“Mandela was not the only head of state taken in by Koagne. Le king kept snapshots of himself with many a man of power, among them Mobutu Sese Seko and Denis Sassou Nguesso […] He took Mobutu for 15 million dollars. Blaise Compaoré of Burkina Faso lost 40 million to him. Sassou, Etienne Eyadéma of Togo, several high officials of Gabon, Tanzania and Kenya, a member of the Spanish government and an ex-operative of the Israeli Mossad were bamboozled as well.” – Dominique Malaquais (Blood Money: A Douala Chronicle).
Bantu Serenade by Ntone Edjabe (featuring Nah-ee-lah) (read excerpt)
Santu Mofokeng: Trajectory of a street photographer (part1) (read excerpt)
Binyavanga Wainaina: Hell In Bed With Mrs Peprah (read excerpt)
Dominique Malaquais: Lindela (the winnie suite) (read excerpt)
Boubacar Boris Diop: Myriem (read excerpt)
Cover:
Neo Muyanga
Amandla Embongi by Menzi Thango (Bhiyoza Publishers, 2019)
The poet is an eloquent speaker. The poet uses a figurative language, poetic language and literary techniques. For example, you find a king called a bull, calf, heifer, buffalo, beast, lion etc. The poet is a brave man, wherein in the ancient times he was a man who did not look aside when the king went astray but rebuked him. Likewise, when a king did well, the poet praised and praised everything that had happened. Kings loved poets because of their courage. Hence the author of this book titled his book ‘Amandla Embongi’, which is translated as ‘the power of the poet’. The poems found in this book are modern poems which speak to the present time. The poet uses a poetic language to rebuke the society. (Title is in isiZulu)