annoyed at Vimbai at the end of the book because she was so foolish. But I can’t bear this anger alone, so pick it up and let’s bask in the violence. It’s a short read of about 189 pages, and you'll definitely enjoy it.
"The status of "native" is a nervous condition introduced and maintained by the settler among colonized people with their consent".
If you are a lover of first liners in books, you'll be captivated by the first line in this book, which pressures you to stay with the story.
The death of a family member would touch any normal person. But you see, Tambudzai, the main character, starts her story by telling us that she is not sorry when her brother dies. Not stepbrother. Not half-brother. The son of her mother and father.
She was not sorry when the boy died, and she's not apologizing for it. This alone tells you to prepare yourself for an interesting read, and Tsitsi absolutely delivered.
Nervous Conditions is set in 1960s Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). It’s a coming-of-age story that explores gender, race, colonialism, and its effects. Tsitsi explores the societal roles of women and men and raises important questions through Tambu’s character, examining the themes of black vs. white and educated vs. uneducated.
There was so much conflict to be resolved in the book through the questions she raised, and you'll love it from beginning to end. It’s the first of a trilogy- Nervous conditions, book of Not and This Mournable Body.
While it can be read as a stand-alone for your mental health, I advise that you stick to Nervous Conditions.
Bonus: if you can, find the audiobook book. It's utterly enjoyable and has a better reading experience.
This African Literature read is the total classic package. In fact, Makumbi is more than who she thinks she is because the storytelling here is more than everything!
First Woman (A Girl is a Body of Water) is set in the 1980s, a significant period for not only people in Uganda but also women globally. It was first published as First Woman and later republished as A Girl is a Body of Water.
One word for how I felt after reading this book is "content". I felt full.
First Woman is a story about life as a woman and the societal expectations that come with it. It’s more than just a feminist story. It questions class and race in society, juxtaposing traditional and modern living.
This book is easily a 5-star and must-read for everyone. Makumbi minces no words in her storytelling. It's straightforward, honest, witty, and open.
I absolutely loved this book, and I’m sure you will, too. I promise.
There is something distinct, almost familiar, and refreshing about Caleb’s writing. His storytelling doesn’t focus on the plot; it focuses on character building.
Set in the United Kingdom, the main character battles many things, including his relationship with his home country, Ghana, and his mother tongue.
Small Worlds is an excellent read; a book so beautiful you never get over the storytelling. This book explores relationships, masculinity, vulnerability, love, longing, loss, questioning, finding, family, belonging, and growing.
I love how Caleb showed how we build our small worlds within this world that we live in.
He showed that we craft not just one but many small worlds for ourselves in this big world. When our small worlds come apart, we fracture, we hurt, but we move on by building another world for ourselves again. The book shows that we're constantly changing and wanting things that we thought we could never want, but in the midst of it all, we live, breathe, and also discover ourselves.
This book is a great read. The writing style is poetic, the descriptions are vivid, and the storytelling tender. You want to reach out and hold every character while giving them warm hugs.
You'll definitely love this one.
I have seen mama mistake a slowing healing wound for a God who listens.
From the first line, it's clear that you're reading a purely African book, as African mothers are a different breed. This book is set in Ghana and highlights Ghanaian life and living. It’s Ama Asantewa’s debut and definitely a must-read.
Someone Birthed Them Broken is a collection of beautiful Ghanaian stories that most people can relate to. The storytelling is beautiful, with themes like religion, dysfunctional families, depression (that we hardly talk about), abortion, friendship breakups (that are the worst of it all), the terrible state of the country and much more.
This is not the type of book you rush through; it’s the type you eat slowly, chewing on each word and story, allowing it to assimilate. It’s a must-pick, and you will definitely enjoy these stories.
Butter Honey Pig Bread is a contemporary African Literature read that's destined to stand the test of time. I loved everything about this debut work; the conflict was well-written and adequately resolved.
The Igbo belief in Ogbanje ( spirit child) is featured heavily in this book, which revolves around the consequences of a spirit child who refused to die on the eighth time of her reincarnation in the plane of the living.
Butter Honey Pig Bread is contemporary fiction about family and love. The language is beautiful, rich, soft, kind, patient, empathetic, and sweet all at once, perfectly doing justice to the story.
The story is told from three points of view: a third person, Taiye, and Kambirinachi. The characters' lives are dissected and opened up to us in the most beautiful ways.
I have never read anything as honest and raw as this book. The emotions in it are so real that readers can literally feel the emotions of the characters.
A truly stunning read!
If you don’t know your history and have not read the book “Know Your Leaders,” come closer.
This work of non-fiction is a play about Thomas Sankara, Burkina Faso’s prime minister, pan-Africanist, and revolutionary who brought immense change to his country. Starting with changing the country's name from Upper Volta to Burkina Faso (meaning land of the upright people), his administration saw the Burkinabés thrive at growing their own food, making their own clothes, and building their own roads; at some point, Burkina Faso was one of the fastest-growing economies in West Africa. He was assassinated by the French through his best friend and comrade Blaise Compaoré, who went on to become president after him.
Thomas Sankara is one of the most iconic African leaders in history; someone everyone should know about. This play focuses on the last days before Sankara’s assassination. It’s a short book that can be read in an hour.
I totally recommend it.
Allah is not obliged to be fair about the things he does on earth.
The above quote is the voice of 10-year-old Birahimah.
The title is a consolation. Not the type of consolation that will hold you but the type that will ask you to keep enduring and not demand peace or relief from all the suffering you are going through because Allah is not obliged to be fair to you.
Allah is not obliged to be fair to a 10-year-old, even if all he wants is to find his auntie. Allah isn’t obliged to be fair to anyone, even if all they want is to live in peace.
Published in French as Allah N'est Pas Obligé in 2000 and translated in 2006 by Frank Wynne, Allah Is Not Obliged tells the story of Birahima, an orphan who becomes a child soldier while he travels to Liberia from Ivory Coast to find his aunt.
Told from Birahimah's POV, we see the political climate in francophone Africa.
This book raises important questions about civil wars, dictators, and child soldiers, among others. If you have the heart for things like this, definitely pick it up. There is a lot to learn about the political climate in West Africa, especially francophone West Africa.
I know I said 10, but here is a bonus book, like a bonus track! Thank me later.
Come closer, and let’s embrace Rwandans with love and grace. There was a time. There really was a time.
The genocide against the Tutsi started and ended with the French, but let’s leave that matter for now.
In 1994, Hutu nationalists called upon the Hutu majority to murder everyone in the Tutsi minority. Close to a million people were slaughtered in a hundred days, and the rest of the world did nothing to stop it.
France sponsored the Hutu majority; all the weapons came from France.
This book is a collection of raw accounts from survivors of the genocide against Tutsis. It’s scary and heart-wrenching. You'll need a support group for this because it’s a tough read.
African Literature reads are inherently thought-provoking, as they reflect the unique experiences of people in the black continent. If you haven't been reading a lot of books in the genre, I encourage you to do so.
Is my list missing some of your favourites? Let me know in the comments!
Thank you, I now know what I'll be reading next. First thing on the agenda is to finish Allah is not obliged