Description
Book SynopsisComprises the most exceptional written and photographic entries for the annual Gerald Kraak Award. Offering important African perspectives gathered from the continent, this inaugural edition features works of fiction, journalism, photography and poetry.
Table of ContentsThe fourteen submissions included in the anthology are:Farah Ahamed, Poached Eggs (Fiction, Kenya) A subtle, slow and careful rendering of the everyday rhythms of domestic terror that pays homage to the long history of women's resistance. Written with wit, humour and grit, the story also sings of freedom, resistance and the desire to be unbound.Beyers de Vos, 'A Place of Greater Safety' (Journalism, South Africa) This piece covers the underground issues that are seldom discussed in the South African LGBT+ movement - homelessness, poverty, as well as attraction and violence - with empathy, real curiosity and knowledge.Sindiswa Busuku-Mathese, 'Midnight in Lusikisiki' (Poetry, South Africa) This poem hums with sadness and sings with anger. It is full of the sort of melancholy that marks the passing of something very important. It provides an opportunity to connect the theme of gender with issues of poverty and political corruption.Dilman Dila, Two Weddings for Amoit (Fiction, Uganda) A fresh piece of sci-fi written in a clear and bright way that surprisingly draws on covert and subversive love.Justin Dingwall, 'Albus' (Photography, South Africa) The choice of exquisitely beautiful high-fashion models to represent people with albinism - who are so often depicted as unattractive - is just breathtaking. It makes its point and leaves you wanting more.Amatesiro Dore, For Men Who Care (Fiction, Nigeria) A complex and thoughtful insight into a part of elite Nigerian life, as well as the ways in which buying into certain brands of patriarchy can be so deeply damaging and have direct and unavoidable consequences.Tania Haberland, 'Resurrection' (Poetry, Mauritius) An erotic poem that is powerful in its simple celebration of the clit.Julia Hango, 'Intertwined Odyssey' (Photography, South Africa) A solid and thought-provoking collection that forces questions about power. The photos make the lovers (or are they fighters?) equal in their nakedness and in their embodiment of discomfort.Dean Hutton, 'Dean's Bed' (Photography, South Africa) An important contribution to conversations about bisexuality, attraction, age and race.Otosirieze Obi-Young, You Sing of a Longing (Fiction, Nigeria) A thoroughly modern epic yet with bones as old as time. This is a story of love and betrayal and madness and music that is all the more beautiful for its plainspoken poignancy. But there is also prose in here that takes your breath away.Olakunle Ologunro, The Conversation (Fiction, Nigeria) Provides valuable insight into issues of intimate partner violence, family acceptance and the complexity of gender roles in many modern African contexts.Ayodele Sogunro, 'One More Nation Bound in Freedom' (Academic, Nigeria) An informative piece that gives a crisp and 'objective' voice to the many themes that cut across this anthology.Sarah Waiswa, 'Stranger in a Familiar Land' (Photography, Kenya) This collection of photos showcases the best of African storytelling. The images take risks and speak of danger and subversion yet, at the same time, they are deeply rooted in places that are familiar to urban Africans.
