“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
Oncoming Traffic by Maakomele R. Manaka (Botsotso, 2018)
The traffic mainly reflects the silence in the author’s personal conflicts, meaning, writing what he cannot say, fusing different styles and tones from the lyrical to the surreal to strip himself down to the vulnerable marrow.
As such, this collection of poetry grapples with issues he has struggled with on a daily basis: firstly, what it means to be man when raised by a woman; secondly, his relationship with himself as a man with a physical disability; and lastly, as a black man dealing with the reality of living in a dysfunctional society.