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Beyond the Political Spider: Critical Issues in African Humanities (African Humanities Series)
Beyond the Political Spider: Critical Issues in African Humanities by Kwesi Yankah is the first title in the newly established African Humanities Association (AHA) publication series.
By integrating his own biography into a critique of the global politics of knowledge production, Yankah, through a collection of essays, interrogates critical issues confronting the Humanities that spawn intellectual hegemonies and muffle African voices. Using the example of Ghana, he brings under scrutiny, amongst others, endemic issues of academic freedom, gender inequities, the unequal global academic order, and linguistic imperialism in language policies in governance.
In the face of these challenges, the author deftly navigates the complex terrain of indigenous knowledge and language in the context of democratic politics, demonstrating that agency can be liberatory when emphasising indigenous knowledge, especially expressed through the idiom of local languages and symbols, including Ananse, the protean spider, folk hero in Ghana and most parts of the pan-African world.
“Fascinating snapshots from an engaged scholarly life in Africa, valuable as an archival resource for the understanding of this period of higher education in Africa.” – John Higgins, Arderne Chair in Literature, Department of English Literary Studies, University of Cape Town
“This book is unique and gives a powerful rendition of the state of the Humanities in Africa (with Ghana as a case in point). It grapples with some of the pertinent issues dogging the Humanities in Africa. It comments on the Humanities scholarship in Africa, and subtly throws a challenge for future scholarship. It draws on African traditions, communal heritage, and governance in discussing the role and place of the Humanities in Africa. It also brings into the analysis the ever-changing imperatives and modernity in re-configuring African Humanities.” – Mark Benge Okot, Head of Department, Literature, Makerere University, Uganda
“Beyond the Political Spider’ effectively draws, in a unique fashion, from literature, history, linguistics and other cognate disciplines in the African Humanities.” – Sati Umaru Fwatshak, Department of History, University of Jos, Nigeria
₵340.00 -
Bookset: Not My Time to Die & Guns Over Kigali (2 books)
A pack of 2 books on the Kigali Genocide
About the Books
Not My Time to Die
“Reading Yolande Mukagasana’s book in French at the age of 15 changed my life.”- Gaël Faye
Originally published as La mort ne veut pas de moi in 1997, this book was the first survivor testimony to be published about the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
In 1994 Yolande was an unconventional nurse and mother of three who enjoyed wearing jeans and designer glasses. She ran her own clinic in Nyamirambo and was planning a party for her wedding anniversary. But when genocide started everything changed. Targeted because she was a successful Tutsi woman, she was separated from her family and had to flee for her life.
Mukagasana’s gripping memoir describes the betrayal of friends and help that came from surprising places. Quick-witted and courageous, Yolande never lost hope she would find her children alive.
Translated from the French by Zoe Norridge.
Guns Over Kigali
The world has come to know about the carnage and human suffering in Rwanda through the reportage by newsmen. Guns Over Kigali is no such reportage. It is personal account of a UN peacekeeping soldier who was in the thick of the action to bring sanity into a country that had gone berserk.
Major General Anyidoho, the author of this book, survived the mayhem and the hectic moments in Rwanda and tells the world the true story of the events as he saw them. What is valuable in his account are the lessons he draws which have profound implications for UN peacekeeping around the world. Students in military institutions, researchers in war studies, politicians, policy makers, relief NGOs and the general reader interested in international relations will find this book a compelling and very useful reading.
In Rwanda the author was the Deputy Force Commander and Chief of Staff of the UN Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) where he collected the material for this book.
₵155.00₵165.00Bookset: Not My Time to Die & Guns Over Kigali (2 books)
₵155.00₵165.00 -
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 -
Ghana Our Heritage
Age Range: 8 years and above
A comprehensive book that introduces both young and old to Ghana, its history, culture, traditional systems, languages, people, food and more!
This book provides basic education about Ghanaian history, cultural practices and heritage for the Ghanaian child. Though it is useful for every Ghanaian (as well as non-Ghanaians), it was specifically designed to educate the Ghanaian child in the diaspora.
The book gives a foundation of Ghanaian history and cultural practices to enable readers understand and appreciate Ghanaian heritage.
₵48.00Ghana Our Heritage
₵48.00 -
Ghana: A Concise History from Pre-Colonial Times to the 20th Century
This is a comprehensive survey of the history of Ghana from the earliest times to 1992. It discusses the evolution of the different ethnic groups and the social, economic and political institutions and systems they created. It also examines the development of state systems , their contact with the outside world and the economic , social and political consequences of that contact. It discusses the loss of political independence, the recovery of sovereignty and the emergence of the modern state of Ghana.
The study ends with an examination of the attempt by various rulers after independence to make one nation out of the people of Ghana and promote their economic and social well-being. The book has grown out of lectures the author has delivered to University students over the years. The material has, however, been written in a language that can be understood by all Senior High School students and the general public.
₵110.00 -
Heritage Pack: Ghana Our Motherland (6 books)
Age Range: 8 years and above
A set of five books for young ones and anyone looking for a quick and easy appreciation about the country Ghana: its history, culture, traditional systems, languages, people, food and more!
These books provides basic education about Ghanaian history, cultural practices and heritage for the Ghanaian child. Though they will prove useful for every Ghanaian (as well as non-Ghanaians), they are especially beneficial for parents who are keen on educating the Ghanaian child in the diaspora.
These books give a foundation of Ghanaian history and cultural practices to enable readers understand and appreciate Ghanaian heritage.
There is a bonus book that talks about Africa!
₵230.00₵244.00Heritage Pack: Ghana Our Motherland (6 books)
₵230.00₵244.00 -
It Takes A Woman: A Life Shaped by Heritage, Leadership and the Women Who Defined Hope
It Takes a Woman retraces the early life of Agyeman‐Rawlings who rose to prominence as the First Lady of the Republic of Ghana (1982-2000). She redefined the privilege of serving a nation, and sought every platform to champion the causes of underserved citizenry and women. While her husband, former President Jerry John Rawlings, embarked on a relentless pursuit of transforming Ghana into a model of African democracy, Mrs. Agyeman-Rawlings founded the 31st December Women’s Movement (the 31st DWM), an organisation which played a pivotal role in the empowerment of women, and in addressing issues of systemic gender inequality, not only in Ghana but across the African region.
Born in an era when women were overtly marginalised, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings’ strong relationship with her father, mother and family elders formed the core of much of her formative years. Fortified by her unique family history, she was raised to never accept the notion that “there were some things she could not do, simply because she was a woman.”
The narrative captures the family history of a spirited little girl, and as she walks us through the refreshingly detailed scenes from her childhood, we are transported to a hopeful and quintessential Ghana, where a sense of national pride resounded powerfully at the time of independence. But as she recalls Ghana’s struggles post-independence, we are also confronted face to face with her juxtaposed emotions of elation and frustration, hurt and joy, certainty and dread. She was not to know that her personal life being upended early one morning in 1979 would also become a turning point in the nation’s history and would thrust her into the glare of international publicity.
It Takes a Woman, written with unflinching candour, is an absorbing portrait of a life devoted to public service and shaped by heritage. Above all, it is an account of resilience. The voices of the women who stood tall will forever inspire Agyeman-Rawlings to stand for many more whose voices may not be loud enough to stand on their own.
₵170.00 -
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 -
King Alboury Cooks the Best Jollof (Africa’s Little Kings & Queens)
Age Range: 3 – 8 years
A must-have for every child’s library. Loved by children around the world and teaches them the importance of kindness and community.
King Alboury Cooks the Best Jollof is a fictional story inspired by King Alboury Ndiaye, the last King of the Jollof Kingdom in Senegal. A must-have for every child’s library.
In this story, King Alboury loves to cook and his favourite meal to make is his famous jollof rice. His ancestors invented the recipe, and so he is the only one who knows the secret. However, King Alboury has a problem, his troublesome neighbours, the Chuchus people. Every time the King cooks his special Jollof rice, their tummies start to rumble so loud that they become jealous. Rumour has it that they are plotting against the Jollof Kingdom, but don’t worry, King Alboury has a plan!
₵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 -
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 -
Not My Time to Die
“Reading Yolande Mukagasana’s book in French at the age of 15 changed my life.”- Gaël Faye
Originally published as La mort ne veut pas de moi in 1997, this book was the first survivor testimony to be published about the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
In 1994 Yolande was an unconventional nurse and mother of three who enjoyed wearing jeans and designer glasses. She ran her own clinic in Nyamirambo and was planning a party for her wedding anniversary. But when genocide started everything changed. Targeted because she was a successful Tutsi woman, she was separated from her family and had to flee for her life.
Mukagasana’s gripping memoir describes the betrayal of friends and help that came from surprising places. Quick-witted and courageous, Yolande never lost hope she would find her children alive.
Translated from the French by Zoe Norridge.
₵100.00Not My Time to Die
₵100.00 -
Our Ancestories Bookset: Idia of the Benin Kingdom, Njinga of Ndongo and Matamba Plus Coloring & Activity Books (4 books)
Age Range: 4 – 12 years
- Children’s Africana Book Awards (CABA) – 2021 Winner – Best Books for Young Children
- Wishing Shelf Book Award – 2020 Finalist
- Kidsshelf Book Cover Award -2020 Winner
- Eric Hoffer Award – Honourable Mention (Children’s Category) First Horizon Finalist Grand Prize Short List
The complete set of the Our Ancestories books. Our picture books as well as accompanying workbooks on Queen Idia and Njinga. These are stories of hope and courage that show every young girl is capable of greatness.
There is a deep divide between the truth of African history and the common understanding of it. Our Ancestories Bookset helps to bridge this gap through various means including stories about two African female leaders and accompanying activity and colouring books.
This set includes:
Idia of the Benin Kingdom (Our Ancestories)
Njinga of Ndongo and Matamba (Our Ancestories)
Idia of the Benin Kingdom: Coloring and Activity Book (Our Ancestories)
Njinga of Ndongo and Matamba: Coloring and Activity Book (Our Ancestories)
Our Ancestories’ vision is to nudge the world towards a point where:
- There is an avid learning culture for African history.
- People of African descent are at least as exposed to African history as we are to Western history.
- Africans look more to our history as we pave a way for the future.
- Legends that make up African history are mainstream and are introduced to children across the globe.
₵155.00 -
Oxford Street, Accra: City Life and the Itineraries of Transnationalism
In Oxford Street, Accra, Ato Quayson analyzes the dynamics of Ghana’s capital city through a focus on Oxford Street, part of Accra’s most vibrant and globalized commercial district. He traces the city’s evolution from its settlement in the mid-seventeenth century to the present day. He combines his impressions of the sights, sounds, interactions, and distribution of space with broader dynamics, including the histories of colonial and postcolonial town planning and the marks of transnationalism evident in Accra’s salsa scene, gym culture, and commercial billboards.
Quayson finds that the various planning systems that have shaped the city—and had their stratifying effects intensified by the IMF-mandated structural adjustment programs of the late 1980s—prepared the way for the early-1990s transformation of a largely residential neighborhood into a kinetic shopping district. With an intense commercialism overlying, or coexisting with, stark economic inequalities, Oxford Street is a microcosm of historical and urban processes that have made Accra the variegated and contradictory metropolis that it is today.
“Oxford Street, Accra offers a fresh portrait of a rising African metropolis by one of the most original and skilled critics of the African condition. Deeply researched and packed with detail and bold in scope and analysis, Oxford Street, Accra is a unique addition to the growing body of work on contemporary African Urbanism. This extraordinary book shows the extent to which the future of urban theory might well lie in the global South.” – Achille Mbembe, author of Critique de la raison négre.
KEY SELLING POINTS:
- Oxford Street, Accra is a must-buy as an invaluable companion and compass for both newcomers and returning visitors to Accra.
- Oxford Street, Accra was chosen as one of the ‘UK Guardian’s 10 Best City Books of the World in 2014.’
- Oxford Street, Accra was also the Co-Winner of ‘The Urban History Association’s Top Award in the International Category For Books Published About World Cities in 2013 – 2014.’
- Oxford Street, Accra contains an encyclopedic knowledge of the City of Accra, tracing the city’s evolution from its settlement in the mid-seventeenth century to the present day.
- The book offers a microcosm of historical and urban knowledge of the making of the city that have transformed Accra into the sophisticated metropolis that is it today.
₵160.00