Pede Hollist, a native of Sierra Leone, is an associate professor of English at The University of Tampa, Florida. His interests cover the literature of the African imagination—literary expressions in the African continent as well as in the African Diaspora. So the Path Does not Die is his first novel. His short story "‘Foreign Aid" was on the shortlist for the 2013 Caine Prize for African Writing. Vitabu : I found So the Path Does Not Die a remarkable book. The story travels from a graphic, mystical past to the present time, through almost impossible and sometimes hidden cultural, social and economic issues. How did you come up with the idea for the Musudugu chaper? Pede Hollist: Among the Kuranko, Musudugu refers to a woman’s dwelling, but it also describes a mythical place where only women lived, happily and in sisterhood. The story of Kumba Kargbo’s confrontation with the elders of Musudugu suggests that the conflict between old and new ways and the tension betw...
Happy birthday, Ama Ata Aidoo I'm one of your many fans across the world. The first time I came across your name was probably in 1969, reading an editorial in the now defunct Sierra Leone Daily Mail to my grandfather. I don't recall what it was all about, but I do remember stumbling over your name as I read and Grandpa righting me ever so gently as he often did. I must confess I promptly forgot all about you. Until I got to my 1974-75 school year, and there you were at the top of my Literature in English book list. Those days, the best place for used books was what we called the gron bukshop . I don't know if you've ever been to Freetown, but back then book hawkers were a block or two down from the old C.M.S. Diocesan Bookstore, opposite the famous City Hotel that once stood at the corner of Gloucester and Lightfoot-Boston Street. Inside the old split-level bookstore, price tags were a little steep, so friends pointed you a few blocks down market. There, dog-e...
Amaka Ozumba-Azie works part-time as a family doctor in a hospital near the River Mersey and writes teen lit books by day at home in Merseyside. A transplant from the ancient Benin kingdom, Amaka is a wife and mother to two young daughters. Vitabu spoke to her recently about her debut novel “Melodies of Love” now out on eBooks retailers and available in paperback. My name is Amaka, short for ObiAmaka. Amaka means beautiful. Obiamaka means beautiful heart. I was born in Lagos and went to primary school in Lagos, then secondary school in Onitsha, Eastern Nigeria. I went to university in Benin City. It's the middle belt of Nigeria. I spent eight years there. It's known as the ancient city of Benin because it is rich in culture and art. I love Ring Road at Oba Market in Benin City. It is a large market where you can find anything. I particularly liked the fruit market--loads of kiosks with tropical fruits. I love mangoes, large ripe mangoes, and watermelons. My fav...
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