KWANI? 04

After many months of writing, reading, editing and polishing things up, we finally unveil, for your reading pleasure, Kwani? 04.Â

Following and keeping close to the great tradition set by its three predecessors, Kwani? 4 presents a wail of new voices in literary concert with the not so new. The now established talents- Binyavanga Wainaina, Muthoni Garland, Doreen Baingana- share these pages with the fast risers: Billy Kahora, Mukoma wa Ngugi and Shalini Gidoomal.
And Kwani? 4 has delved deeper into the all those spaces where the Kenyan story lives: the street corners, the neighbourhood pubs, the in-between semi rural places where the clash of cultures- the traditional versus the modern- continues to redefine the social roles of the individual, dismantle patriarchal constructs and still retain the pithy wit and the devices of ancient orature that time and the ritual of the communal fireside have honed.
Still, as though in ridicule of such notions of Africa as being the continent on the lee side of the Digital Divide, Kwani? 4 reaches into the burgeoning realms of the Kenyan blogosphere to bring such politically aware, borderline intellectual and only-two-degrees-shy-of-rebellious voices bringing a fresh look at the old themes of politics, slices of life and religion and placing them alongside such taboo subjects as sex beyond the hetero-normative ideal.
Kwani? 4 is a must read for all new fiction, mind provoking non fiction and photo-essays and witty graphic narratives.
We at Kwani Trust invite you to the official launch of Kwani? 04Â

Venue: Nu Metro Media Store, The Junction, Ngong’ Road
Date: August 24, 2007
Time: 6.30 pm
For sales enquiries, contact Mike Mburu:
sales@kwani.org
tel: 254 20 4451383/ 4450490

Sunday Salon

This month the Nairobi edition of the Sunday Salon returns to the same venue: Kengeles, Lavington Green.

Kwani Trust promises to make this month’s event extra special by featuring readings from the latest edition of our literary magazine Kwani?

Reading from Kwani? 4 and engaging the audience in easy conversations on living and writing on that evening will be:

• Shailja Patel
• Charles Matathia
• Haakasa Renja
• Binyavanga Wainaina
• Rasna Warah
• Jackie Lebo

The night will feature a choreographed performance by Neera Kapur- Dromson a performing artist and author of From Jhelum to Tana (Penguin India, 2007).

The event will begin at 7.00 p.m

KWANI? OPEN MIC

After many years since initiating a literary and creative revolution in Kenya, Kwani Trust continues to stage its monthly poetry Open Mic. Currently, this event is held every first Tuesday of the month in downtown Nairobi at Club Soundd, Hamilton House, Kaunda Street.

Bram Veerger, a Netherlands based photo and video journalist has an excellent video of one of our past Open Mic events. Click to view it here!