“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
Lovedale Press
Lovedale Press is a small South African publishing house with roots dating back to 1823. It began at the Gwali Mission—also known as Chumie or Tyumie—located in the Tyume Valley near present-day Alice (now Dikeni) in the Eastern Cape. That same year, John Bennie, a skilled linguist from the Glasgow Missionary Society, was joined by John Ross, who brought with him the Ruthven Printing Press.
In December 1823, they printed the first words in isiXhosa. The press was used by the church to publish texts that reflected Scottish missionary ideals, aiming to promote education, spiritual growth, and the development of local communities.
Lovedale Press became a major publisher in Southern Africa, known for its production of literature in isiXhosa and other Southern African languages, as well as works in English.
Foundation and Purpose: "Victory of the Word" (VOW) was founded in 2020 by curator Anelisa Mangcu and artist Athi-Patra Ruga as a response to the challenges facing the Lovedale Press, a 200 year old printing press with a rich history of publishing Black writers and literature.
