• The African Predicament: Collected Essays

    This collection of Kofi Awoonor’s writings comprises essays written over a period of three decades, and includes several previously unpublished pieces. According to the author himself: ‘[they] reflect a life-time of engagement in literature and politics, my two passions…’

    Kofi Awoonor addresses a diverse range of subjects from an African perspective: the slave trade, post-independence history, globalisation, and the fate of the African continent given the twin scourges of poverty and HIV/AIDS. Literary criticism considers the legacy of W.E.B DuBois, and in a contemporary context, Kofi Anyidoho’s poetry. Further essays are reflections composed during the author’s long sojourns in the US: on Negro, Afro-American, black, African-American and African and identities. Further essays cover historical and political topics, such as the overthrow of Nkrumah, and the UN in relation to Africa in the post-Cold War period.

  • Kwame Nkrumah: Vision and Tragedy

    The yearlong celebration of Ghana’s Golden Jubilee provides a fitting context for the republication of the book Kwame Nkrumah: Vision and Tragedy. In the lead-up to the celebration and over the course of the year, the life and times of Kwame Nkrumah will receive unprecedented public attention, official and unofficial. Kwame Nkrumah’s very wide name-recognition is, paradoxically, accompanied by sketchy, often oversimplified knowledge about the events and processes of his life and times. For most of those born after independence in 1957, such knowledge does not extend much beyond who Kwame Nkrumah was and vague notions about he won us Independence.

    This book presents new material and new analysis, which helps to clarify aspects of the record, while advancing new perspectives. What comes across clearly throughout the book is the significant contribution of Nkrumah’s vision and personality at a critical moment in the history of Africa and the Third World. He, perhaps more than any other, was able to identify, focus and catalyse the major factors and players driving the struggle for political independence in Ghana and liberation in other parts of Africa. In the process, he committed his life and work totally to a wide variety of activities and processes in Ghana, the continent and in the global Non-Aligned Movement.

    “This is an objective study which should be read by all concerned with the history of post-colonial Africa.” – Conor Cruise O’Brien Former Vice Chancellor, University of Ghana, Legon

  • Where is Naledi? (Hardcover)

    Age Range: 3 – 8 years

    Naledi is a meerkat pup who gets lost and separated from her family. The humans caught her and put her in a cage! There, she meets Diriwa, an adult meerkat who has been a pet for a long time. Diriwa warns her that there are a lot of bad things about being a pet, so Naledi runs away to look for her family. Meanwhile, her family keeps searching for her in the desert. There are a lot of dangers when you are alone in the wild! Will Naledi find her family?

  • Yennenga La Princesse de Dagomba (French Edition, Hardcover)

    Age Range: 7 – 12 years

    Yennenga, la fille du roi de Dagomba, apprit tôt à monter à cheval et à se battre comme un homme. Ainsi, son père aimait l’emmener combattre avec lui, car elle était une excellente guerrière! À cause de cela, le père de Yennenga refusa de la donner en mariage. Et elle qui désirait vivement se marier et avoir des enfants, se disputa avec son père qui la mit en prison. Mais elle réussit à fuir le Royaume…

  • Redemption Song and Other Stories: The Caine Prize for African Writing 2018

    The Caine Prize for African Writing is Africa’s leading literary prize. For over ten years it has supported and promoted contemporary African writing. Keeping true to its motto “Africa will always bring something new,” the prize has helped launch the literary careers of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Segun Afolabi, Leila Aboulela, Brian Chikwava, EC Osondu Henrietta Rose-Innes, Binyavanga Wainaina, and many others.

    This collection brings together the five 218 shortlisted stories: American Dream by Nonyelum Ekwempu (Nigeria); The Armed Letter Writers by Olofunke Ogundimu (Nigeria); Fanta Blackcurrant by Makena Onjerika (Kenya); Involution by Stacy Hardy (South Africa); Wednesday’s Story by Wole Talabi (Nigeria).

    It also includes 12 stories written at the Caine Prize Writers’ Workshop, which took place in Rwanda in April 218: No Ordinary Soiree by Paula Akugizibwe; Tie Kidi by Awuor Onyango; Calling the Clouds Home by Heran T. Abate; America by Caroline Numuhire; All Things Bright and Beautiful by Troy Onyango; Departure by Nsah Mala; Where Rivers Go to Die by Dilman Dila; Ngozi by Bongani Sibanda; The Weaving of Death by Lucky Grace Isingizwe; Redemption Song by Arinze Ifeakandu; Spaceman by Bongani Kona; Grief is the Gift that Breaks the Spirit Open by Eloghosa Osunde.

  • Ghana: An African Portrait Revisited (Photo Book, Hardcover)

    Ghana: An African Portrait by the American photographer Paul Strand was published in 1963 at the request of Kwame Nkrumah. It became a classic but is now out of print. Over 40 years after that landmark work, and coinciding with the 50th anniversary celebrations of Ghana’s independence, the country is documented again as it enters the 21st century.

    With more than 150 photographs, this book presents Ghana at a historic moment in time remembering its past and tradition, while looking ahead to a bright future. Six photographers with six points of view of working present a unique portrait of the country, through these photographs. From Accra to Bolatanga, and Elmina to Aflao, these are images of a country that is changing yet still retains much of its traditional character.

    There are photographs of bead makers, wood carvers, kente weavers and coffin makers; and of Ghana’s unique fishing industry, its historic slave forts, outdoor markets, and the diverse religious community. And at the same time, a country poised to compete in world markets is seen through Accra’s rising skyline buildings and Tema’s modern port facilities. Abena Busia’s essay provides a capsule history of the country.

  • The Goddess of Mtwara and Other Stories: The Caine Prize for African Writing 2017

    The Caine Prize for African Writing is Africa’s leading literary prize. For over ten years it has supported and promoted contemporary African writing. Keeping true to its motto “Africa will always bring something new,” the prize has helped launch the literary careers of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Segun Afolabi, Leila Aboulela, Brian Chikwava, EC Osondu Henrietta Rose-Innes, Binyavanga Wainaina, and many others.

    A girl raises a baby made of human hair from the salon where she works, with unpredictable results… A prodigal brother arrives at his sister’s in the dead of night, ravaged by the unearthly deal he made to escape his gambling debts…

    The shortlisted writers include: Gods Children are Little Broken Things by Arinze Ifeakandu (Nigeria); The Story of the Girl Whose Birds Flew Away by Bushra al-Fadil (Sudan), translated by Max Shmookler; Bush Baby by Chikodili Emelumadu (Nigeria);Who Will Greet You at Home by Lesley Nneka Arimah (Nigeria); The Virus by Magogodi oa Mphela Makhene (South Africa). The collection also includes stories written by the following authors at the workshop that took place in Tanzania: Last years winner, Lidudumalingani (South Africa), Abdul Adan (Somalia/Kenya), Lesley Nneka Arimah (Nigeria) Tendai Huchu (Zimbabwe), Cheryl Ntumy (Botswana/Ghana), Daniel Rafiki (Rwanda), Darla Rudakubana (Rwanda), Agazit Abate (Ethiopia).

  • The Daily Assortment of Astonishing Things: The Caine Prize for African Writing 2016

    The Caine Prize for African Writing is Africa’s leading literary prize. For over ten years it has supported and promoted contemporary African writing. Keeping true to its motto “Africa will always bring something new,” the prize has helped launch the literary careers of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Segun Afolabi, Leila Aboulela, Brian Chikwava, EC Osondu Henrietta Rose-Innes, Binyavanga Wainaina, and many others.

    A man accused of sexual harassment tells the bizarre tale of the Life bloom gift, which is accessed through the moles on pe ople’s skin… In the late 21st century a mathematical formula has been discovered that allows a few gifted people to relieve others of their grief – but at what cost?

    The shortlisted writers include Abdul Adan (Somalia/Kenya), Lesley Nneka Arimah (Nigeria), Tope Folarin (Nigeria), Bongani Kona (Zimbabwe), and Lidudumalingani (South Africa).

  • Lusaka Punk and Other Stories: The Caine Prize for African Writing 2015

    The Caine Prize for African Writing is Africa’s leading literary prize. For over ten years it has supported and promoted contemporary African writing. Keeping true to its motto “Africa will always bring something new,” the prize has helped launch the literary careers of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Segun Afolabi, Leila Aboulela, Brian Chikwava, EC Osondu Henrietta Rose-Innes, Binyavanga Wainaina, and many others.

    A blind girl makes a pilgrimage to Lagos in search of faith-healing miracle… A boy in a children’s home discovers the truth about his origins… In apartheid Johannesburg, an Indian insurance agent is honoured by his white bosses but his wife feels more than a little uneasy…

  • African Violet and Other Stories: The Caine Prize for African Writing 2012

    The Caine Prize for African Writing is Africa’s leading literary prize. For over ten years it has supported and promoted contemporary African writing. Keeping true to its motto “Africa will always bring something new,” the prize has helped launch the literary careers of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Segun Afolabi, Leila Aboulela, Brian Chikwava, EC Osondu Henrietta Rose-Innes, Binyavanga Wainaina, and many others.

    The 2012 collection includes the five shortlisted stories and the stories written at the Caine Prize Writers’ Workshop.

    These fifteen stories show yet again the richness and range of current writing on the continent. They underline the primacy of the short story, with its oral antecedents, at the very heart of African literature.

  • It Happened in Ghana: A Historical Romance 1824-1971

    It Happened in Ghana carries a positive message. Conceived as a literary work, it demonstrates that racial prejudice based on skin colour is not a pervasive and unalterable human condition.

    The principal characters who are both Black and White are embroiled in various encounters, notably wars, slave trade, colonialism and post colonial reconstruction. Regardless of their skin colour and cultural differences, they make friends or fall in love secretly during these encounters. When they are forced to part company by the cessation of hostilities or whatever brought them together, they serve in various capacities in new locations outside their original places of domicile. They are accepted or integrated into existing social structures because of the warmth oftheir personalities and the manner in which they are able to adjust themselves to the pressures and challenges of new environments.

    Changes in the circumstances of the principal characters or their descendants enable them not only to restore broken relationships but also to identify themselves with the cause of freedom and justice or to reconnect in various ways with the development aspirations of Ghana where it all started.

  • An Ethnographic Study of Northern Ghanaian Conflicts: Towards a Sustainable Peace

    Conflict in Northern Ghana appears to be increasing in amplitude and frequency and its effects are getting more devastating. It is the view of this book that The Government of Ghana and civil society organisations involved in aspects of conflict management have approached peace issues in the region with an inadequate understanding of the local issues that divide and unite the people, or using sufficient resources to preempt conflict.

    In 2003 The Mole V summit was held in Damongo to discuss strategic directions for comprehensive development and poverty reduction in Northern Ghana as a mechanism for supporting conflict management.

    It is the aim of this publication to contribute to the proposed plan by suggesting past and current conflict management resources and mechanisms which could be employed. The suggestions are informed by surveys, which are outlined in the book, of particular conflicts in the three northern Regions of Ghana between 2006 and 2008 – their histories, causes and efforts and their resolution.

  • They Came From Ghana: The Two Worlds of Kwame and Kwabena Boaten

    In this historical novel of 19th century Gold Coast, two young Ashanti boys are introduced to the unfamiliar but fascinating world of the white man. Kwame and Kwabena Boaten are eager to learn the ways of their mentors, Tedlie and Bowdich, to become doctor and administrator respectively so they can come back and help their own people. Despite the curtailment of their government sponsorship in London, they get benefactors to help them continue their education. They however have to contend with racism and bullying from Hardwick as well as inordinate hatred from Dupuis, Under-Secretary and later His majesty’s Envoy to the Guinea Coast (whose machinations dog them all their lives). How do they survive? Kwabena reminds Kwame, ‘If they attack us – we can bear rough handling. [But] they cannot break our spirit; we are Ashanti remember; and afterwards we shall carefully plan our revenge.’ Do they succeed in the face of all the odds?

    Noel Smith effortlessly weaves a brilliant tale of sheer determination, ambition, intrigue, love and altruism, through the treacherous terrain of the slave trade, missionary activities and disease ridden expeditions, and historical insight.

  • The Talking Baobab Tree (Hardcover)

    Age Range: 7 – 12 years

    A rabbit, lost in the desert and saved by a baobab tree, outwits a stronger, envious neighbor.

    “Guess what! The Baobab tree is saving the jewels for you! There they are, the pictures on every page (and the wisdom that comes with them).” — Dr Mary Catherine Bateson, Author and Cultural Anthropologist

    “A lovely folktale on the importance of wisdom, truth and keeping your word.” — Marie-Monique Steckel, President, French Institute Alliance Francaise, New York

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