Art, and the Road to Riches – by Rasna Warah
July 30, 2008
Is there room for the creative arts in Vision 2030, Kenya’s blueprint to becoming a middle-income country within two decades? This is a question that was recently raised by a number of people on a writers’ group that I subscribe to.
The question was prompted by the fact that while the recently re-launched Vision 2030 focuses on areas such as tourism, agriculture, manufacturing and financial services, there is no mention of the role of the arts in promoting economic development. Read more
Sunday Salon – August 3 (Special Litfest Session)
July 29, 2008
Sunday Salon, Nairobi
A Prose Reading Series
NEW YORK – NAIROBI – CHICAGO
http://www.sundaysalon.com
David Kaiza
Stanley Gazemba
Bantu Mwaura
Kalundi Serumaga
Four readers, four unique voices, in a tranquil outdoor setting
An evening of entertainment for discerning lovers of the written word.
7-9pm, Sunday 3rd August
Kengeles, Lavington Green
Entry Only KSh300
Free entry before 6.30pm
Free entry for all Sunday Salon Alumni
ABOUT THE WRITERS
David Kaiza
David Kaiza is a Ugandan writer based in Kampala. After working as a journalist for several years with the Daily Monitor, he took a two year hiatus from writing and became a metal worker. He recently returned to the pen with a travelogue about Luo origins, featured in the forthcoming Kwani 05.
Stanley Gazemba
Trained as a journalist, Gazemba lives in Kangemi, Nairobi and writes for Sunday Nation and Msanii Magazine. He is the author of The Stone Hills of Maragoli, which won the 2003 Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature, as well as 5 children’s books. He will be reading from his latest book, Grandmother’s Winning Smile.
Bantu Mwaura
Bantu Mwaura is an award winning performing artist from Kenya, a director, a playwright, a poet and a storyteller. His poetry has been published in several collections and anthologies, and his plays have been performed in Kenya , Zimbabwe, the USA and the UK. His work is featured in Missionaries, Mercenaries and Misfits, a new anthology about the relationship between Africa and international aid networks.
Kalundi Serumaga
Kalundi Serumaga is a Ugandan journalist who spent much of his childhood in Kenya. He lives in Kampala, where he works as a media columnist and radio talk show host.
His work has been published in After the Vote and Missionaries, Mercenaries and Misfits, as well as the forthcoming Kwani 05 .
Litfest covered by Sunday Nation
July 29, 2008
The Sunday Nation published a piece about KLF 2008; see it here.
Kwani Library Event, reviewed
July 26, 2008
Kwani’s pre-Litfest reading event at the Kenya National Library overcame a slow start and roared to the finish line, thanks to performances by some of our favourite writers, including Philo Ikonya, Samuel Munene, Binyavanga Wainaina, Tony Mochama, and more. Read all about it here.
