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Celebrated: Nigerian Women in Development
Celebrated profiles 29 contemporary Nigerian women who, through their own initiatives, are playing laudable roles in our society. They include lawyer and civil liberties activist Ayo Obe, fashion designer Deola Sagoe, and businesswoman Nike Ogunlesi. These women speak in Celebrated about their experiences, challenges and successes.
The problems relating to the social worth of a woman, her ability to contribute to social development, the political, economic and social roles she is allowed to play, her pains and travails are issues that haunt all societies. These problems usually arise from the way society sees the woman and the way the woman sees herself. Perhaps because of these problems, despite the past achievements of Nigerian women, the number of prominent contemporary Nigerian women remains negligible compared to that of men.
Ayona Aguele-Trimnell profiles here a few contemporary Nigerian women who, through their own initiatives, are playing laudable roles in society and yet remain largely uncelebrated. Women like Doctors Okonjo-Iweala, Obiageli Ezekwesili and Professor Dora Akunyili to name a few, who have performed as well as any, and better than most of their male contemporaries and predecessors. This is the sense in which this book become important.
₵50.00 -
The Pen at Risk: Spilling My Little Beans
“The Pen at Risk is more than a memoir. It is a piece of authentic, ungarnished history by a writer and public intellectual who is too modest to accept the title of a historian, but who witnessed and chronicled the most intriguing epochs of Ghana’s national life. Laced with the innate Fante humour, this book is a piece of deep but entertaining non-fiction that is told with the demystified simplicity of one of Ghana’s greatest academics and writers. Kwesi Yankah is a gift to humanity, and this memoir is a greater gift to an unfortunate generation like mine that did not live in the era of the incisive writings of the great Kwatriot.” – Manasseh Azure Awuni, Editor-in-Chief, The Fourth Estate
“When a citizen who has spent his whole life scrutinising society, turns the spotlight on himself, the risks include this epic engagement that spares no one, him included. In this bare-it-all memoir, the Yankah enigma is fully bared, warts and all. As it turns out, Yankah has had more than his fair share of privileged roles, ultimately impacting the national narrative. The richness of ethnography here, is as riveting as his urban-savvy accounts of the intrigues of university and national politics. While we watch him weave his wizardry of words, we are also awed by the totality of his humanity. The Pen at Risk is a hilarious package of eruditions. It is about the exalted gossips of our Motherland. The narratives are so sweet they hurt. If this isn’t the best book you have read in years, call me illiterate.” – Kofi Akpabli, Scholar, Author, Journalist
“In this memoir, Kwesi Yankah delivers a sparkling tableau of key aspects of his life, tabling his charmed childhood and amazing trajectory as an academic. He then rolls out his long stint as an audacious social commentator and columnist for leading papers (which may have put his pen at risk). With a penmanship characterized by a keen eye for detail, this autobiography is an entertaining and captivating book that should be read by all interested in media and social history as well as autobiography as a literary genre.” – Professor Mansah Prah, University of Cape Coast
“Intriguing, revealing, and brilliant. The Pen at Risk is unvarnished introspection beautifully strung together with anecdotes in a way that is vibrant and colorful. Kwesi Yankah’s work is a refreshingly modest invitation to see life through a different lens, even for a fleeting moment.” – Dr Obeng Amoako Edmonds, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
₵250.00 -
Men Across Time: Contesting Masculinities in Ghanaian Fiction and Film
Men Across Time: Contesting Masculinities in Ghanaian Fiction and Film examines the various constructions and manifestations of masculinities from precolonial, colonial, independent and post-independent Ghana as portrayed in selected Ghanaian fiction, film and music videos. Two main questions are engaged here:
- What predominant masculine images are present in Ghanaian texts?
- In what ways has the passage of time affected the subversion of dominant masculine images, contested hegemony and created room for the presence of alternative masculinities?
This book submits that in questioning the various masculine modes of behaviours portrayed in these texts, and negotiating their own masculine identities, the male characters showcase the mutations that are taking place within masculine representations over time and aver that other models of masculine expression are possible.
“This study’s engagement with the theory of hegemonic masculinity represents an important contribution to the discourse in gender studies in Ghana and Africa. In addition, it is well researched and presents a cutting-edge analysis of masculinity across genres. I cannot think of any other study in Ghanaian literary and cultural studies that provides such a broad historical background context and the book is certainly original in its approach.” — Professor Mansah Prah, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Cape Coast, Ghana
“The book’s major strength is in adding significantly to an area of study that is currently under theorised. This has the potential to make a robust and important contribution to the field of knowledge on representation of masculinities in African and specifically Ghanaian popular culture.” — Associate Professor Nicky Falkof, Media Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
₵300.00 -
The Valley of Memories (Hardcover)
October 10th 1963, a Dutch teenage girl is sent away to Ghana by her resentful mother to marry a man she has met only once and who is more than twice her age. Arriving at the airport in Accra, a whole new world unfolds for this young girl. At first, she is shocked and disappointed by the things she sees in this new country she is to call her home. To her Ghana is hot, humid and dirty but then she meets the warm and welcoming people of Ghana and starts to open up to the country, culture and its people.
Her new husbands job takes her to some of the most remote areas in Ghana from Accra to the Northern, Upper East and Volta Regions where she repeatedly has to build a home with the meagre resources her husband and herself have available. Whilst building her homes and family, she encounters the most fascinating, emotional, funny, unbelievable and sometimes scary experiences.
This is a story about a young girl coming of age and finding love and happiness under the most unusual circumstances. The story will take the reader on a very vivid and colourful tour of life in post-colonial Ghana and gives the reader a history lesson about one of the most interesting periods Ghana has gone through after gaining independence from Britain and trying to build a strong and independent nation.
₵200.00 -
The Bittersweet Pill of Politics: My Memoirs
The Bittersweet Pill of Politics chronicles the author’s experiences in Ghana’s political landscape and reveals intriguing themes.
“The passion, clarity, detail and narrative power with which Amma writes her memoirs, which are inextricably interwoven with the political odyssey of her inimitable brother, late Prime Minister Kofi Busia, through the 1950s and 60s make her story classic”. – H.E. J.A. Kufour, President of the Republic of Ghana (January 2001 – January 2009)
“The Bitter Sweet Pill of Politics shows unparalleled courage exhibited by a woman whose passion for democracy, unquenchably desire and thirst for political power for her political tradition. The book also discusses how she actively and passionately played substantial roles in the governance structure of her country. She agrees with Maimonides, a Jewish Philosopher, that ‘The risk of a wrong decision is preferable to the terror of indecision’. Her resilience is extraordinary and legendary”. – Yaw Osei-Amoako, Manager, Election 2016 situation Room, NPP; Former Chairman, NPP, Toronto, Canada
“By the time she is narrating the memoirs of her life in The Bitter Sweet Pill of Politics, Amma Bame Busia has become the matriarch of the legendary Busia family. Her focus is on her brother, Kofi Busia, Prime Minister of the Second Republic, whose life as she captures in the vivid narrative would seem to have more of the bitter than the sweet bit of the political pill. But she paints a more rounded picture of him than can be found anywhere else. Her narrative encompasses far more than her own interesting life story. She fills many holes in the story of Ghana’s political history. – Elizabeth A. Ohene, Writer, Columnist
Price range: ₵200.00 through ₵250.00The Bittersweet Pill of Politics: My Memoirs
Price range: ₵200.00 through ₵250.00 -
SeedTime: Selected Poems I
In memory of all the Ancestral Voices who prepared the field for our SeedTime…
SeedTime I brings together Selected Poems from Kofi Anyidoho’s first five collections, beginning in reverse order with poems from AncestralLogic & CaribbeanBlues (1993), A Harvest of Our Dreams (1984), EarthChild (1985), Elegy for the Revolution (1978), and BrainSurgery (1985). BrainSurgery, the earliest of these collections, was never published as a collection until it came out together with EarthChild (Woeli Publishing Services, 1985), even though several of the poems had appeared in various journals, magazines and anthologies.
SeedTime: Selected Poems I is a backward glance to those magical years of birth waters flowing across a landscape filled at once with danger and hope, with dying and rebirth in the mystery and miracle of new beginnings so soon after countless brushfires. But the doubt returns again so close behind the hope as we offer trembling prayers in new poems from an old loom: See What They’ve Done To Our SunRise. Yet, somehow, we must open our minds and souls to the Forever Promise of New SeedTimes. This world cannot, must not crumble under our watch.
“Quintessential Anyidoho…a harvest of the master craftman’s gems across time and space. SeedTime brings a refreshing newness to old songs, and, for new ones, a touch of creative genius we have come to associate with the poet’s pedigree; a timeless legacy of a poet-laureate, whose voice waxes even stronger in his twilight years.” − Mawuli Adjei, author, poet and literary scholar
“A collection of haunting poems in which we SEE the turbulent variety of our history, and HEAR the English language teased to express the many rhythms of the African’s eternal homesickness.” − Prof. A. N. Mensah, Department of English, University of Ghana
₵100.00SeedTime: Selected Poems I
₵100.00 -
Taytu Betul: The Sunshine Queen (Hardcover)
Age Range: 3 – 8 years
Africa has produced its own formidable women; and one such women is Taytu Betul, Empress of Ethiopia and consort to Emperor Menelik II.
In this story, we see how the Empress managed to save Ethiopia from becoming an Italian colony.
Ethiopia is the only African country that was never colonised by the Europeans; how did that happen?
₵55.00 -
Keke And The Cake Thief
Age Range: 4 – 8 years
Reading Level: 2 – 3
Keke and the Cake Thief, written by L.M Daini and illustrated by Chike Obasi and Emmanuel Adepitan. Suitable for ages 4-8 years.
In this story, there’s a cake thief in the kingdom and the king is getting very upset. Keke’s love for cakes makes him the best person to help track down the elusive cake thief and restore peace in the king’s kitchen!
This is a fun and beautifully illustrated modern African fairy tale, perfect for story time at home and in the classroom. A must-have for every child’s library and an excellent gift for all occasions, birthdays, Christmas, World Book Day, Black History Month and Kwanzaa.
₵55.00Keke And The Cake Thief
₵55.00 -
Malik’s Bridge
Age Range: 3 – 8 years
Reading Level: 2 – 3
Malik’s Bridge is an inspiring story of four friends who find a way to keep connected over the school holidays. This wonderful story celebrates STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) and the power of unity.
Written by Marwa Al.Hifnawi and illustrated by Chike Obasi.
In this story, Malik and his best-friends Ola, Lisa and Amina cannot wait for the school holidays, but they soon realise how much they will miss each other!
Can the friends find a way to keep connected across their countries in Africa?
Join Malik and his squad as they use STEM to bridge the distance and celebrate their unity.
₵55.00Malik’s Bridge
₵55.00 -
Who Moved My Heels?
This book gives provides a diverse backdrop of females in business from eleven countries. It shares deep insights on how to ignite your purpose and passion.
The “Who Moved My Heels” classic brings 18 businesswomen into the consultation room to share their real, raw struggle of entrepreneurship. This book also collates impactful, heartfelt, valuable lessons that encourage, motivate and strengthen females starting out in business. It is a courageous collection of honest, down-to-earth experiences aimed at warding off doubts that may swerve existing entrepreneurs off-track.
Dr. Abena Asomaning-Antwi partners with prolific authors and rising women such as Kiran Shah, Dr Aloysis Ogle, Arpita Kaul, Cardela Coulson, Dr. Nongnush Ammoury, Georgina Kelly, Arundhati Seigell, Farzana Muhammad, Dr. Venessa Moussa, Lady Charul Jaitly, Priyaa Televvane, Atiyya Dudhat, Dr. Genevieve Duncan, Vyara Tosheva, Dr. Fatima Beena, Lynette Lobo, and Fauza Belts.
₵100.00Who Moved My Heels?
₵100.00 -
Chicken Soup for your Soul: Poems and More
In a deeply captivated form, this masterpiece of creative writing transcends the truly diverse life experiences of an African heroine. Irrespective of stage one’s stage, this unique collection of artistic inscriptions is to be savoured by all, for being highly uplifted, deeply inspired, continually intriguing, and delightfully entertaining. The book is a manifestation of the quest between the Author and her peers, towards not just the youth, but to the benefit of all who are still traveling along the intricating winding of life.
₵60.00 -
From Dar es Salaam to Bongoland: Urban Mutations in Tanzania
The name Dar es Salaam comes from the Arabic phrase meaning house of peace. A popular but erroneous translation is ‘haven of peace’ resulting from a mix-up of the Arabic words “dar” (house) and “bandar” (harbour). Named in 1867 by the Sultan of Zanzibar, the town has for a long time benefitted from a reputation of being a place of tranquility. The tropical drowsiness is a comfort to the socialist poverty and under-equipment that causes an unending anxiety to reign over the town. Today, for the Tanzanian, the town has become Bongoland, that is, a place where survival is a matter of cunning and intelligence (bongo means ‘brain’ in Kiswahili). Far from being an anecdote, this slide into toponomy records the mutations that affect the links that Tanzanians maintain with their principal city and the manner in which it represents them.
This book takes into account the changes by departing from the hypothesis that they reveal a process of territorialisation. What are the processes – envisaged as spatial investments – which, by producing exclusivity, demarcations and exclusions, fragment the urban space and its social fabric? Do the practices and discussions of the urban dwellers construct limited spaces, appropriated, identified and managed by communities (in other words, territories)? Dar es Salaam is often described as a diversified, relatively homogenous and integrating place. However, is it not more appropriate to describe it as fragmented?
As territorialisation can only occur through frequenting, management and localised investment, it is therefore through certain places – first shelter and residential area, then the school, daladala station, the fire hydrant and the quays – that the town is observed. This led to broach the question in the geographical sense of urban policy carried out since German colonisation to date. At the same time, the analysis of these developments allows for an evaluation of the role of the urban crisis and the responses it brings.
In sum, the aim of this approach is to measure the impact of the uniqueness of the place on the current changes. On one hand, this is linked to its long-term insertion in the Swahili civilisation, and on the other, to its colonisation by Germany and later Britain and finally, to the singularity of the post-colonial path. This latter is marked by an alternation of Ujamaa with Structural Adjustment Plans applied since 1987. How does this remarkable political culture take part in the emerging city today?
This book is a translation of De Dar es Salaam à Bongoland: Mutations urbaines en Tanzanie, published by Karthala, Paris in 2006.
₵130.00
