What could the curriculum be – if it was designed by the people who dropped out of school so that they could breathe? The latest issue of Chimurenga provides alternatives to prevailing educational pedagogy. Through fiction, essays, interviews, poetry, photography and art, contributors examine and redefine rigid notions of essential knowledge.
Presented in the form of a textbook, Chimurenga 15 simultaneously mimics the structure while gutting it. All entries are regrouped under subjects such as body parts, language, grace, worship and news (from the other side), numbers, parents, police and many more. Through a classification system that is both linear and thematic, the textbook offers multiple entry points into a curriculum that focuses on the un-teachable and values un-learning as much as it’s opposite.
Inside: Amiri Baraka waxes poetic on the theoretics of Be-Bop; Coco Fusco flips the CIA’s teaching manual for female torturers; Karen Press and Steve Coleman instruct in folk-dancing; Dambudzo Marechera proposes a “guide to the earth”; Dominique Malaquais designs the museum we won’t build; through self-portraits Phillip Tabane and Johnny Dyani offer method to the Skanga (black music family); and Winston Mankunku refuses to teach.
Other contributors include Binyavanga Wainaina, Akin Adesokan, Isoje Chou, Sean O’Toole, Pradid Krishen, E.C. Osundu, Salim Washington, Sefi Atta, Ed Pavlic, Neo Muyanga, Henri-Michel Yere, Medu Arts Ensemble, Aryan Kaganof, Khulile Nxumalo and Walter Mosley amongst others. Cover by Johnny “Mbizo” Dyani.
Kwani?
Kwani?, produced by Kwani Trust, is a literary network based in Kenya. Founded in 2003 by Binyavanga Wainaina and other African writers. It is dedicated to nurturing and developing Kenya’s and Africa's intellectual, creative, and imaginative resources through strategic literary interventions. Kwani Trust has significantly shaped the landscape of East African literature, promoting a new generation of writers and artists. It publishes the seminal literary magazine "Kwani?", and has been instrumental in launching the careers of authors such as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Yvonne Owuor. Kwani Trust’s impact on the African literary scene is profound, highlighting themes of political activism, social justice, and cultural identity through its publications, workshops, and literary festivals. Notably, its publications have received international acclaim, with "Kwani?" often showcased at global literary events. The Trust also focuses on digital storytelling through multimedia and visual arts to reach broader audiences.
